The latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) systems using the phase

change materials (PCMs) have achieved significant attention due to large

thermal energy storage (TES) density available at the constant temperature
phase change. A constrained thermal conductivity of the PCMs, however, delays
a thermal response to the melting and solidification processes, which also limits
the widespread of its engineering applications.
An infusion of the fins and metal foam as the thermal performance enhancers
(TPEs) in the PCMs significantly improves the phase change thermal
performance. Although the presence of the fins and metal foam in the LHTES
system substantially elevates the conductive thermal transport, they suppress the
beneficial influence of the natural convective transport, increase the cost, and
deplete the TES capacity. Further, a lack of the prescribed rule for the effective
utilization of these TPEs in context to optimum thermal performance raises a
scope of the thermal transport augmentation with a trade-off among the total
melting time, metal mass/TES capacity, and economy. In addition, very few
studies are identified, which establish and compare the respective thermal
transport in the LHTES systems subjected to the classical fins and the metal
foam during the melting and solidification processes.