축열조 성능에 미치는 디퓨저 형상의 영향

Diffuser design is crucial for water-chilled heat storage. Its impact on the system performance is more significant for the underground tank due to inherent limit on the aspect ratio and tank shape. The effect of diffuser shape on the performance of the waterchilled heat storage is numerically investigated. Three dimensional simulation has been conducted for fully incorporating the complex diffuser shape and the non-symmetric tank shape. Mixing at the inlet of the diffuser depends on the inlet Reynolds number, Froude number and the diffuser shape. Three types of the diffuser shape and the broad range of Reynolds number(Re=400, 800, 1200) and Froude number(Fr=0.5, 1.0, 2.0) are examined. The performance of the heat storage tank is evaluated by the thermocline thickness which is reverse to the degree of stratification. The radial regulated plate diffuser, which is the suggested diffuser shape in this study, shows the lowest thermocline thickness in the condition considered.