New challenge in advanced thermal energy transportation using functionally thermal fluids

The present review article presents the current status of some researches on thermal energy transportation using functionally thermal fluid, which is a mixture of heat transfer medium like water and other material with or without phase change like a paraffin wax as a latent heat storage material. This functionally thermal fluid offers attractive opportunities for thermal energy transportation and heat transfer enhancement of heat exchanger. This article describes classification and characteristics of functionally thermal fluids and their application. Referring to functionally thermal fluid for the usage of sensible heat, some visco-elastic fluids for flow drag reduction in a thermal energy transport system such as aqueous polymer solution and surfactant solution are mentioned. On the other hand, this article describes heat transfer and hydrodynamic characteristics of some phase change slurries like ice slurry, phase change microemulsion slurry, phase change microencapsule slurry, clathrate slurry and shape-stabilized paraffin and polyethylene pellets as functionally thermal fluids using latent heat between solid and liquid phases. Finally, it leads to the conclusion that some functionally thermal fluids are very useful for the advanced thermal energy transportation and heat exchanger systems.     

Performance of chilled ceiling panels using phase change material slurries as the heat transport medium

Phase change materials (PCM) are advantageous for the dynamic and static storage of thermal energy. By encapsulating PCM in a solid material, of small enough diameter to be suspended in a liquid, partially melting and solidifying slurries can be created with very high energy densities and heat transfer rates. Such slurries are both transport medium and energy storage medium, and can be designed for a specific set temperature. A microencapsulated PCM slurry with melting/crystallisation temperature around 18 °C has been analysed in a test chamber containing a chilled ceiling. The results from the test chamber are presented.     

Convenient storage of concentrated hydrogen peroxide as a CaO2·2H2O2(s)/H2O2(aq) slurry for energy storage applications

Prior investigations have proposed, and successfully implemented, a stand-alone supply of aqueous hydrogen peroxide for use in fuel cells. An apparent obstacle for considering the use of aqueous hydrogen peroxide as an energy storage compound is the corrosive nature of the nominally required 50 wt.% maximum concentration. Here we propose storage of concentrated hydrogen peroxide in a high weight percent solid slurry, namely the equilibrium system of CaO₂·2H₂O₂(s)/H₂O₂(aq), that mitigates much of the risk associated with the storage of such high concentrations. We have prepared and studied surrogate slurries of calcium hydroxide/water that are assumed to resemble the peroxo compound slurries. These slurries have the consistency of a paste rather than a distinct two-phase (liquid plus solid) system. This paste-like property of the prepared surrogates enable them to be contained within a 200 lines-per-inch. (LPI) nickel mesh screen (33.6% open area) with no solids leakage, and only liquid transport driven by an adsorbent material is placed in physical contact on the exterior of the screen. This hydrogen peroxide slurry approach suggests a convenient and safe mechanism of storing hydrogen peroxide for use in, say, vehicle applications. This is because fuel cell design requires only aqueous hydrogen peroxide use, that can be achieved using the separation approach utilizing the screen material here. This proposed method of storage should mitigate hazards associated with unintentional spills and leakage issues arising from aqueous solution use.     

An overview of fundamental studies and applications of phase change material slurries to secondary loop refrigeration and air conditioning systems

Phase change material slurries (PCS) can be employed in the refrigeration and air conditioning systems as both secondary refrigerant and cold energy storage media simultaneously, which benefits not only the system efficiency improvement by the high cold carry capacity but also the reduction of the environment-negative-impact gas emission. This paper reviews the previous researches and developments on the applications of PCS, including ice slurry, microencapsulated phase change material slurry (MPCS) as well as clathrate hydrate slurry (CHS), to the secondary loop refrigeration and air conditioning systems. The paper mainly focuses on the generation approaches and storage strategies of these slurries which are considered as the most important issues relevant to the application of PCS, while the flow and heat transfer characteristics of PCS in both tubes and heat exchangers are also summarized. Moreover, several application cases of PCS and the corresponding operation performances are presented.     

Pipeline transport of biomass: Experimental development of wheat straw slurry pressure loss gradients

Pipeline transport in the form of a slurry can reduce the cost of transportation of biomass material to a biorefinery, as compared to trucks. This research experimentally studies the hydraulics of slurries of wheat straw with water for pipeline transport. Slurries with a range of particle sizes and saturated solid mass fractions are examined in a laboratory-scale 50 mm diameter carbon steel pipeline system. Slurries with particles approximately 3 mm long can flow with saturated solid mass fractions of up to 30%. Pressure loss gradients results suggest the influence of drag reducing fibre suspensions. This phenomenon enables slurry pressure losses to be below that of the carrier fluid alone (water) and be achieved with sufficiently long particle sizes, low saturated solid mass fractions and high velocities. Our results suggest that to reduce pressure losses per unit biomass material, slurries should have short particle sizes, to allow high saturated solid mass fractions to be pumped at low velocities. With the pipeline system and slurries examined in this study, slurries with particles approximately 3 mm long and saturated solid mass fractions of 20–30% pumped at 1.5 m s⁻¹ experience the lowest pressure losses. This result helps in the design and optimal operation of biomass slurry pipeline systems.     

Pipeline hydraulic transport of biomass materials: A review of experimental programs,empirical correlations,and economic assessments

Pipeline hydro-transport, an economically viable means of delivering large volumes of biomass, can replace conventional modes of transport – road, rail, and river - to improve the economy of pulp and paper mills, as well as bio-based energy facilities. This paper is a review of experimental and theoretical studies conducted by various sectors on the transport of wood and non-wood biomass-water mixtures (slurries) in pipes. The aims were to collect technical challenges, governing mechanical equations, and associated economic issues, as well as to identify the gaps in knowledge in the area. There have been several experiments conducted on pipeline hydro-transport of wood chips over a wide range of pipeline materials, lengths, and diameters. However, pipeline transport of non-wood agricultural residue slurries, as well as the performance of the centrifugal slurry pump handling such mixtures, has recently been investigated in a single lab-scale pipeline facility. Several researchers have proposed empirical correlations to estimate friction loss in wood chip slurries flowing in pipes and also recommended technically and economically optimum pumping velocities. Those correlations, however, are reported to come with noticeable deviations from one another and from experimental measurements. One empirical correlation has been also proposed to predict, with an uncertainty of less than 10%, the longitudinal pressure gradients in pipeline hydro-transport of agricultural residue biomass. All the experimental measurements and empirical correlations based some studies on the economic feasibility of pipelining wood chip-water mixtures. These studies proved the concept of economy of scale to be highly applicable to biomass pipeline systems.     

Preparation, characterization, and thermal properties of microencapsulated phase change material for thermal energy storage

This study is focused on the preparation, characterization, and determination of thermal properties of microencapsulated docosane with polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) as phase change material for thermal energy storage. Microencapsulation of docosane has been carried out by emulsion polymerization. The microencapsulated phase change material (MEPCM) was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Thermal properties and thermal stability of MEPCM were measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). DSC analysis indicated that the docosane in the microcapsules melts at 41.0 °C and crystallizes at 40.6 °C. It has latent heats of 54.6 and −48.7 J/g for melting and crystallization, respectively. TGA showed that the MEPCM degraded in three distinguishable steps and had good chemical stability. Accelerated thermal cycling tests also indicated that the MEPCM had good thermal reliability. Based on all these results, it can be concluded that the microencapsulated docosane as MEPCMs have good potential for thermal energy storage purposes such as solar space heating applications.     

Key techniques and parameters for briquetting corn stover sprayed with biogas slurry in a cold region in China

Densification of biomass is often necessary to combat the negative storage and handling characteristics of these low-bulk-density materials. Corn stover is an important feedstock being considered for production of renewable fuels and energy in China. Densification of corn stover would help reduce the problems and costs of bulk transportation, handling, and storage of biomass feedstock. In cold regions, some thermosetting binder will be added when briquette fuel is made with corn stover because of its high water and lignin content. It is important to understand the synthesis mechanism of thermosetting binder under certain temperature and pressure combined with strong alkaline slurry to explore develop ment of a new process of briquetting corn stover based on only alkaline slurry as an environment-friendly binder. In this study, flat-die briquetting machine has been used with a cone-shaped press roller, and a matching die hole on the press plate. At the same time, orthogonal experiments were designed from the results of single-factor experiments to obtain optimal briquetting conditions. The effects of spray quantity of biogas-slurry, size of die hole, and water content of corn stover on the durability and bulk density of corn stover briquettes were investigated. Moreover, the model for whole factors and the model for interaction between factors for indexes have been built, emulated the optimum processing parameters. The results show briquettes of corn stover with durability of 83.33% were produced when the spray liquid flow quantity of biogas-slurry, size of die hole, and water content of corn stover were 0.45 L/kg, 28 mm, and 20%, respectively. Bulk density of 616 kg/m³ was produced when the spray liquid flow quantity of biogas-slurry, size of die hole, and water content of corn stover were 0.3 L/kg, 24 mm, and 25%, respectively. These results have been checked by verification testing. The successful implementation of this project provides theoretical support and test instruction for the development of green biomass energy for sustainable development.     

Heat Transfer in Coiled Square Tubes for Laminar Flow of Slurry of Microencapsulated Phase Change Material

Passive heat transfer enhancement using a slurry of microencapsulated phase-change material (MEPCM) flowing in a laminar regime through a coiled duct of square cross section was evaluated. The phase-change material is n-octadecane. The flow behavior and heat transfer performance of water and MEPCM suspensions in various configurations (conical spiral, in-plane spiral, and helical spiral) of coiled tubes of square cross section was investigated. The results are compared with those for water as the base fluid flowing through a straight tube. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach is used to simulate the laminar flow of water with MEPCM suspension in these geometries. The liquid suspension properties are expressed as functions of the volumetric concentration of MEPCM particles and the temperature. Improved heat transfer performance was obtained as the concentration of MEPCM suspension increased from 1 to 10%. However, the overall performance in terms of the pumping power consumed for unit heat transferred worsened.     

An overview of phase change material slurries: MPCS and CHS

Phase change material slurries (PCS) can serve as both the heat transfer fluids and energy storage media, consequently, they are potentially applicable to the thermal systems, e.g., the secondary refrigeration and air conditioning loops, so as to improve the energy efficiency and to reduce the quantity of refrigerant used in the system. The design of the system using PCS needs the quantitative information about the thermal and fluidic behaviors of PCS. Here we provide an overview of the characteristics of two big groups of PCS, namely microencapsulated phase change material slurry (MPCS) and semi-clathrate hydrate slurry (CHS). The focuses are placed on the flow and heat transfer features and thermal properties, such as specific heat, viscosity and thermal conductivity. The suitable materials for making PCS are also discussed and compared based on the available data in the literature, and some examples of the applications of PCS are summarized as well.     

Thermal performance of a two-phase thermosyphon energy storage system

This article presents an energy storage system, which can be readily integrated with the building structure. It stores heat supplied by solar energy via the two-phase closed loop thermosyphon to storage tank and releases stored heat in energy storage material via two-phase closed thermosyphon to the heat exchanger through the flow of transport fluid. The functions of such energy storage system have three operating modes, i.e., heat charge, heat discharge, and simultaneous charge and discharge. The thermal performance of the system with alcohol and water as working fluid is experimentally investigated. The results show that the storage system employing alcohol as working fluid in the loop thermosyphon provides better performance; the system gives optimum heat charge and discharge performance under 35–40% fill ratio, regardless whether the working fluid is water or alcohol. The system displays optimum charge efficiency of 73% and optimum discharge efficiency of 85% with alcohol as working fluid.     

Technoeconomic optimization of a hybrid solar air-heating system

This paper presents a simple techno-economic model for a hybrid solar air-heating system based on water as the storage medium. The configuration of the system consists of a conventional solar air-heater, water tank for thermal storage, a unit which adjusts the higher air temperature (during peak sunshine hours) to the required limit (by mixing fresh air) and an arrangement for providing auxiliary energy if and when required. A thermostatically controlled electric heater is assumed to be the source of auxiliary energy, in the present calculations. In order to evaluate the performance of the system using the developed model numerical calculations have been made corresponding to the climate of Delhi, India. The calculations have been extended to obtain the optimized values of collector area and storage mass which correspond to the minimum value of useful energy. Numerical results show that the cost of useful energy obtained for optimized values of collector area and storage mass is much less than the cost of electrical heating.     

Preparation and thermal properties of microencapsulated phase change material for enhancing fluid flow heat transfer

Microencapsulated phase change material (MEPCM) is formed by packing PCM into a microcapsule with a solid but flexible shell. MEPCM can be used to enhance liquid cooling performance considerably. In this paper, experiments on the preparation of MEPCM with a double‐layered shell have been conducted. An in‐situ polymerization microencapsulation process was used to prepare the MEPCM with melamine resin as the shell material and n‐Docosane (C₂₂H₄₆) as the core material. Interesting parameters like the size of the prepared MEPCM, the core mass fraction in the MEPCM, and the thermal storage capability of the prepared MEPCM have been measured and analyzed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 36(1): 28–37, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.20138     

Dynamic modeling of compressed gas energy storage to complement renewable wind power intermittency

To evaluate the impacts and capabilities of large-scale compressed gas energy storage for mitigating wind intermittency, dynamic system models for compressed air energy storage and compressed hydrogen energy storage inside salt caverns have been developed. With the experimental data from air storage in a salt cavern in Huntorf, Germany, the cavern model has been verified. Both daily and seasonal simulation results suggest that with the same size wind farm and salt cavern, a compressed hydrogen energy storage system could better complement the wind intermittency and could also achieve load shifting on a daily and seasonal time scale. Moreover, the hydrogen produced in the compressed hydrogen energy storage system could also be dispatched as a fuel to accommodate zero emission transportation for up to 14,000 fuel cell vehicles per day while achieving seasonal load shifting.     

A comparison of coal-water slurry pipeline systems

Coal-water slurry pipeline systems are in various stages of development and exhibit many similarities, but they also have several unique characteristics. Existing and proposed systems range from conventional coarse- and fine-coal slurry pipeline media to the stabilized flow and coal-water mixture slurries that are under development. The roles planned for the coal being burned and the coal slurry pipeline, combined with the advantages and disadvantages of the alternative systems, tend to determine which system is most applicable for a particular use. Principal selection criteria include transport distance, water requirements, cost, and end use. Conventional coarse-coal slurries are best suited to very short-distance applications, where low water use is possible through closed-loop operation. Conventional fine-coal slurries generally require greater preparation and dewatering costs but can be transported great distances. These two systems offer excellent opportunities for rapid implementation because they have been tested on a full-scale basis. Use of the stabilized-flow system offers opportunities for domestic combustion and export because it is cheaper than coal-water mixtures. Coal-water mixtures provide the unique capability to displace oil use in oil-fired boilers. The coal-water pipeline systems for stabilized-flow and coal-water mixtures have not yet been tested on a large-scale basis.     

Promising components of waste-derived slurry fuels

The paper presents the results of experimental studies of energy (calorific value, ignition delay times and threshold ignition temperatures, duration and temperature of combustion) and environmental (CO₂, NO_x and SO_x emission) characteristics of fuel slurries based on pulverized wood (sawdust), agricultural (straw), and household (cardboard) waste. Wastewater from a sewage treatment plant served as a liquid medium for fuels. Petrochemical waste and heavy oil were additives to slurries. The focus is on obtaining the maximum efficiency ratio of slurry fuel, calculated taking into account environmental, cost, energy and fire safety parameters. All slurry fuels were compared with typical coal-water slurry for all the parameters studied. A comparison was also made between slurries and traditional boiler fuels (coal, fuel oil). The relative efficiency indicator for waste-based mixtures was varied in the range of 0.93–10.92. The lowest ignition costs can be expected when burning a mixture based on straw, cardboard and oil additive (ignition temperature is about 330 °C). The volumes of potential energy generated with the active involvement of industrial waste instead of traditional coal and oil combustion are forecasted. It is predicted that with the widespread use of waste-derived slurries, about 43% of coal and oil can be saved.     

The primary forest fuel supply chain: A literature review

This paper provides a literature review of articles on the primary forest fuel supply chain which have been published in English speaking peer-reviewed journals from 1989 to 2011. The focus is on the key issues of the transportation of primary forest fuel to heat and/or power plants: (i) transportation modes, (ii) terminal types, and (iii) forest fuel supply chain management, and provides basics on the logistically relevant characteristics of wood as feedstock such as on various feedstock assortments.The analysed supply chains include the transshipment, storage, handling (e.g. chipping) and transportation of primary forest fuel from the place of harvest to energy conversion plant. Due to spatial distribution, low mass density, low energy density and low bulk density, the transportation of primary forest fuel is crucial for economic efficiency as well as for reduced CO₂ emissions. As a consequence of forests accessibility, road transportation (after hauling the biomass to the forest road) is the first step of the modern primary forest fuel supply chain. For longer transportation distances, rail or waterway is preferred because of lower transportation costs per volume transported and lower CO₂ emissions. We highlight that some experience exists in multimodal transport, including truck, train or ship. Intermodal transport, however, has not been studied in the past and, therefore, an outlook for the research requirements is made here.     

Experimental assessment of heat storage properties and heat transfer characteristics of a phase change material slurry for air conditioning applications

A new microencapsulated phase change material slurry based on microencapsulated Rubitherm RT6 at high concentration (45% w/w) was tested. Some heat storage properties and heat transfer characteristics have been experimentally investigated in order to assess its suitability for the integration into a low temperature heat storage system for solar air conditioning applications. DSC tests were conducted to evaluate the cold storage capacity and phase change temperature range. A phase change interval of approximately 3 °C and a hysteresis behaviour of the enthalpy were identified. An experimental set-up was built in order to quantify the natural convection heat transfer occurring from a vertical helically coiled tube immersed in the phase change material slurry. First, tests were carried out using water in order to obtain natural convection heat transfer correlations. Then a comparison was conducted with the results obtained for the phase change material slurry. It was found that the values of the heat transfer coefficient for the phase change material slurry were higher than for water, under identical temperature conditions inside the phase change interval.     

Validation of a CFD model for the simulation of heat transfer in a tubes-in-tank PCM storage unit

A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed for the simulation of a phase change thermal energy storage process in a 100 l cylindrical tank, horizontally placed. The model is validated with experimental data obtained for the same configuration. The cold storage unit was charged using water as the heat transfer medium, flowing inside a horizontal tube bundle, and the selected phase change material (PCM) was microencapsulated slurry in 45% w/w concentration. The mathematical model is based on the three-dimensional transient Navier–Stokes equations with nonlinear temperature dependent thermo-physical properties of the PCM during the phase change range. These properties were experimentally determined using analytical methods. The governing equations were solved using the ANSYS/FLUENT commercial software package. The mathematical model is validated with experimental data for three different flow rates of the heat transfer fluid during the charging process. Bulk temperature, heat transfer rate and amount of energy stored were used as performance indicators. It was found that the PCM bulk temperatures were predicted within 5% of the experimental data. The results have also shown that the total accumulated energy was within 10% of the observed value, and thus it can be concluded that the model predicts the heat transfer inside the storage system with good accuracy.     

Slurry electrode properties for minimizing power loss of flowable electrochemical hydrogen storage systems

Electrochemical hydrogen storage in porous carbon particles in slurry electrodes is a function of particle size, shape, and material. Ideal slurry electrodes have high electrical (both electronic and proton) conductivity to minimise the electric resistance and ohmic power loss, and low viscosity to minimise parasitic pumping power, while utilising porous particles with high surface areas for hydrogen storage. In this paper we show that although carbon black (CB) particles have higher electronic conductivity than activated carbon (aC) particles, their proton conductivity is significantly lower, and they cannot be used for hydrogen storage. We increase the electronic conductivity of aC slurries by adding CB particles. We demonstrate that the addition of a 1:10 ratio by weight of CB to aC particles reduces the electric resistance and ohmic power loss by 50%, while parasitic pumping power increases by only 15% compared to slurries with no CB particles. We conclude that at low Reynolds numbers, for 5 to 20 wt% aC slurries with different particle sizes, slurries containing 20 wt% spherical aC particles smaller than 50 μm mixed with 2 wt% CB particles provide the highest electronic and proton conductivity, while not significantly increasing parasitic pumping power.