Thermal stratification in small solar domestic storage tanks caused by draw-offs

Storage tanks with different cold water inlet devices for small Solar Domestic Hot Water (SDHW) systems are compared. The objective of the investigation is to reveal the impact of the cold water inlet device on the thermal stratification in two marketed tanks and to evaluate the possible enhancement in the annual system performance of small solar heating systems. Two different marketed inlet designs are compared, one connected to a small curved plate placed above the inlet tube, the other one connected to a much larger flat plate. The cold domestic water enters the stores in vertical direction from the bottom of the tanks. Temperature measurements were carried out for different operating conditions. It was shown that the thermal stratification inside the two tanks depends differently on the flow rate, the draw-off volume, as well as the initial temperature in the storage tank. To carry out system simulations, a multi-node storage model was used and expanded by an additional input variable to model the mixing behaviour depending on the operating conditions. The inlet device with a comparatively large plate compared to the less favourable design results in an increase of the solar fraction of about 1–3%-points in annual system simulations with a solar fraction of about 60% and fairly large domestic hot water flow rates. This corresponds to a reduction of the auxiliary energy supply of the solar heating system of about 3–7% (58–155 MJ/year) for the investigated solar domestic hot water system.     

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.     

Effect of obstacles with different opening means on thermal stratification in hot water storage tanks

为研究具有内置隔板的太阳能蓄热水箱隔板开孔尺寸及位置对其内部热分层效果的影响,对9种隔板开孔位置的太阳能蓄热水箱内温度场进行了数值分析,结果显示：在相同的流动参数及开孔面积条件下,隔板中心开1个圆孔的水箱热分层效果最好。对于多开孔的水箱,开孔位置对水箱内热分层影响不大,但对蓄热量影响显著。对于隔板中心开1个圆孔的水箱,在不同流动参数条件下,冷、热水出口温差随着冷水入口流速的增大呈先增后减的趋势,当冷水入口流速大于0.9 m/s时,减弱了热分层的稳定性。     

Experimental study of a thermosyphon solar water heater coupled to a fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) storage tank

The thermal performance of the thermosyphon solar water heater was analyzed to show its applicability in a tropical climate using data of cloudy, sunny and hazy days. The average daily efficiency of the parallel-connected module, ranged between 35 and 40%. Also, an analysis of the temperature storage characteristics of a novel fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) storage tank was undertaken. The inlet andoutlet positions were determined using the recommendation of Simon and Wenxian [1]: the optional position for the inlet/outlet was around the very top/bottom of the tank. The obtained results showed that the coupled FRP tank substantially retained and delivered the stored hot water during off-sunshine hours with minimal losses, and stratification occurred in the tank as a result. In view of the thermal performance, FRP materials can be efficiently employed in the design of solar hot water storage tanks.     

Experimental investigation on a combined sensible and latent heat storage system integrated with constant/varying (solar) heat sources

The objective of the present work is to investigate experimentally the thermal behavior of a packed bed of combined sensible and latent heat thermal energy storage (TES) unit. A TES unit is designed, constructed and integrated with constant temperature bath/solar collector to study the performance of the storage unit. The TES unit contains paraffin as phase change material (PCM) filled in spherical capsules, which are packed in an insulated cylindrical storage tank. The water used as heat transfer fluid (HTF) to transfer heat from the constant temperature bath/solar collector to the TES tank also acts as sensible heat storage (SHS) material. Charging experiments are carried out at constant and varying (solar energy) inlet fluid temperatures to examine the effects of inlet fluid temperature and flow rate of HTF on the performance of the storage unit. Discharging experiments are carried out by both continuous and batchwise processes to recover the stored heat. The significance of time wise variation of HTF and PCM temperatures during charging and discharging processes is discussed in detail and the performance parameters such as instantaneous heat stored and cumulative heat stored are also studied. The performance of the present system is compared with that of the conventional SHS system. It is found from the discharging experiments that the combined storage system employing batchwise discharging of hot water from the TES tank is best suited for applications where the requirement is intermittent.     

Three-dimensional analysis and investigation of the thermal and hydrodynamic behaviors of cylindrical storage tanks

A numerical analysis of the three-dimensional temperature and velocity fields in horizontal cylindrical storage tanks was performed. The phenomena of laminar natural convection and vertical stratification of temperature were considered. The developed three-dimensional transient computing code solves the equations of energy and momentum through the finite volume method. The simulation of fluid cooling process inside the tank showed the formation of stratified temperature profiles that matched those obtained experimentally. Based on several simulations, a correlation was proposed for determining the degree of thermal stratification inside the tank regarding thermal and geometrical parameters. From this correlation, an expression was proposed to predict the fluid temperature profiles along the time. This information is very important in many applications, such as in thermosiphon solar water heating systems, where the global efficiency of the system increases with the thermal stratification degree of the working fluid. Another case studied considered that the tank was connected to solar collectors, aiming at investigating the influence of the inlet jet position with and without a baffle plate on the preservation of the thermal stratification. Results showed that the baffle plate modified the velocity and temperature fields close to the inlet jet, allowing a better thermal stratification. Also the suitable choice of the inlet jet position allowed the formation of a more effective thermal stratification. Some other aspects of the internal dynamics of this kind of storage tank are presented and discussed. For the cases studied, the inlet jet next to the top led to a greater thermal stratification. However, it was verified that when the inlet jet temperature remains constant for a long period of time, and thus its temperature approaches the temperature of the water inside the tank, for the same height, the temperature profiles obtained become similar to the case of the inlet located at usual height of 2/3 of the diameter.     

Simulation of the long term performance of thermosyphon solar water heaters

A finite element simulation model for predicting the long term performance of thermosyphon solar water heaters is presented, and the simulation results are compared with the measured performance of six systems supplying typical domestic hot water loads. To obtain consistent simulation results the storage tank temperature stratification had to be accurately simulated using 20 nodes with 5 min time steps for vertical tanks and 30 nodes with 2 min time steps for horizontal tanks. A distributed return model for the mixing of the collector return flow in the tank was also found to be necessary to accurately model tank temperature stratification. The performance of single tank thermosyphon systems is shown to improve as the flow through the collector is reduced to approximately 1 tank volume per day and thermosyphon systems are shown to be slightly more efficient than equivalent pumped circulation systems.     

Performance study of a partitioned thermally stratified storage tank in a solar powered absorption air conditioning system

Accurate modeling of solar heating or cooling with storage generally requires an accounting of the stratification within such storage tank, since overall system performance is significantly affected by the storage temperature distribution. In this study, a simple one-dimensional multi-node approach, taking into account of the axial heat conduction between nodes, has been used to theoretically analyze temperature stratification in the thermal storage tank. The results indicate that, for less collector area, the heat removal factor plays a major role in increasing the system performance, than the thermal stratification. Also, an optimum ratio of tank volume over collector area exists for a solar powered absorption air conditioning system. This paper also reviews the state of the art on different kinds of variable inlet design, and a simple new inlet design (partitioning the tank) has been introduced to effect better thermal stratification in storage tank.     

分层-掺混切换式蓄热水箱热特性实验及评价研究

稳定分层、充分掺混是蓄热水箱实现高效供暖和恒温出水2种功能的重要手段。该研究设计一种分层-掺混一体式蓄热水箱,可实现2种功能的有效切换,满足分层高效供暖和恒温生活热水在不同时段、不同季节的灵活需求。搭建一套蓄热水箱热力学特性测试实验系统,利用分层效率、效率等蓄热水箱热性能评价指标,研究不同尺寸、流量、温度下分层-掺混式蓄热水箱的热力学性能及动态响应特征。以125 L的实验蓄热水箱为例,结果表明：在分层模式下,热分层速率、稳定性显著优于常规水箱,效率和分层效率明显提高,效率可达90%以上;在掺混模式下,掺混速度明显提高,分层效率迅速降低到0.10,实现了蓄热水箱的完全混合,结果对分层-掺混双效水箱的开发与应用具有一定指导。     

Comparison of solar water tank storage modelling solutions

In this brief note, we have carried out an analysis of the temperature field inside a solar storage tank without any specific stratification device. The purpose of this study is to verify the ability of TRNSYS’s Types 60 and 140 to reproduce the temperature field in the storage tank, so as to use one of these type in a large solar system, and to analyze fluid motion by means of CFD simulations. This part has highlighted the mixing in the top of the tank due to the inlet configuration, but also the limits of the stratified fluid models with the multinode approach used in TRNSYS. The validation of a global model for a large solar system using Type 140 will be done later.     

Virtual prototyping of storage tanks by means of three-dimensional CFD and heat transfer numerical simulations

The aim of this work is to show the current computational possibilities of three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, using loosely coupled parallel computers (Beowulf clusters) in the virtual prototyping of thermal storage tanks. The transient thermal behaviour of a storage tank forming part of a thermosyphon solar heating system is simulated numerically. The influence of the inlet mass flow rate on the degree of thermal stratification during an unloading process is analysed. Special attention is given to the validation of the assumed mathematical model, the verification of the numerical solutions, and the post-processing tasks carried out in order to quantify the level of thermal stratification. The computational possibilities and limitations of this kind of detailed numerical experiments are pointed out.     

Thermal stratification within the water tank

To sufficiently store and use high-quality heat energy, thermal stratification is gradually applied in many kinds of energy storage fields such as solar thermal utilization system. Because of the unsteady characteristics of solar radiation, thermal storage becomes very essential in long-term operation of heating load. The wide application of thermal stratification lies in the minimization of the mixing effect by use of the thermal stratification, which is caused by the thermal buoyancy because of the difference of temperature between cold and hot water. According to the review, the conception of thermal stratification allows a wide variety of different design embodiments, which essentially extends the fields of practical application of these devices. In this paper a survey of the various types of thermal stratification tanks and research methods is presented, and reasons of energy storage with efficiency problems related to the applications are introduced and benefits offered by thermal stratification are outlined. The structure designs based on theoretical prediction of thermal-stratified water tank performed at many organizations are introduced and are compared with their experimental results. Finally, the development of the tank with thermal stratification in the future application is predicted.     

Temperature stratification from thermal diodes in solar hot water storage tank

In this brief note, we have experimentally measured the temperature stratification in a solar hot water storage tank resulting from a simulated solar heating load. Various modifications using a double chimney device that acts as a thermal diode were examined with the intent of maximizing temperature stratification. The greatest stratification was seen with a unique thermal diode arrangement named the express-elevator design, so-called for the direct hot water path from the bottom third of the tank to the top third.     

基于分层蓄热水箱的相变球释热实验研究

相变蓄热水箱可有效调节集热器和负载端之间供求不匹配的矛盾,设计了环形布水器进水结构和蓄热水箱,并搭建相变蓄热水箱性能测试平台,对比直进型蓄热水箱和环形布水器蓄热水箱的温度分层,探究孔隙率、进水流速和变温进水等变量下相变蓄热水箱的热分层和相变球的释热性能。实验研究表明：环形布水器能有效抑制进水水流对温度场的扰动,保持良好的温度分层,使相变球逐层放热,增大相变球与传热流体（HTF）的温差,提高释热效率,保证高温水能够源源不断地提供给用户端;孔隙率越小分层效果越好;流速越大分层效果越差,但是释热效率有所提高;变温进水比恒温进水,释热时间延长约40%。     

Mixed convective flow and thermal stratification in hot water storage tanks during discharging mode

An analysis of transient, two dimensional, mixed convection and thermal stratification in cylindrical hot water storage tanks is presented. The governing equations together with inflow and outflow boundary conditions are written for laminar mixed convection flow using a finite volume based computational code in the dynamic discharging mode based on Boussinesq approximations and conjugate heat transfer. The equations are solved numerically and the results are obtained for aspect ratios of the tanks ranging from 1 to 4 in the Richardson number range of 10⁵ to 10⁸ using a finite volume based computational code. The dynamic discharging mode is considered using a conjugate heat transfer model. The transient temperature profiles in the bulk fluid reveal reduced mixing at higher Richardson numbers during discharging process. The system performance in the dynamic mode of operation is defined by a Mix Number and discharging efficiency parameter. Mixing at the bottom of the tank due to inflow of low temperature water from the load is found to have significant influence on the storage efficiency. The discharging efficiency decreases with Fourier number due to increased thermal degradation with time.     

Experimental study of a multi-tube ICS solar water heating system in mild climates

Since a majority of residential and industrial building hot water needs are around 50°C, an integrated solar water heater could provide a bulk source that blends collection and storage into one unit. These collectors incorporate thermal storage within the collector itself. The storage pipe surface serves as the absorber surface. Most ICS systems use only one tank, but some use a number of tanks in series. While the simplicity of ICS systems is attractive, they are generally suitable only for applications in mild climates with small thermal storage requirements. A multi-tube ICS solar hot water system with eight cylindrical water storage tanks (pipes) in horizontal (East-West) orientation was designed and outdoor tests of experimental model were performed in mild climate of north (Caspian Sea) region of Iran. Experimental results such as water temperature profiles, mean daily efficiency, water temperature stratification and thermal losses during night are presented and discussed for this model. Experimental results showed that the daily mean efficiency is comparable to other ICS systems and also acceptable thermal performance of this type of ICS system has been observed.     

Simulation of a solar domestic water heating system using a time marching model

This paper presents the modelling and simulation of a solar water heating system using a time marching model. The results of simulations performed on an annual basis for a solar system, constructed and operated in Yugoslavia, which provides domestic hot water for a four-person family are presented. The solar water heater consists of a flat-plate solar collector, a water-storage tank, an electric heater, and a water-mixing device. The mathematical model is used to evaluate the annual variation of the solar fraction with respect to the volume of the storage tank, demand hot water temperature required, difference of this temperature and preset storage tank water temperature, and consumption profile of the domestic hot water demand. The results of this investigation may be used to design a solar collector system, and to operate already designed systems, effectively. The results for a number of designs with different storage tank volumes indicate that the systems with greater volume yield higher solar fraction values. The results additionally indicate that the solar fraction of the system increases with lower hot water demand temperature and higher differences between the mean storage water and the demand temperatures. However, when a larger storage tank volume is used, the solar fraction is less sensitive to a variation of these operation parameters.     

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.     

Transient analysis of energy storage in a thermally stratified water tank

A one-dimensional transient heat conduction model to describe the decay of the thermocline in a stratified water tank is presented. The problem is formulated as an initial boundary value problem and the resulting governing equations in the fluid and in the storage wall are solved numerically to obtain the temperature profiles in the wall and the fluid. The formulation considers the axial conduction of heat, both in the fluid and in the solid wall. The mixing parameters introduced in the boundary conditions at the top and bottom of the tank in the fluid region account for mixing due to inlet and outlet streams with the stored fluid. The model is applicable to the storage of both hot and chilled water. The model is validated with experimental data from the literature. The parameters that influence the operation of a stratified thermal energy storage for both heat and cool storage are examined. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Entrance effects in solar storage tanks

A theoretical and experimental analysis of water jets entering a solar storage tank is performed. CFD calculations of three inlet designs with different inlet flow rates were carried out to illustrate the varying behaviour of the thermal conditions in a solar store. The results showed the impact of the inlet design on the flow patterns in the tank and thus how the energy quality in a hot water tank is reduced with a poor inlet design. The numerical investigations were followed by experiments. A test solar store, similar to the store investigated by numerical modelling was constructed with cylindrical transparent walls so that the flow structures due to the inlet jets could be visualized. With the three inlets, nine draw-off tests with different inlet flow rates were carried out and the temperature stratification in the tank was measured during the draw-offs. The experimental results were used in an analysis using the first and second law of thermodynamics. The results showed how the entropy changes and the exergy changes in the storage during the draw-offs influenced by the Richardson number, the volume draw-off and the initial tank conditions.