Maximisation of heat transfer in a coil in tank PCM cold storage system

Thermal energy storage systems for both heat and cold are necessary for many industrial processes. High energy density and high power capacity are desirable properties of the storage. The use of latent heat increases the energy density of the storage tank with high temperature control close to the melting point. Tube in PCM tank is a very promising system that provides high packing factor. This work presents an experimental study of a PCM tank for cold storage applications. Two different configurations and different flow rates of the heat transfer fluid were studied. The effectiveness of the PCM storage system was defined as that of a heat exchanger. The results showed that the heat exchange effectiveness of the system did not vary with time, decreased with increasing flow rate and increased with increasing heat transfer area. The effectiveness was experimentally determined to only be a function of the ratio m˙/A. This equation was found to be adequately be used to design a PCM storage system, and a case study is presented. It was shown that the tube in tank design together with a low temperature PCM is suitable as a thermal storage facility for cold storage.

[1]  I. Eames,et al.  Freezing and melting of water in spherical enclosures of the type used in thermal (ice) storage systems , 2002 .

[2]  L. Cabeza,et al.  Experimentation with a water tank including a PCM module , 2006 .

[3]  Hisham El-Dessouky,et al.  Effectiveness of a thermal energy storage system using phase-change materials , 1997 .

[4]  D. Morrison,et al.  Effects of phase-change energy storage on the performance of air-based and liquid-based solar heating systems , 1977 .

[5]  Kamal Abdel Radi Ismail,et al.  Thermal performance of a pcm storage unit , 1999 .

[6]  N. Shamsundar,et al.  Solar Heat Storage: Latent Heat Materials, Vol. I: Background and Scientific Principles , 1983 .

[7]  Viktoria Martin,et al.  Direct contact PCM-water cold storage , 2010 .

[8]  R. L. Sawhney,et al.  Solar water heaters with phase change material thermal energy storage medium: A review , 2009 .

[9]  L. Cabeza,et al.  Experimental evaluation of commercial heat exchangers for use as PCM thermal storage systems , 2009 .

[10]  Jinyue Yan,et al.  Enhanced thermal conductivity and thermal performance of form-stable composite phase change materials by using β-Aluminum nitride , 2009 .

[11]  Martin Helm,et al.  Long-Term Test Results from a Latent Heat Storage Developed for a Solar Heating and Cooling System , 2010 .

[12]  A. Sari,et al.  Thermal performance of palmitic acid as a phase change energy storage material , 2002 .

[13]  Kamal Abdel Radi Ismail,et al.  Solidification of pcm inside a spherical capsule , 2000 .

[14]  Luisa F. Cabeza,et al.  Review on thermal energy storage with phase change: materials, heat transfer analysis and applications , 2003 .

[15]  S. C. Solanki,et al.  Heat transfer characteristics of thermal energy storage system using PCM capsules: A review , 2008 .

[16]  Kamal Abdel Radi Ismail,et al.  A parametric study on ice formation inside a spherical capsule , 2003 .

[17]  Jean-Pierre Bédécarrats,et al.  Phase-change thermal energy storage using spherical capsules: performance of a test plant , 1996 .

[18]  Jun Fukai,et al.  Latent heat thermal energy storage tanks for space heating of buildings: Comparison between calculations and experiments , 2005 .

[19]  S. M. Hasnain.  Review on sustainable thermal energy storage technologies, Part II: cool thermal storage , 1998 .

[20]  L. Cabeza,et al.  Heat and cold storage with PCM: An up to date introduction into basics and applications , 2008 .

[21]  H. Mehling,et al.  Solar heating and cooling system with absorption chiller and low temperature latent heat storage: Energetic performance and operational experience , 2009 .