CFD analysis of thermal stratification in domestic hot water storage tank during dynamic mode

In this study the effect of obstacle geometry and its position on thermal stratification in solar powered domestic hot water storage tanks are numerically investigated. The goal of this study is to obtain higher thermal stratification and supply hot water for usage as long as possible. The temperature distributions are presented for three different obstacle geometries (1, 2 and 3) and six different distances (f = 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7 and 0.8 mm) from the bottom of the hot water storage tank. The numerical method is validated using both experimental and numerical results available in the literature. It is observed from the results that the thermal stratification increases with the increasing obstacle distance from the bottom of the hot water storage tank for obstacle 1 and 3. The obstacle 2 provides less thermal stratification than the obstacles 1 and 3. As a result, in a duration of 30 minutes, the obstacle 3 provides the best thermal stratification for the distance of f = 0.8 mm from the bottom of the hot water storage tank.

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Domestic Hot Water Storage Tank: Design and Analysis for Improving Thermal Stratification

Journal of Solar Energy Engineering ◽

10.1115/1.4025517 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 135 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Nathan Devore ◽

Henry Yip ◽

Jinny Rhee

Keyword(s):

Heat Exchanger ◽

Storage Tank ◽

Thermal Stratification ◽

Reverse Flow ◽

Storage System ◽

Water Storage ◽

Hot Water ◽

Inlet Temperature ◽

Domestic Hot Water ◽

Water Storage Tank

Experimental designs for a solar domestic hot water storage system were built in efforts to maximize thermal stratification within the tank. A stratified thermal store has been shown by prior literature to maximize temperature of the hot water drawn from the tank and simultaneously minimize collector inlet temperature required for effective heat transfer from the solar panels, thereby improving the annual performance of domestic solar hot water heating systems (DSHWH) by 30–60%. Our design incorporates partitions, thermal diodes, and a coiled heat exchanger enclosed in an annulus. The thermal diodes are passive devices that promote natural convection currents of hot water upward, while inhibiting reverse flow and mixing. Several variations of heat exchanger coils, diodes and partitions were simulated using ansys Computational Fluid Dynamics, and benchmarked using experimental data. The results revealed that the optimum design incorporated two partitions separated by a specific distance with four diodes for each partition. In addition, it was discovered that varying the length and diameter of the thermal diodes greatly affected the temperature distribution. The thermal diodes and partitions were used to maintain stratification for long periods of time by facilitating natural convective currents and taking advantage of the buoyancy effect. The results of the experiment and simulations proved that incorporating these elements into the design can greatly improve the thermal performance and temperature stratification of a domestic hot water storage tank.

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Domestic Hot Water Storage Tank: Design and Analysis for Improving Thermal Stratification

Volume 10: Emerging Technologies and Topics; Public Policy ◽

10.1115/imece2012-88350 ◽

2012 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nathan Devore ◽

Henry Yip ◽

Jinny Rhee

Keyword(s):

Heat Exchanger ◽

Storage Tank ◽

Thermal Stratification ◽

Reverse Flow ◽

Storage System ◽

Water Storage ◽

Hot Water ◽

Solar Panels ◽

Domestic Hot Water ◽

Water Storage Tank

Experimental designs for a solar domestic hot water storage system were built in efforts to maximize thermal stratification within the tank. A stratified thermal store has been shown by prior literature to maximize temperature of the hot water drawn from the tank while simultaneously increasing the temperature delta required for effective heat transfer from the solar panels, thereby improving the annual performance of domestic solar hot water heating systems (DSHWH) by 30%–60%. Our design incorporates partitions, thermal diodes, and a coiled heat exchanger enclosed in an annulus. The thermal diodes are passive devices that promote natural convection currents of hot water upwards, while inhibiting reverse flow and mixing. Several variations of heat exchanger coils, diodes and partitions were simulated using ANSYS Computational Fluid Dynamics, and benchmarked using experimental data. The results revealed that the optimum design incorporated two partitions separated by a specific distance with four diodes for each partition. In addition, it was discovered that varying the length and diameter of the thermal diodes greatly affected the temperature distribution. The thermal diodes and partitions were used to maintain stratification for long periods of time by facilitating natural convective currents and taking advantage of the buoyancy effect. The results of the experiment and simulations proved that incorporating these elements into the design can greatly improve the thermal performance and temperature stratification of a domestic hot water storage tank.

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