Fabrication of portable solar thermal bank for indoor cooking

The aim of this report is to build a portable solar thermal bank based on a Scheffler reflector that is capable of boiling-type cooking using HITEC as a thermal storage material. This report reviews the problems related to solar cooking and evaluates the novel layout of a portable solar thermal bank which includes a daily thermal storage vessel. This stove is in the shape of a cylindrical container filled with phase-changing latent heat storage material. Inside the container, we provide a small gap taking into account the volumetric expansion of the phase change material (PCM) during the melting process. The solar thermal bank is charged in the sun. It is placed directly for a few hours under the focus of a Scheffler reflector, which charges the solar thermal bank with enough thermal energy stored. After a while, the cooking process can be completed by users using that stored heat. The top cavity is used as a cooking pot in a solar thermal bank. Cooking meals do not require direct sunlight, which is typical for most solar cookers. The portable solar thermal bank is an alternative for low-income households and adapts to local traditions of indoor cooking. It is portable and can be used safely to cook indoors or outdoors. In this study, a solar cooker with a thermal storage device was developed using a PCM. The size of the stove has been calculated by calculating the energy consumption for two to three people. HITEC salt has been chosen as a phase change material for thermal storage, which will be used for cooking when there is no sunlight. It enhances the applicability of solar cooking and preserves cooking possibilities using energy stored throughout the day at low production costs.     

Thermal performance of PCM thermal storage unit for a roof integrated solar heating system

The thermal performance of a phase change thermal storage unit is analysed and discussed. The storage unit is a component of a roof integrated solar heating system being developed for space heating of a home. The unit consists of several layers of phase change material (PCM) slabs with a melting temperature of 29 °C. Warm air delivered by a roof integrated collector is passed through the spaces between the PCM layers to charge the storage unit. The stored heat is utilised to heat ambient air before being admitted to a living space. The study is based on both experimental results and a theoretical two dimensional mathematical model of the PCM employed to analyse the transient thermal behaviour of the storage unit during the charge and discharge periods. The analysis takes into account the effects of sensible heat which exists when the initial temperature of the PCM is well below or above the melting point during melting or freezing. The significance of natural convection occurring inside the PCM on the heat transfer rate during melting which was previously suspected as the cause of faster melting process in one of the experiments is discussed. The results are compared with a previous analysis based on a one dimensional model which neglected the effect of sensible heat. A comparison with experimental results for a specific geometry is also made.     

Performance enhancement of high temperature latent heat thermal storage systems using heat pipes with and without fins for concentrating solar thermal power plants

A key drawback of using latent heat thermal storage systems for concentrating solar thermal power plants is the low thermal conductivity of the phase change material during the melting and solidification processes. This paper investigates an approach for reducing the thermal resistance by utilising axially finned heat pipes. A numerical model simulating the phase change material melting and solidification processes has been developed. This paper also includes the models of the evaporation and condensation of the heat pipe working fluid. The results show that by adding four axial fins and including the evaporation and condensation, the overall thermal performance of the storage system is enhanced significantly compared to having bare heat pipes. After 3 h a total of 106% increase in energy storage is obtained during the charging process. The results also show that the combined effect of incorporating the evaporation/condensation process and adding the fins leads to a threefold increase in the heat storage during the first 3 h. During the discharge process, there was a 79% increase in energy discharged and also the combined effect of incorporating the evaporation/condensation as well as adding the fins results in an almost four fold increase in the heat extracted within the first 3 h. A parametric analysis has also been carried out to analyse the effect of the finned heat pipe parameters after incorporating evaporation and condensation of the heat pipe working fluid.     

Thermal cycle testing of calcium chloride hexahydrate as a possible PCM for latent heat storage

In order to study the changes in latent heat of fusion and melting temperature of calcium chloride hexahydrate (CaCl₂·6H₂O) inorganic salt as a latent heat storage material, a thousand accelerated thermal cycle tests have been conducted. The effect of thermal cycling and the reliability in terms of the changing of the melting temperature using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) is determined. It has been noticed that the CaCl₂·6H₂O melts between a stable range of temperature and has shown small variations in the latent heat of fusion during the thermal cycling process. Thus, it can be a promising phase change material (PCM) for heating and cooling applications for various building/storage systems.     

Some fatty acids used for latent heat storage: thermal stability and corrosion of metals with respect to thermal cycling

The present study includes thermal stability of some fatty acids as phase change materials (PCMs). The selected fatty acids were stearic, palmitic, myristic and lauric acid with melting temperatures between 40–63°C and industrial-grade with 90–95 % purity. Latent heat storage capacity and phase transition temperature of the PCMs were determined by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) technique as a function of after repeated thermal cycles such as 40, 410, 700 and 910. The present work also comprises the investigation of corrosion resistance of some construction materials to the fatty acids over a long period. The containment materials tested were stainless steel (SS 304 L), carbon steel (steel C20), aluminium (Al) and copper (Cu). Gravimetric analysis as mass loss (mg/cm²), corrosion rate (mg/day) and a microscopic or matellographic investigation were performed for corrosion tests after 910 thermal cycles. DSC measurements showed that all fatty acids investigated as PCMs have a good thermal stability as a function of latent heat and phase transition temperature range for an actual middle-term thermal energy storage utility. However, in long-term solar thermal applications, the palmitic acid and myristic acid may be considered more suitable PCMs than the others. From the gravimetric and metallographic results, it can be concluded that stainless steel (SS 304L) with chromium oxide (Cr₂O₃) surface layer and Al with aluminium oxide (Al₂O₃) surface layer are essentially compatible with the investigated fatty acids. Carbon steel (Steel C20) and Cupper (Cu) are only preferantially compatible with PCMs.     

Thermal performance analysis of a flat slab phase change thermal storage unit with liquid-based heat transfer fluid for cooling applications

This paper presents the results of a thermal performance analysis of a phase change thermal storage unit. The unit consists of several parallel flat slabs of phase change material (PCM) with a liquid heat transfer fluid (HTF) flowing along the passages between the slabs. A validated numerical model developed previously to solve the phase change problem in flat slabs was used. An insight is gained into the melting process by examining the temperatures of the HTF nodes, wall nodes and PCM nodes and the heat transfer rates at four phases during melting. The duration of the melting process is defined based on the level of melting completion. The effects of several parameters on the HTF outlet temperature, heat transfer rate and melting time are evaluated through a parametric study to evaluate the effects of the HTF mass flow rate, HTF inlet temperature, gap between slabs, slab dimensions, PCM initial temperature and thermal conductivity of the container on the thermal performance. The results are used to design a phase change thermal storage unit for a refrigerated truck.     

Thermal performance of a high conductive shape-stabilized thermal storage material

A composite based on paraffin, styrene–butadiene–styrene (SBS) triblock copolymer and exfoliated graphite (EG) is prepared. In this composite, paraffin undergoes solid–liquid phase change in the SBS network, and there is no leakage of it even in the state of melting. The composite exhibits high thermal conductivity and nearly 80% of the latent heat of fusion per unit mass of the paraffin.     

Polyurethane/graphite nano-platelet composites for thermal energy storage

In this work new polyurethane-based phase change materials containing segments of poly(ethylene glycol) with average molar mass of 8000 g/mol with and without chain extender and modified with graphite nano-platelets have been fabricated and characterized. Structure, morphology and phase behaviour of these solid-solid phase change materials were investigated, as well as the thermal stability and conductivity. The heat of phase transition was in the range of 118.0–164.5 J/g for polyurethane without chain extender and 128.0–148.5 J/g for polyurethane with chain extender. The highest heat of phase transition and crystallinity were found for system modified with 0.3% of graphite nano-platelets in polyurethane without chain extender. Modulated differential scanning calorimetry results showed some changes in the phase transition behaviour and the crystallinity of the polyurethane matrix due to graphite nano-platelets confinement effect. Enhancements in the thermal stability in polyurethane modified with graphite nano-platelets, attributed to the barrier effect, were found based on thermogravimetric analysis data. The thermal conductivity increased with an increase of graphite nano-platelets content for both polyurethane systems, with and without chain extender, which is important for modern thermal energy storage applications.     

Experimental determination of the effective thermal capacity function and other thermal properties for various phase change materials using the thermal delay method

The recently presented thermal delay method is an improved version of the well-known T-history method, which is widely used for thermal properties measurement of phase change materials (PCM). The most important difference between the thermal delay and the T-history methods is that the former is based on the use of thermal delay (i.e. temperature difference) between PCM and a reference fluid at any specified time while the latter makes use of their time delay at any specified temperature. Although the thermal delay method has been documented in our previous publication, measurements are performed of the known and indisputable values of ethyl alcohol thermal capacity and the latent heat of the double distilled water (WFI), which confirm the accuracy of the method. Additional comparisons with values provided by PCM producing companies show disagreements lower than 1.7%. The main volume of measurements of the present study includes the following thermal properties of various practically interesting PCM: (a) the temperatures at the ends of the two-phase region; (b) the liquid and solid PCM thermal capacities; (c) the phase change heat; (d) the heat storage capacity during any specified temperature range; and (e) the effective thermal capacity function, which is a very important and useful property for practical applications. The above function is provided for each one of the PCM examined in the form of diagrams, as well as in the form of analytical expressions derived by curve fitting to the processed experimental values. All measurements were repeated 20 times and the results were averaged in order to minimize errors from accidental incidents.     

Understanding thermal and redox cycling behaviors of flat-tube solid oxide fuel cells

The performance stability of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) under thermal and redox cycles is vital for large-scale applications. In this work, we investigated the effects of thermal and redox cycles on cell performances of flat-tube Ni/yttria-stabilized zirconia (Ni/YSZ) anode-supported SOFCs. Cell performance was considerably affected by the duration of oxidation during redox cycles and the heating rate during the thermal cycles. The cell tolerated 20 short-term redox cycles (5 min oxidation) without significant performance degradation. Besides, the cell exhibited superior stability during 8 thermal cycles with a slow heating rate (4 °C min⁻¹) to that with a fast heating rate (8 °C min⁻¹). These results reflected that the thick anode support (2.7 mm) offered strong resistance to the shocks caused by redox and thermal cycling. Moreover, the morphological changes of the Ni phase during the redox and thermal cycling were investigated using Ni-film anode cells. Agglomeration of Ni particles and dissociation between the Ni film and the YSZ substrate were confirmed after 5 redox cycles, whereas no significant changes in Ni film emerged after 8 thermal cycles.     

Modeling of thermal stresses and lifetime prediction of planar solid oxide fuel cell under thermal cycling conditions

A typical operating temperature of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is above 600 °C, which leads to severe thermal stresses caused by the difference in material mechanical properties during thermal cycling. Interfacial shear stress and peeling stress are the two types of thermal stresses that can cause the mechanical failure of the SOFC. Two commonly used SOFC configurations (electrolyte-supported and anode-supported) were considered for this study. The paper developed a mathematical model to estimate the thermal stresses and to predict the lifetime of the cell (Ni/8YSZ-YSZ-LSM). Due to the mismatch of the material mechanical properties of the cell layers, a crack nucleation induced by thermal stresses can be predicted by the crack damage growth rate and the initial damage distribution in the interfacial layer for each thermal cycle. It was found that the interfacial shear stress and peeling stress were more concentrated near the electrode free edge areas. The number of cycles needed for failure decreased with the increase in the porosity of electrode. The number of cycle for failure decreased with increase in electrolyte thickness for both anode- and electrolyte-supported SOFC. The model provides insight into the distribution of interfacial shear stress and peeling stress and can also predict damage evolution in a localized damage area in different SOFC configurations.     

Electrospun capric acid/polyethylene terephthalate composite nanofibres for storage and retrieval of thermal energy

Abstract

Composite nanofibres based on capric acid (CA) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) with different mass ratios of CA/PET ranging from 0·5∶1, 1∶1, 1·5∶1, 2∶1 to 2·5∶1 were fabricated by electrospinning as innovative form-stable phase change materials for storage and retrieval of thermal energy. The morphological structures, thermal energy storage properties and thermal stability of electrospun CA/PET composite nanofibres were characterised by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electronic microscopy (TEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) respectively. The FE-SEM images revealed that the electrospun CA/PET composite nanofibres had a cylindrical morphology with average fibre diameters in the range of about 145–192 nm. Additionally, the FE-SEM and TEM images indicated that the CA distributed on the surface and within the core of the composite nanofibres. The results acquired from DSC analyses indicated that the mass ratio of CA versus PET played an important role on the enthalpy values of melting and crystallisation of the composite nanofibres, while it had no appreciable effect on the temperatures of phase transitions. Moreover, the results of DSC thermal cycling suggested that the thermal energy storage properties of the CA in the composite nanofibres had hardly been influenced during thermal cycling, indicating that the electrospun CA/PET composite nanofibres had good thermal reliability. The TGA results showed that both the onset thermal degradation temperature and the charred residue at 700°C of the composite nanofibres were lower than those of pure PET nanofibres as a result of the thermal instability of the CA molecular chains.     

Preparation and characterization of stearic acid/expanded graphite composites as thermal energy storage materials

Stearic acid/expanded graphite composites with different mass ratios were prepared by absorbing liquid stearic acid into the expanded graphite. In the composite materials, the stearic acid was used as the phase change material for thermal energy storage, and the expanded graphite acted as the supporting material. Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and thermal diffusivity measurement were used to determine the chemical structure, crystalline phase, microstructure and thermal diffusivity of the composites, respectively. The thermal properties and thermal stability were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. The thermal analysis results indicated that the materials exhibited the same phase transition characteristics as the stearic acid and their latent heats were approximately the same as the values calculated based on the weight fraction of the stearic acid in the composites. The microstructural analysis results showed that the stearic acid was well absorbed in the porous network of the expanded graphite, and there was no leakage of the stearic acid from the composites even when it was in the molten state.     

A model for managing and evaluating solar radiation for indoor thermal comfort

Thermal comfort of people occupying indoor spaces depends, to a large extent, on the direct component of solar radiation incident on the human body. In turn, even the diffuse component of the solar radiation could affect the thermal sensations of people. Despite this evidence, at the present there is a lack in the availability of simple and reliable methods capable of taking into account the influence of the solar radiation on thermal balance in the human body. In this work a comprehensive method is presented for the computation of the mean radiant temperature of people in thermal moderate indoor environments in the presence of solar radiation. The effects produced on the amount of solar radiation entering rooms in the presence of shadowing devices are also analysed. Finally, an application of the method is provided for a non-parallelepiped room equipped with a south window: results are shown in terms of the mean radiant temperature. A simple evaluation of thermal comfort conditions, referring to the present international standards, is also provided.The model can be easily linked to the computerized methods for analyzing the thermal behaviour of buildings, and is intended as a support for the thermal comfort evaluation methods.     

Theoretical and experimental analysis of the vacuum pressure in a vacuum glazing after extreme thermal cycling

Details of theoretical and experimental studies of the change in vacuum pressure within a vacuum glazing after extreme thermal cycling are presented. The vacuum glazing was fabricated at low temperature using an indium-copper-indium edge seal. It comprised two 4 mm thick 0.4 m by 0.4 m glass panes with low-emittance coatings separated by an array of stainless steel support pillars spaced at 25 mm with a diameter of 0.4 mm and a height of 0.15 mm. Thermal cycling tests were undertaken in which the air temperature on one side of the sample was taken from −30 °C to +50 °C and back to −30 °C 15 times while maintaining an air temperature of 22 °C on the other side. After this test procedure, it was found that the glass to glass heat conductance at the centre glazing area had increased by 10.1% from which the vacuum pressure within the evacuated space was determined to have increased from the negligible level of less than 0.1 Pa to 0.16 Pa using the model of Corrucini. Previous research has shown that if the vacuum pressure is less than 0.1 Pa, the effect of conduction through the residual gas on the total glazing heat transfer is negligible. The degradation of vacuum level determined was corroborated by the change in glass surface temperatures.     

Application of phase change materials in thermal management of electronics

Application of a novel PCM package for thermal management of portable electronic devices was investigated experimentally for effects of various parameters e.g. power input, orientation of package, and various melting/freezing times under cyclic steady conditions. Also, a two-dimensional numerical study was made and compared the experimental results. Results show that increased power inputs increase the melting rate, while orientation of the package to gravity has negligible effect on the thermal performance of the PCM package. The thermal resistance of the device and the power level applied to the PCM package are of critical importance for design of a passive thermal control system. Comparison with numerical results confirms that PCM-based design is an excellent candidate design for transient electronic cooling applications.     

The oil bath thermal cycling absorption process design and separation process research

Thermal cycling absorption process (TCAP) has been developed for years to support the separation of hydrogen isotopes, which has the characteristics of high separation efficiency and high recovery rate. The design of separation column structure, heating and cooling (H&C) system and technological parameters are the basis of TCAP technical process study and are the key points of TCAP engineering research. In this work, an improved separation system has been designed and built based on an oil bath H&C system for the first time. The separation column in this facility is 45 m long and the packing weight in the column is up to 8 kg. The separation experiments were carried out based on this facility, and the process parameters were adjusted according to the size of the separation column, which proved the superior performance of this facility. The separation experiments show that for 50% D₂ - 50% H₂ feed gas, the deuterium abundance can reach to 99% and the steady state extraction can be realized in production mode with the processing capacity over 400 standard L per day. Another experiment has been carried out with 1% D₂ - 99% H₂ feed gas, and the deuterium abundance exceeded 10%, verifying the separation ability at low abundance deuterium feed gas. Furthermore, the extraction rate can reach to 25% column capacity when the deuterium abundance in production gas is 5%.     

Evaluation of phase change materials for thermal regulation enhancement of building integrated photovoltaics

Regulating the temperature of building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) using phase change materials (PCMs) reduces the loss of temperature dependent photovoltaic (PV) efficiency. Five PCMs were selected for evaluation all with melting temperatures ∼25 ± 4 °C and heat of fusion between 140 and 213 kJ/kg. Experiments were conducted at three insolation intensities to evaluate the performance of each PCM in four different PV/PCM systems. The effect on thermal regulation of PV was determined by changing the (i) mass of PCM and (ii) thermal conductivities of the PCM and PV/PCM system. A maximum temperature reduction of 18 °C was achieved for 30 min while 10 °C temperature reduction was maintained for 5 h at −1000 W/m² insolation.     

Economic evaluation of latent heat thermal energy storage using embedded thermosyphons for concentrating solar power applications

An economic evaluation of a latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) system for large scale concentrating solar power (CSP) applications is conducted. The concept of embedding gravity-assisted wickless heat pipes (thermosyphons) within a commercial-scale LHTES system is explored through use of a thermal network model. A new design is proposed for charging and discharging a large-scale LHTES system. The size and cost of the LHTES system is estimated and compared with a two-tank sensible heat energy storage (SHTES) system. The results suggest that LHTES with embedded thermosyphons is economically competitive with current SHTES technology, with the potential to reduce capital costs by at least 15%. Further investigation of different phase change materials (PCMs), thermosyphon working fluids, and system configurations has the potential to lead to designs that can further reduce capital costs beyond those reported in this study.     

An experimental study on the thermal performance of a solar chimney without and with PCM

The thermal performance of a solar chimney without and with phase change material (PCM) has been experimentally studied in this paper. For the case of solar chimney with PCM, three different modes (closed-fully charging mode, open-partly charging mode and open-fully charging mode) were developed. The closed mode was designed to maximize the use of the solar energy when the heating is not required. Whilst the open mode was designed for delivering the heated air to the living space during charging period. The results showed that the inclusion of PCM to a solar chimney would reduce the air flow during charging period but increase it during discharging period compared with the solar chimney without PCM. For the open-partly mode, the mean air flow rate during phase change period was only 0.036 kg/s, which was lower than that for closed-fully charging mode (0.041 kg/s). Regarding the open-fully charging mode, the melting time of the PCM was almost 11 h, which was 57% longer than that for closed mode. The mean air flow rate during phase change period was 0.04 kg/s, which was higher than that for open-partly mode but lower than that for closed mode.