Numerical analysis and evaluation of an open-type thermal storage system using composite sorbents

A family of composite sorbents has been acknowledged as promising thermal storage materials for low grade thermal energy storage owing to its high specific storage capacity and low regenerating temperature. This paper reports a simplified numerical model aiming to determine the dynamic characteristics of the composite sorbents and evaluate the specific capacity and COP of the open-type thermal energy storage system. The computational results were validated with the experimental measurements carried out on an open-type thermal energy storage set-up filled with composite sorbents. By using the simplified numerical model, the dynamic characteristics of the composite sorbents in the thermal energy storage process were determined. The effects of the composite sorbents and the operating parameters on thermal energy storage system performance were also evaluated.