Effect of water inlet velocity on thermal stratification in a mantled hot water storage tank

Thermal stratification in a mantled hot water storage tank is analysed numerically for different water inlet velocities. The aim is to obtain higher thermal stratification and supply hot water for usage as long as possible. Twelve different water inlet velocities to the hot water storage tank are considered. The numerical method is validated by comparing its results against experimental and numerical results from the literature. It turned out that the results obtained from the numerical analysis have shown very good agreements with the results from previous works. As a result, the water temperature in the tank increases with the increase of the water inlet velocities to the mantle but this increment is not proportional. After a period of operation of 7.2 h, which corresponds to the average sunshine duration in Turkey, temperature increments of 6.5 and 35 K have been estimated for the hot water inlet velocities of 0.01 and 0.3 m s^?1, respectively, at a radial distance of 0.1 m and a height of 1 m inside the storage tank. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Constant flow rate charging characteristics of a full-scale stratified chilled water storage tank with double-ring slotted pipe diffusers

Temperature distributions formed during charging of a 14 m (46 ft) water depth, 7 m (23 ft) radius stratified chilled water storage tank with double ring octagonal slotted pipe diffusers were recorded and analyzed. Prior to the beginning of each test, the tank was fully discharged and at a relatively uniform temperature. To the extent possible, inlet flow rate and temperature were held constant during each test. Six tests were performed for flow rates varying from 50% to 95% of design. Thermal performance was quantified using thermocline thickness, half-cycle figure of merit (FoM_1/2) and equivalent lost tank height (ELH). The thermal performance for all tested charge flow rates was good by current standards (FoM_1/2 > 90%, ELH < 1 m in all but one case). Thermocline thickness for low and medium flow rates was relatively small, on the order of 1 m (3 ft). Erroneously large thermocline thickness measurements were obtained in the high flow rate case because of the effect of inlet temperature variation combined with the definition used. Significant bulk temperature increase observed below the thermocline in all cases was most likely due to large-scale convection cells driven by the inlet flow. Efforts to improve the performance of diffusers should focus on suppressing this circulation.     

水蓄冷系统中蓄水槽设计需注意的几个问题

针对水蓄冷系统工程蓄水槽的设计中出现的一些常见问题进行了描述和分析,并提出了相应的解决方法,其结果对水蓄冷空调系统的设计具有一定的参考价值。     

Numerical simulation of three-dimensional flow dynamics in a hot water storage tank

A hot water storage device is one of the most common household appliances yet it is also one of the biggest sources of energy consumption. With natural resources fading, it is imperative that typical high-energy users such as hot water systems are made as energy efficient as possible. Research has shown that the thermal performance of a hot water system can be increased by maximising the level of thermal stratification within the storage tank, which could lead to huge energy saving. To analyse the effects of tank geometry and operating conditions on the thermal stratification within a storage tank, seven three-dimensional models have been numerically simulated by using the computational fluid dynamics program Fluent with realistic boundary and initial conditions applied. The level of thermal stratification in each model has been quantified using exergy analyses. The results show that increasing the tanks height/diameter aspect ratio, decreasing inlet/outlet flow rates and moving the inlet/outlet to the outer extremities of the tank all result in increasing levels of thermal stratification.     

Transient calculation of charge and discharge cycles in thermally stratified energy storages

A stable thermal stratification in solarthermal storage tanks increases the energy efficiency of these systems. Especially in charging and discharging cycles, mixing occurs due to jet flows. The reliable prediction of the influence of the storage and of the charging device geometry on the loading behaviour is essential for the layout and improvement of stratified storage systems. A model approach for the computational calculation of the time-dependent temperature distribution in stratified storage tanks based on the one-dimensional heat transport equation is described in the present study. The numerical solution was obtained by application of the first order Upwind-discretization scheme. This basic approach was further refined by the consideration of charging jet flows and local turbulences in the area of stratification according to the strategies of Jirka, 2004, Mott and Woods, 2009 and implemented in MATLAB. Two simulation examples of different complexity have shown that the enhanced model could increase the calculation accuracy in comparison to similar CFD and experimental studies. The results of the MATLAB program were reached with much less calculation effort than the results of the CFD simulation.     

Development of large MH tank system for renewable energy storage

Metal Hydrides (MH) can absorb large quantities of hydrogen at room temperature and ordinary pressure. Because MH can store hydrogen at a pressure less than 0.1 MPa safely and compactly, it is looked to as a method of storing hydrogen produced by electricity derived from renewable energy sources. To study this method of storing renewable energy, we made a MH tank system which could store hydrogen in the range of 1000 Nm³. A Mm-NiMnCo alloy was used for this MH tank system. MH becomes pulverized with absorbing and desorbing hydrogen, and this causes the problem of MH tank transformation owing to the partial distribution of the pulverized MH powders. Our MH material, named “Hydrage?,” was made using a technique to compose the MH powders with polymer materials without decreasing the hydrogen absorption and desorption rate. With this technique, the MH powders were immobilized, and strain on the MH tank was reduced. Furthermore, this technique enabled uniform dispersion of the MH powders, and high-density filling in MH tank was achieved relative to that attainable in a conventional MH tank. An MH tank system with a capacity of 1000 Nm³ is 1,800 mm in width, 3,150 mm in length, and 2,145 mm in height. The system for renewable energy storage consists of 9 tanks. About 7.2 tons of MH were used in this system. This system could work at temperatures from 25 to 35° C, and its maximum hydrogen absorption and desorption rate is 70 Nm³/h with a medium flow rate of 30 NL/min. This type of MH tank system, which can store a large amount of hydrogen safely and compactly, has the potential to become popular with various applications in the future.     

Economic analysis of heat storage in energy systems

Thermal energy storage (TES) enables more efficient use of conventional energy conversion plants and enhances the exploitation of renewable energy sources. Storage primarily promotes the replacement of heating oil with less expensive fuels, for instance biomass, coal or industrial waste heat. In this paper, some applications of heat storage for large-scale and centralized residential heating systems are presented. Analysis methods to estimate the economy of storage in these energy-systems are also derived. It was estimated that the maximum market potential for short- and long-term heat storage in the present Finnish heat production system would correspond to about 1–1.3 TWh of supplied heat per annum.     

Forced convective mixing in a zero boil-off cryogenic storage tank

This paper presents the results of a study of fluid flow and heat transfer of liquid hydrogen in a cryogenic storage tank with a heat pipe and an array of pump-nozzle units. A forced flow is directed onto the evaporator section of the heat pipe to prevent the liquid from boiling off when heat leaks through the tank wall insulation from the surroundings. An axisymmetric computational model was developed for the simulation of convective heat transfer in the system. Steady-state velocity and temperature fields were solved from this model by using the finite element method. Forty five configurations of geometry and velocity were considered. As the nozzle fluid speed increases, the values of the maximum, average, and spatial standard deviation of the temperature field decrease nonlinearly. Parametric analysis indicates that overall thermal performance of the system can be significantly improved by reducing the gap between the nozzle and the heat pipe, while maintaining the same fluid speed exiting the nozzle. It is also indicated that increased inlet tube length of the pump-nozzle unit results in slightly better thermal performance. Increased heat pipe length also improves thermal performance but only for low fluid speed.     

A new type of phase change heat storage tank in solar energy combination system

介绍了一种新型笼屉式相变蓄热水箱,通过实验测试对比分析相变蓄热水箱与普通蓄热水箱对太阳能组合系统的太阳能保证率及系统能效比的影响。实验表明：同等水箱容积,使用相变蓄热水箱时太阳能集热系统的小时集热量为普通蓄热水箱的3.7倍,相变蓄热水箱有利于提高太阳能保证率及系统能效比。在太阳能辐照强度相似的情况下,相变蓄热水箱会使太阳能保证率平均提高72%,使系统能效比平均提高26%。同时相变蓄热水箱可减少夜间水箱上部的热损失,使水箱上部水温降减少50%。     

不完全冻结式冰盘管融冰过程中环水温度的变化特性

通过不完全冻结式冰盘管融冰过程的实验研究，分析了水平排列管束外环水温度的变化特性，得出了融冰后期环水升温的过程存在一个升温平台的结论，进而研究了不同初始蓄冰量等因素对环水温度变化特性的影响。     

Latent heat storage for solar energy systems: Transient simulation of refrigerant storage

This paper presents a brief review of the available latent heat storage systems for solar energy utilization. A new concept of latent heat storage of solar energy via the refrigerant-absorbent mass storage in absorption cycle heat pump systems used for solar space heating/cooling has been proposed and assessed thermodynamically. A computer modelling and numerical simulation study shows that the concept of refrigerant storage is fundamentally sound, technically feasible and yields the following advantages over other storage methods: (i) the storage capacity per unit volume is high as the latent heat of vaporization of the refrigerant is high; (ii) the heat loss from the storage to the surroundings is minimum as the storage temperature is near the ambient; (iii) prolonged energy storage is possible with no degradation in system performance and hence suitable for combined solar heating and airconditioning. The effects of operating parameters on the energy storage concentration and storage efficiency have been studied in detail.     

Experimental investigation of a molten salt thermocline storage tank

Thermal energy storage is considered as an important subsystem for solar thermal power stations. Investigations into thermocline storage tanks have mainly focused on numerical simulations because conducting high-temperature experiments is difficult. In this paper, an experimental study of the heat transfer characteristics of a molten salt thermocline storage tank was conducted by using high-temperature molten salt as the heat transfer fluid and ceramic particle as the filler material. This experimental study can verify the effectiveness of numerical simulation results and provide reference for engineering design. Temperature distribution and thermal storage capacity during the charging process were obtained. A temperature gradient was observed during the charging process. The temperature change tendency showed that thermocline thickness increased continuously with charging time. The slope of the thermal storage capacity decreased gradually with the increase in time. The low-cost filler material can replace the expensive molten salt to achieve thermal storage purposes and help to maintain the ideal gravity flow or piston flow of molten salt fluid.     

Enhanced thermal stratification in a liquid storage tank with a porous manifold

Experiments were conducted to investigate the effectiveness of a porous manifold in the formation and maintenance of thermal stratification in a liquid storage tank. A thermal storage tank with a capacity of 315 L and a height-to-radius ratio of 4 was used for the experiment. The porous manifold used was made from rolling up a nylon screen into the shape of a tube. Stratification was observed at a Richardson number as low as 0.615. Flow visualization was also performed to confirm the effectiveness of the porous manifold in the promotion and maintenance of stable thermal stratification. From the results of flow visualization, one can conclude that a porous manifold is able to reduce the shear-induced mixing between fluids of different temperature, and thus is able to promote and maintain a stable stratification.     

Evaluation of the mechanical performance of a composite multi-cell tank for cryogenic storage: Part I - Tank pressure window based on progressive failure analysis

Understanding of the thermal and mechanical behaviour of conformal tanks when utilized in cryogenic fuel storage is considered crucial in the hypersonic aircraft sector. This behaviour is strongly dependent on the way the tank itself is designed. This study focuses on the effect of design on the performance of an innovative Type IV multi-spherical composite-overwrapped pressure vessel at both ambient and cryogenic conditions. A method to evaluate the required number of reinforcement rings at the intersections and thus avoid damage in those regions under pressurization is outlined. A thermo-mechanical FE-based model coupled with a progressive failure analysis (PFA) algorithm enables to evaluate the pressure window of the multi-sphere at ambient conditions. Additionally, a transient analysis -included in this study-is used to determine the different heat transfer mechanisms, temperature and strain evolution at the tank wall throughout cryogenic operation (chill-down, pressure cycling and purging). The temperature dependency of the tank wall materials is obtained by coupon testing and fitting functions and is hereby incorporated in the analysis. The most important outcome here is the absence of damage in the composite overwrap at cryogenic environments; this may be considered as a positive indication about the suitability of the Type IV multi-spherical COPVs for cryogenic storage.     

一种可蓄热太阳能睡床结构及性能分析

介绍了一种兼具蓄热与散热两种状态的太阳能供暖用睡床。该睡床的下部为蓄热水箱，可从太阳能集热板获取热量供给睡床。研究了基于该睡床的供暖系统在北京地区的应用情况，并分析了不同状态下床板上表面的散热量与被褥内的温度。结果表明：在全天散热状态下，典型年供暖季集热器效率为37.7 %，复合型睡床的有效供热量为4 390.2 MJ，太阳能保证率为80.7 %；在白天保温−夜间散热下，集热器效率为33.1 %，复合型睡床的有效供热量为4 441.1 MJ，太阳能保证率为81.8 %。     

Optimal research of annular baffle for heat-discharging performance of single thermal storage tank with molten salt

The single thermal energy storage tank (STEST) has been extensively investigated because of the advantage of cost and efficiency. This research presents heat discharging performance of STEST using coil heat exchanger (CHE) with annular baffle at different working conditions. The heat discharging performance, flow field and temperature distribution of different parameters of the annular baffle are presented and discussed. The results show that the heat discharging time decreases with an increase inlet air velocity of the CHE. The heat discharging efficiency is up to 95.7% in this study, and the heat discharging time can reach to 18.7 hours. In addition, optimal dimensionless diameters of annular baffle are D_b/D_t = 0.6, H_s/H_t = 0.075 and H_x/H_t = 0.050 (H_s is the height from the top of baffle to the top of tank. H_t is the height of the tank. H_x is the height from bottom of the baffle to the bottom of the tank). The efficiency of heat discharging process can be enhanced with optimal dimensions of the annular baffle. This study presents a direct practicable guide to design the STEST.     

Thermal performance of a solar-assisted heat pump drying system with thermal energy storage tank and heat recovery unit

Thermal performance parameters for a solar-assisted heat pump (SAHP) drying system with underground thermal energy storage (TES) tank and heat recovery unit (HRU) are investigated in this study. The SAHP drying system is made up of a drying unit, a heat pump, flat plate solar collectors, an underground TES tank, and HRU. An analytical model is developed to obtain the performance parameters of the drying system by using the solution of heat transfer problem around the TES tank and energy expressions for other components of the drying system. These parameters are coefficient of performances for the heat pump (COP) and system (COPs), specific moisture evaporation rate (SMER), temperature of water in the TES tank, and energy fractions for energy charging and extraction from the system. A MATLAB program has been prepared using the expressions for the drying system. The obtained results for COP, COPs, and SMER are 5.55, 5.28, and 9.25, respectively, by using wheat mass flow rate of 100 kg h⁻¹, Carnot efficiency of 40%, collector area of 100 m², and TES tank volume of 300 m³ when the system attains periodic operation duration in fifth year onwards for 10 years of operation. Annual energy saving is 21.4% in comparison with the same system without using HRU for the same input data.     

Thermal performance of roof evaporative cooling and floor coupled evaporatively cooled underground water storage tank systems

The thermal performance of a room with two indirect evaporative cooling systems (operating independently and jointly) is analysed. The two evaporative systems considered are a water-film roof evaporative cooling system, and an underground water storage tank beneath the floor of the room. The water in the tank is evaporatively cooled through a suitable aeration system. The performance of the room is analysed in the hot-dry climate of Jodhpur and the composite climate of Delhi. It is found that the underground water storage system is marginally better than the roof evaporative cooling system for the Jodhpur and Delhi climates. A detailed parametric performance analysis of the room has also been carried out.     

HVAC领域相变贮能研究的现状与进展

总结了相变传热的特点及求解方法 ;相变墙板的研制以及使用效果方面的研究现状 ;相变在供暖、空调系统中的应用 ;相变贮能技术在HVAC中应用的诸多优势。提出了HVAC领域相变贮能技术今后的研究方向。