Parametric Study on a Thermal Energy Storage Containing Single PCM Sphere

2014 ◽  
Vol 695 ◽  
pp. 477-481
Author(s):  
N.A.M. Amin ◽  
Azizul Mohamad ◽  
M.S. Abdul Majid ◽  
R. Daud ◽  
Mohd Afendi ◽  
...  

Mathematical representation of the thermal energy storage (TES) containing an encapsulated phase change material (PCM) in Medium Density Polyethylene sphere is investigated. The model applied the Effectiveness - Number of Transfer Unit (ɛ-NTU) method. The performance of a TES is presented in terms of the phase change effectiveness. The mathematical formulation of the model discussed will be used in future research with the suggestion to maximize the heat transfer between the heat transfer fluid and the PCM.

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 ◽  
pp. 00038 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria K. Koukou ◽  
Michail Gr. Vrachopoulos ◽  
George Dogkas ◽  
Christos Pagkalos ◽  
Kostas Lymperis ◽  
...  

A prototype Latent Heat Thermal Energy Storage (LHTES) unit has been designed, constructed, and experimentally analysed for its thermal storage performance under different operational conditions considering heating application and exploiting solar and geothermal energy. The system consists of a rectangular tank filled with Phase Change Material (PCM) and a finned tube staggered Heat Exchanger (HE) while water is used as Heat Transfer Fluid (HTF). Different HTF inlet temperatures and flow rates were tested to find out their effects on LHTES performance. Thermal quantities such as HTF outlet temperature, heat transfer rate, stored energy, were evaluated as a function of the conditions studied. Two commercial organic PCMs were tested A44 and A46. Results indicate that A44 is more efficient during the charging period, taking into account the two energy sources, solar and heat pump. During the discharging process, it exhibits higher storage capacity than A46. Concluding, the developed methodology can be applied to study different PCMs and building applications.


Author(s):  
Russell Muren ◽  
Diego A. Arias ◽  
Brian Luptowski

Sizing and cost models were developed for thermal energy storage (TES) systems utilizing cascaded phase change materials (PCM) as the storage media in a variety of configurations. The sizing model is based on an energy balance around a characteristic fundamental element of the system, consisting of a steel pipe embedded in a matrix of phase change material. Due to the transient behavior PCM system, the sizing model requires time and space integrations. The model accounts for decreases in thermal performance caused by precipitate formation on the surface of the pipe and predicts the resulting transient power output. The model calculates the required tank and pipe sizes, the amounts of heat transfer fluid and PCM, as well as the land area for the configuration. Using a cost metric approach, the cost of each system component is estimated. Furthermore, the effect of several technological pitfalls, including: pinch point heat transfer, precipitate buildup, and transient energy output have been investigated. Prices are shown to depend heavily on system configuration. Specifically, prices are shown to be most dependent on precipitate formation during discharge and consequently the size of the necessary heat transfer area of heat exchangers. The cost of different configurations vary from $40/kWh to $100/kWh.


2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (Suppl. 2) ◽  
pp. 527-533 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoyan Li ◽  
Rongpeng Huang ◽  
Xinyue Miao ◽  
Xuelei Wang ◽  
Yabin Liu ◽  
...  

In order to improve the thermal performance of thermal energy storage systems, a packed bed thermal energy storage systems unit using spherical capsules filled with multiple phase change materials (multi-PCM) for use in conventional air-conditioning systems is presented. A 3-D mathematical model was established to investigate the charging characteristics of the thermal energy storage systems unit. The optimum proportion between the multi-PCM was identified. The effects of heat transfer fluid-flow rate and heat transfer fluid inlet temperature on the liquid phase change materials volume fraction, charging time and charging capacity of the thermal energy storage system unit are studied. The results indicate that the charging capacity of multi-PCM units is higher than that of the conventional single-PCM (HY-2). For proportions 0:1:0, 2:3:3, 3:2:3, 3:3:2, 4:1:3, and 4:2:2, the charging capacity decreases by approximately 24.84%, 14.69%, 6.47%, 3.82%, and 1.13%, respectively, compared to the 4:2:2 proportion. Moreover, decreasing the heat transfer fluid inlet temperature can obviously shorten the complete charging time of the thermal energy storage systems unit.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1232
Author(s):  
Mohammad Ghalambaz ◽  
Hayder I. Mohammed ◽  
Ali Naghizadeh ◽  
Mohammad S. Islam ◽  
Obai Younis ◽  
...  

Utilizing phase change materials in thermal energy storage systems is commonly considered as an alternative solution for the effective use of energy. This study presents numerical simulations of the charging process for a multitube latent heat thermal energy storage system. A thermal energy storage model, consisting of five tubes of heat transfer fluids, was investigated using Rubitherm phase change material (RT35) as the. The locations of the tubes were optimized by applying the Taguchi method. The thermal behavior of the unit was evaluated by considering the liquid fraction graphs, streamlines, and isotherm contours. The numerical model was first verified compared with existed experimental data from the literature. The outcomes revealed that based on the Taguchi method, the first row of the heat transfer fluid tubes should be located at the lowest possible area while the other tubes should be spread consistently in the enclosure. The charging rate changed by 76% when varying the locations of the tubes in the enclosure to the optimum point. The development of streamlines and free-convection flow circulation was found to impact the system design significantly. The Taguchi method could efficiently assign the optimum design of the system with few simulations. Accordingly, this approach gives the impression of the future design of energy storage systems.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2590
Author(s):  
S. A. M. Mehryan ◽  
Kaamran Raahemifar ◽  
Leila Sasani Gargari ◽  
Ahmad Hajjar ◽  
Mohamad El Kadri ◽  
...  

A Nano-Encapsulated Phase-Change Material (NEPCM) suspension is made of nanoparticles containing a Phase Change Material in their core and dispersed in a fluid. These particles can contribute to thermal energy storage and heat transfer by their latent heat of phase change as moving with the host fluid. Thus, such novel nanoliquids are promising for applications in waste heat recovery and thermal energy storage systems. In the present research, the mixed convection of NEPCM suspensions was addressed in a wavy wall cavity containing a rotating solid cylinder. As the nanoparticles move with the liquid, they undergo a phase change and transfer the latent heat. The phase change of nanoparticles was considered as temperature-dependent heat capacity. The governing equations of mass, momentum, and energy conservation were presented as partial differential equations. Then, the governing equations were converted to a non-dimensional form to generalize the solution, and solved by the finite element method. The influence of control parameters such as volume concentration of nanoparticles, fusion temperature of nanoparticles, Stefan number, wall undulations number, and as well as the cylinder size, angular rotation, and thermal conductivities was addressed on the heat transfer in the enclosure. The wall undulation number induces a remarkable change in the Nusselt number. There are optimum fusion temperatures for nanoparticles, which could maximize the heat transfer rate. The increase of the latent heat of nanoparticles (a decline of Stefan number) boosts the heat transfer advantage of employing the phase change particles.


2000 ◽  
Vol 122 (4) ◽  
pp. 176-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mounir Ibrahim ◽  
Pavel Sokolov ◽  
Thomas Kerslake ◽  
Carol Tolbert

Two sets of experimental data for cylindrical canisters with thermal energy storage applications were examined in this paper: 1) Ground Experiments and 2) Space Experiments. A 2-D computational model was developed for unsteady heat transfer (conduction and radiation) with phase-change. The radiation heat transfer employed a finite volume method. The following was found in this study: 1) Ground Experiments, the convection heat transfer is equally important to that of the radiation heat transfer; Radiation heat transfer in the liquid is found to be more significant than that in the void; Including the radiation heat transfer in the liquid resulted in lower temperatures (about 15 K) and increased the melting time (about 10 min.); Generally, most of the heat flow takes place in the radial direction. 2) Space Experiments, Radiation heat transfer in the void is found to be more significant than that in the liquid (exactly the opposite to the Ground Experiments); Accordingly, the location and size of the void affects the performance considerably; Including the radiation heat transfer in the void resulted in lower temperatures (about 40 K). [S0199-6231(00)00304-X]


Author(s):  
Emerson E. John ◽  
W. Micah Hale ◽  
R. Panneer Selvam

In recent years due to rising energy costs as well as an increased interest in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, there is great interest in developing alternative sources of energy. One of the most viable alternative energy resources is solar energy. Concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies have been identified as an option for meeting utility needs in the U.S. Southwest. Areas where CSP technologies can be improved are improved heat transfer fluid (HTF) and improved methods of thermal energy storage (TES). One viable option for TES storage media is concrete. The material costs of concrete can be very inexpensive and the costs/ kWhthermal, which is based on the operating temperature, are reported to be approximately $1. Researchers using concrete as a TES storage media have achieved maximum operating temperatures of 400°C. However, there are concerns for using concrete as the TES medium, and these concerns center on the effects and the limitations that the high temperatures may have on the concrete. As the concrete temperature increases, decomposition of the calcium hydroxide (CH) occurs at 500°C, and there is significant strength loss due to degeneration of the calcium silicate hydrates (C-S-H). Additionally concrete exposed to high temperatures has a propensity to spall explosively. This proposed paper examines the effect of heating rates on high performance concrete mixtures. Concrete mixtures with water to cementitious material ratios (w/cm) of 0.15 to 0.30 and compressive strengths of up to 180 MPa (26 ksi) were cast and subjected to heating rates of 3, 5, 7, and 9° C/min. These concrete mixtures are to be used in tests modules where molten salt is used as the heat transfer fluid. Molten salt becomes liquid at temperatures exceeding 220°C and therefore the concrete will be exposed to high initial temperatures and subsequently at controlled heating rates up to desired operating temperatures. Preliminary results consistently show that concrete mixtures without polypropylene fibres (PP) cannot resist temperatures beyond 500° C, regardless of the heating rate employed. These mixtures spall at higher temperatures when heated at a faster rate (7° C/min). Additionally, mixtures which incorporate PP fibres can withstand temperatures up to 600° C without spalling irrespective of the heating rate.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document