An experimental study has been carried out in order to investigate the heat storage characteristics for a latent heat storage tank with horizontal shell and tube type. The heat exchanger consisted of horizontal cylindrical capsules with a staggered tube bank layout. Based on the obtained data, the effects of flow rate and inlet fluid temperature on the melting time and heat storage rates were examined. It is found that the melting time decreased with increase of the flow rate and the inlet temperature. Results also show that at the initial stage of heat transfer the heat storage rate represents the maximum value and rapidly decreases.