Alternative storage options for solar thermal systems

The efficient implementation of solar systems in buildings depends on the storage of energy yielded, as it can both increase the solar system's autonomy and make it a feasible solution for zero energy buildings, and make storage vessels more compact, reducing precious space requirements. This is of particular important in places with reduced time of sunshine, where solar systems are less effective, because of the deviation between solar radiation and the demand. The traditional storage options use water, which is practical, safe and low‐cost, especially when the storage requirements are small. However, when larger storage is needed, limits concerning the use of water exist, mainly due to the need for larger installation space and the increased thermal losses. The use of phase change materials (PCM) for thermal energy storage seems an upcoming technology. The main idea is the substitution of water with PCM, which feature larger specific energy storage capacity compared to other conventional materials. In the context of the specific paper, a combined solar thermal system used for the preparation of domestic hot water (DHW) and space heating (Solar Combi System) with two different types of storage is studied, for two Greek cities. The aim is to find out which is the most efficient way of storing energy with respect to the autonomy of the system, for a solar combi system. This is being achieved by determining the comparative autonomy of PCM and water storage system for various climates. It was proven that using PCM is advantageous, as it can extend the autonomy duration of the solar system for 2 to 8 hours, depending on the season and the climatic conditions. However, it was also seen that in solar combi systems used throughout the whole year, PCM are inefficient during summer period.     

Experimental investigation of an indirect-type solar cooker for indoor cooking based on a parabolic dish collector

In the present research article, an indirect type solar cooking system has been developed for indoor cooking. In the proposed cooking system, a cooking pot has been placed at a distance of 5 m from the parabolic dish collector, and the heat has been transmitted from the collector to the cooking pot by means of heat transfer fluid. A gear pump of 40 W and insulated pipes have been used to circulate the fluid. A number of experiments have been performed to analyze the performance of the cooking system. During the investigation, the system achieved the temperature of the heat transfer fluid up to 175°C. The time taken for cooking the rice and the black grams has been observed 21 and 68min, respectively. The average thermal efficiency of the proposed system for the entire day has been achieved at 13.11%.     

Fast thermal cycling of acetanilide and magnesium chloride hexahydrate for indoor solar cooking

Solar cookers are broadly divided into a direct or focusing type, indirect or box-type and advanced solar cookers. The focusing and box-type solar cookers are for outdoor applications. The advanced solar cookers have the advantage of being usable indoors and thus solve one of the problems, which impede the social acceptance of solar cookers. The advanced type solar cookers are employing additional solar units that increase the cost. Therefore, the solar cooker must contain a heat storage medium to store thermal energy for use during off-sunshine hours. The main aim of this study is to investigate the influence of the melting/solidification fast cycling of the commercial grade acetanilide C₈H₉NO (T_m = 116 °C) and magnesium chloride hexahydrate MgCl₂·6H₂O (T_m = 116.7 °C) on their thermo-physical properties; such as melting point and latent heat of fusion, to be used as storage media inside solar cookers. Five hundred cycles have been performed. The thermo-physical properties are measured using the differential scanning calorimetric technique. The compatibility of the selected phase change materials (PCMs) with the containing material is also studied via the surface investigation, using the SIM technique, of aluminum and stainless steel samples embedded in the PCM during cycling. It is inferred that acetanilide is a promising PCM for cooking indoors and during law intensity solar radiation periods with good compatibility with aluminum as a containing material. However, MgCl₂·6H₂O is not stable during its thermal cycling (even with the extra water principle) due to the phase segregation problem; therefore, it is not recommended as a storage material inside solar cookers for cooking indoors. It is also indicated that MgCl₂·6H₂O is not compatible with either aluminum or stainless steel.     

Modeling and design of a solar thermal system for hybrid cooking application

This paper proposes a hybrid solar cooking system where the solar energy is brought to the kitchen. The energy source is a combination of the solar thermal energy and the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) that is in common use in kitchens. The solar thermal energy is transferred to the kitchen by means of a circulating fluid. The transfer of solar heat is a twofold process wherein the energy from the collector is transferred first to an intermediate energy storage buffer and the energy is subsequently transferred from the buffer to the cooking load. There are three parameters that are controlled in order to maximize the energy transfer from the collector to the load viz. the fluid flow rate from collector to buffer, fluid flow rate from buffer to load and the diameter of the pipes. This is a complex multi energy domain system comprising energy flow across several domains such as thermal, electrical and hydraulic. The entire system is modeled using the bond graph approach with seamless integration of the power flow in these domains. A method to estimate different parameters of the practical cooking system is also explained. Design and life cycle costing of the system is also discussed. The modeled system is simulated and the results are validated experimentally.     

Transport of cold thermal energy with a slurry as secondary biphasic refrigerant

A dispersion of phase‐change materials is proposed as an experimental biphasic refrigerant. The phase‐change material is water stabilized by a tri‐dimensional network of polymer, obtained by using a polymerizing process. The particle contains 90 per cent of water and has the consistency of a viscoelastic solid above the phase‐change temperature. The measured values of the physical properties of the biphasic refrigerant, that is, specific heat, latent heat, density and viscosity, are presented and discussed for the considered temperature range. A supercooling phenomena is observed if the size of the particles becomes lower than 1 mm. The degree of supercooling however does not exceed 3°C. The various advantages of this slurry are presented and the comparison with a common single‐phase carrier fluid has proved how great its properties are as a secondary refrigerant. This material appears well adapted for a wide variety of schemes where the production involves low‐temperature intervals, such as the refrigeration industry. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluation and selection of energy storage systems for solar thermal applications

Energy storage is one of the key technologies for energy conservation and therefore is of great practical importance. One of its main advantages is that it is best suited for solar thermal applications. This study deals with a comprehensive discussion of the evaluation and the selection of sensible and latent heat storage technologies, systems and applications in the field of solar energy. Several issues relating to energy storage are examined from the current perspective. In addition, some criteria, techniques, recommendations, checklists on the selection, implementation and operation of energy storage systems are provided for the use of energy engineers, scientists and policy makers. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Study on design and thermal characteristics of vacuum tube solar collector intubated with heat storage tube

In this work, a heat storage vacuum tube solar collector intubated with heat storage tube is designed, which consists of solar vacuum tube, phase change material insert tube, and heat holding cover. The internal energy conversion, transmission, and storage theory are established based on the structure of the heat storage vacuum tube. The parallel and series‐parallel solar air collector system prototype consisting of nine heat storage solar vacuum tube solar collectors is designed and tested. The test results showed that the daily average conversion efficiency of the parallel and series‐parallel prototype reached 56.9% and 48.46%, respectively. Compared with nonheat storage prototype, the heat storage parallel and series‐parallel prototype had higher conversion efficiency by, respectively, 10.9% and 7.8%, longer effective heating time, and better heating stability and practicability. At the same time, the heat storage solar collector has compact structure, which is convenient to use.     

太阳能生活热水系统相变储能研究进展

该文阐述了太阳能生活热水（SDHW）系统用相变材料的选择与封装情况,综述了相变材料在SDHW系统水箱、太阳能集热器和SDHW系统循环中的储能及其改进与强化换热研究进展情况,并对今后SDHW系统相变材料应用发展方向提出建议和展望。研究表明,石蜡与三水醋酸钠应用于SDHW系统水箱和集热器的研究较为广泛,其封装形式主要是的塑料、铝、不锈钢的宏封装,形状为管、柱体、球等,且相变材料加入到传统的SDHW系统中均能提高太阳能生活热水器的储热性能,其储热性能还有较大的提升与改进空间。     

相变储能建筑材料的研究进展

相变储能建筑材料是相变材料与建材基体复合制备的一种新型储能建筑材料。本文分析了相变材料的筛选和改进方法及其封装技术的研究现状,介绍了相变材料与建材基体复合工艺,系统阐述了相变储能建筑材料的作用机理和应用现状,并指出了相变储能建筑材料在实际应用中存在的一些问题,最后展望了相变储能建筑材料的发展前景。     

内通流体套管式潜热蓄热器充放热过程的实验分析

通过建立与工业实际相似的加肋同心套管式潜热蓄热器模拟实验台，对潜热蓄热器内通流体时的充热、放热过程进行了实验研究。实验得出了流体的出口温度、充热量和放热量随时间的变化规律。     

Numerical simulation of a multi-layer latent heat thermal energy storage system

A computational model for the prediction of the thermal behaviour of a compact multi-layer latent heat storage unit is presented. The model is based on the conservation equations of energy for the phase change material (PCM) and the heat transfer fluid (HTF). Electrical heat sources embedded inside the PCM are used for heat storage (melting) while the flow of an HTF is employed for heat recovery (solidification). Parametric studies are performed to assess the effect of various design parameters and operating conditions on the thermal behaviour of the unit. Results indicate that the average output heat load during the recovery period is strongly dependent on the minimum operating temperature, on the thermal diffusivity of the liquid phase, on the thickness of the PCM layer and on the HTF inlet mass flowrate and temperature. It is, on the other hand, nearly independent of the wall thermal diffusivity and thickness and of the maximum operating temperature. Correlations are proposed for the total energy stored and the output heat load as a function of the design parameters and the operating conditions. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

High‐temperature latent heat storage technology to utilize exergy of solar heat and industrial exhaust heat

Latent heat storage (LHS) using phase change materials is quite attractive for utilization of the exergy of solar energy and industrial exhaust heat because of its high‐heat storage capacity, heat storage and supply at constant temperature, and repeatable utilization without degradation. In this article, general LHS technology is outlined, and then recent advances in the uses of LHS for high‐temperature applications (over 100 °C) are discussed, with respect to each type of phase change material (e.g., sugar alcohol, molten salt, and alloy). The prospects of future LHS systems are discussed from a principle of exergy recuperation. In addition, the technologies to minimize exergy loss in the future LHS system are discussed on the basis of the thermodynamic analysis by ‘thermodynamic compass’. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

潜热储热系统强化传热研究进展

近年来,潜热储热系统在太阳能和工业废能的利用中发挥着极其重要的作用,因此用于潜热储热的相变材料受到普遍关注.文章对国内外潜热储热系统众多强化传热技术进行了综述与讨论.     

提高太阳能集热器热性能的实验研究

在能量平衡方程的基础上,以《家用太阳热水器热性能试验方法》（GB／T12915—1991）为依据,对两种有渐开线反光板且吸热体形状不同的热管真空管和一种无反光板的热管真空管进行了对比实验。结果表明,渐开线反光板可大幅度提高热管真空管热水器的日平均效率,加反光板且吸热体为圆柱形的集热器能够达到更好的效果。     

相变蓄热式太阳能木材干燥供热系统设计

设计了一种具有相变蓄热的太阳能木材干燥供热系统，介绍了系统的组成、工作流程和特点。利用太阳能作为能源干燥木材，有利于木材加工企业节能降耗，也有利于保护自然环境。     

A review of research and development work on solar dryers with heat storage

Drying of agricultural food products is one of the most attractive and cost-effective applications of solar energy. The solar dryer is less reliable due to the intermittent nature of solar energy. This shortcoming can be overcome to some extent by storing solar energy. Information on sensible and latent heat storage materials and systems is spread widely in the literature. In this paper, we try to gather information about the previous and current research works in the field of thermal energy storage technology for solar air heater and dryer. The relative studies are classified on the basis of the type of storage material used in solar dryers, i.e. phase change material (PCM), rock, water, etc. Several designs of solar dryers with different heat storage materials were proposed by researchers. Recent studies focused on PCMs such as Paraffin and salt hydrate, due to their high heat storage capacity per unit volume.     

Review of latent thermal energy storage systems for solar air-conditioning systems

Solar air conditioning is an important approach to satisfy the high demand for cooling given the global energy situation. The application of phase-change materials (PCMs) in a thermal storage system is a way to address temporary power problems of solar air-conditioning systems. This paper reviews the selection, strengthening, and application of PCMs and containers in latent thermal storage system for solar air-conditioning systems. The optimization of PCM container geometry is summarized and analyzed. The hybrid enhancement methods for PCMs and containers and the cost assessment of latent thermal storage system are discussed. The more effective heat transfer enhancement using PCMs was found to mainly involve micro-nano additives. Combinations of fins and nanoadditives, nanoparticles, and metal foam are the main hybrid strengthening method. However, the thermal storage effect of hybrid strengthening is not necessarily better than single strengthening. At the same time, the latent thermal storage unit has less application in the field of solar air-conditioning systems, especially regarding heat recovery, because of its cost and thermal storage time. The integration of latent thermal storage units and solar air-conditioning components, economic analysis of improvement technology, and quantitative studies on hybrid improvement are potential research directions in the future.     

Thermal performance of a solar cooker based on an evacuated tube solar collector with a PCM storage unit

The thermal performance of a prototype solar cooker based on an evacuated tube solar collector with phase change material (PCM) storage unit is investigated. The design has separate parts for energy collection and cooking coupled by a PCM storage unit. Solar energy is stored in the PCM storage unit during sunshine hours and is utilized for cooking in late evening/night time. Commercial grade erythritol was used as a latent heat storage material. Noon and evening cooking experiments were conducted with different loads and loading times. Cooking experiments and PCM storage processes were carried out simultaneously. It was observed that noon cooking did not affect the evening cooking, and evening cooking using PCM heat storage was found to be faster than noon cooking. The cooker performance under a variety of operating and climatic conditions was studied at Mie, Japan.     

固-固相变蓄热材料在太阳能高温空气集热系统中的应用研究

为利用太阳能获得稳定持续的高温空气工质,除了有效集热外,还需要解决因太阳辐射强度变化导致输出工质温度波动的问题。在性能优良的太阳能集热系统中采用蓄热技术是解决此问题的有效途径。根据给定的设计目标,研究将固-固相变蓄热材料季戊四醇应用到太阳能集热蓄热一体化的实验装置中。实验结果表明:按集热蓄热一体化思路设计的实验装置,集热单元能够输出最高温度超过220℃的高温空气,蓄热单元能够将高温空气的温度稳定在蓄热材料的相变温度附近。并且随着蓄热管级数的增加,空气出口温度稳定的时间就越长,为利用太阳能获得稳定持续的高温热媒工质奠定了基础。     

Comparative study based on exergy analysis of solar air heater collector using thermal energy storage

This communication presents the comparative experimental study based on energy and exergy analyses of a typical solar air heater collector with and without temporary heat energy storage (THES) material, viz. paraffin wax and hytherm oil. Based on the experimental observations, the first law and the second law efficiencies have been calculated with respect to the available solar radiation for three different arrangements, viz. one arrangement without heat storage material and two arrangements with THES, viz. hytherm oil and paraffin wax, respectively. It is found that both the efficiencies in case of heat storage material/fluid are significantly higher than that of without THES, besides both the efficiencies in case of paraffin wax are slightly higher than that of hytherm oil case. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.