The public defense of the M.Sc. student (Ahmed Abdulrazzaq Khalaf) from the Department of Mechanical Engineering was held for his thesis entitled “Investigation of PCM Melting in a Shell-and-Tube Thermal Energy Storage Unit with Arbitrary Fin Shapes” on Thursday, 5/2/2026, at 9:00 a.m.
The examining committee was composed of the following respected members:
- Kareema Ismail Amori — Chairperson
- Dhamia Saad Khudhair Mohammed Ali — Member
- Prof. Wael Sami Wadie — Member
- Hussein Toukan Abdullah — Member and Supervisor
This study investigated the performance of a thermal energy storage unit using a phase change material inside a shell-and-tube heat exchanger, with emphasis on the effect of fins of different shapes in enhancing heat transfer and accelerating the melting process. The study included both numerical and experimental analyses of the system performance, where several fin configurations were adopted in order to determine the most efficient design for improving thermal performance.
The study demonstrated that the shape of the fins has a significant effect on enhancing heat transfer and reducing the melting time. The curved tree-shaped fins achieved the best performance among the studied models, contributing to a noticeable reduction in melting time compared with the basic case without fins. The results also showed good agreement between the numerical and experimental investigations, confirming the efficiency of the adopted model and its potential applications in thermal energy storage, solar energy systems, and waste heat recovery.
After the scientific discussion by the honorable members of the examining committee, the student was awarded the grade of Very Good.
