Thermal performance evaluation of active and passive water heat-storage schemes for solar energy applications

Because of easy availability and low cost, water is commonly used as a sensible heat-storage medium in solar energy applications. In this investigation two schemes of water thermal storage (active and passive) were designed and constructed from readily available materials. A dynamic computer model was developed to predict the thermal performance of the water thermal-storage systems under various charging and discharging conditions. Experimental tests were also conducted. The simulated results and measured data compared favourably, and these results showed that the water thermal-storage systems responded well to step and fluctuating input temperature changes. The water thermal storage may be satisfactorily used in varied solar energy applications where energy storage is necessary.