Experimental and numerical studies of PCM-based storage for solar thermal energy storage applications

Authors

  • B. Akhmetov al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty city, Republic of Kazakhstan
  • A. Seitov al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty city, Republic of Kazakhstan
  • R. Popov Plovdiv University “Paisii Hilendarski”, Plovdiv city, Bulgaria
  • A. Georgiev Technical University - Sofia, Plovdiv Branch, Plovdiv city, Bulgaria
  • A. Kaltayev al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty city, Republic of Kazakhstan

Keywords:

latent heat storage, thermal energy storage, phase change material storage

Abstract

In the world, buildings are responsible for 40% of the world’s total annual energy consumption, which is responsible for one-third of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. The significance of this energy is used for lighting, heating, cooling and air-conditioning purposes. Raising concern about the environmental impact of greenhouse produced by conventional power plants caused renewed interest in environmentally friendly technologies, including heating and cooling systems for buildings. This work was conducted to investigate and explore the possibilities of solar energy storage using phase change materials (PCM) and using that energy to heat water for daily applications. By carrying out charging of the latent heat storage (LHS) based on PCM which is paraffin wax in the current study, its energy storage capacity was calculated and compared with the storage tank without PCM but filled with water only - sensible heat storage (SHS). As a result, LHS was able store 40% more thermal energy compared to SHS. Moreover, charging process of the LHS was numerically investigated to visualize the thermal field in the PCM based storage. The results show that the numerical results agree with the experimental results which indicated the correctness of the mathematical model and simulation results.

References

[1] Anastasiya Stoyanova, "Experimental installation for investigation of latent heat accumulator as a part of hybrid system for air conditioning."Journal Toplotehnika 14(2013).
[2] Bathelt et al., "Latent heat-of-fusion energy storage experiments on heat transfer from cylinders during melting."J. Heat Transfer 101(1979):453–58, accessed August 01, 1979, doi:10.1115/1.3451008.
[3] Belen Zalba et al., "Review on thermal energy storage with phase change materials, heat transfer analysis and applications."Applied Thermal Engineering 23(2003):251-83. accessed February 2003, doi:10.1016/S1359-4311(02)00192–8.
[4] Chung T. J. Computational Fluid Dynamics. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002), 120–99.
[5] Donald Neeper, "Thermal dynamics of wallboard with latent heat storage."Solar Energy 68(2013):393–03, accessed July 2013, doi:10.1016/S0038–092X(00)00012–8.
[6] Fan and Jay Khodadadi, "Thermal conductivity enhancement of phase change materials for thermal energy storage: a review."Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 15(2010):24–46. accessed January 2011, doi:10.1016/j.rser.2010.08.007.
[7] FQ Wang et al., "A review of research concerning the use of PCMS in air conditioning and refrigeration engineering."Adv. Build Technol. 2(2002). accessed December 2002, doi:10.1016/B978–008044100–9/50158–3.
[8] Francis Agyenimet et al., "A review of materials, heat transfer and phase change problem formulation for latent heat thermal energy storage systems (LHTESS)."Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 14(2010):615–28. accessed February 2010, doi:10.1016/j.rser.2009.10.015.
[9] Hamid ElQarnia "Numerical analysis of a co upled solar collector latent heat storage unit using various phase change materials for heating the water."Energy Conversion and Management 50(2009):247–54, accessed February, 2009, doi: 10.1016/j.enconman.2008.09.038.
[10] Incropera et al., Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer 6th Edition (New York: John Wiley & Son, 2007), 675–707.
[11] Mehling Harald and Cabeza F. Luisa, Heat and cold storage with PCM: an up to date introduction into basics and applications. Berlin Heidelberg: Springer Verlag, 2008.
[12] Mohammed M. Farid et al., "A review on phase change energy storage, materials and applications."Energy Conversion and Management 45(2004):1597–15, accessed June 2004, doi: 10.1016/j.enconman.2003.09.015.
[13] Rabienataj Darzi et al., "Numerical investigation of free-cooling system using plate type PCM storage."International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer 48(2013):155–63, accessed November 2013, doi:10.1016/j.icheatmasstransfer.2013.08.025
[14] Rieger et al., "Analysis of the heat transport mechanisms during melting around a horizontal circular cylinder."International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 25(1982):137–47, accessed January 1982, doi:10.1016/0017–9310(82)90242–3.
[15] Popov Rumen and Georgiev Aleksandr, "SCADA system for study of installation consisting of solar collectors, phase change materials and borehole storages."(paper presented at the Proc. of the 2nd Int. Conf. on Sustainable Energy Storage, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, June 19–21, 2013).
[16] Vakilaltojjar and Saman, "Analysis and modeling of a phase change material storage system for air conditioningapplications."Applied Thermal Engineering 21(2001):249–63, accessed February 2001, doi:10.1016/S1359-4311(00)00037–5.

Downloads

Published

2018-06-27