scholarly journals Thermal energy autonomy study for a reference house equipped with PV panels, a heat pump and PCM storage elements

2021 ◽  
Vol 2042 (1) ◽  
pp. 012147
Author(s):  
J. Robadey ◽  
S. Vuilleumier ◽  
E.-L. Niederhäuser
Keyword(s):  
Heat Pump ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Heat Exchangers ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Power Production ◽  
Essential Requirement ◽  
On Demand ◽  
Solar Radiation Intensity ◽  
Energy Autonomy

Abstract Despite their rapid growth, renewable energies cannot provide energy on demand, which is an essential requirement for heating buildings. To this end, we developed heat exchangers with Phase Change Materials that allow the on-demand charge, storage and discharge of thermal energy. In this paper we evaluate the storage capacities needed to achieve thermal energy autonomy. An existing reference house, meteorological data from MeteoSwiss and solar radiation intensity were used to evaluate the thermal needs and the solar power production for the year 2019. To heat the building an air-water heat pump is preferably powered by solar energy. The calculations have been performed from October to March. Using 1200 litres of PCM, a thermal autonomy of 100% was achieved for March and October. In February, November and December, 24 days could not reach a thermal autonomy. For the month of January that was studied in detail 15 days are self-sufficient. By increasing the PCM volume to 2’600 litres 5 more days become self-sufficient. To achieve total building heating autonomy, seasonal storage is necessary.

Latent Heat Storage: Container Geometry, Enhancement Techniques, and Applications—A Review

2019 ◽  
Vol 141 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Arunachalam
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Energy Storage ◽  
Phase Change ◽  
Latent Heat ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Heat Exchangers ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
Heat Storage ◽  
Low Thermal Conductivity

Energy storage helps in waste management, environmental protection, saving of fossil fuels, cost effectiveness, and sustainable growth. Phase change material (PCM) is a substance which undergoes simultaneous melting and solidification at certain temperature and pressure and can thereby absorb and release thermal energy. Phase change materials are also called thermal batteries which have the ability to store large amount of heat at fixed temperature. Effective integration of the latent heat thermal energy storage system with solar thermal collectors depends on heat storage materials and heat exchangers. The practical limitation of the latent heat thermal energy system for successful implementation in various applications is mainly from its low thermal conductivity. Low thermal conductivity leads to low heat transfer coefficient, and thereby, the phase change process is prolonged which signifies the requirement of heat transfer enhancement techniques. Typically, for salt hydrates and organic PCMs, the thermal conductivity range varies between 0.4–0.7 W/m K and 0.15–0.3 W/m K which increases the thermal resistance within phase change materials during operation, seriously affecting efficiency and thermal response. This paper reviews the different geometry of commercial heat exchangers that can be used to address the problem of low thermal conductivity, like use of fins, additives with high thermal conductivity materials like metal strips, microencapsulated PCM, composite PCM, porous metals, porous metal foam matrix, carbon nanofibers and nanotubes, etc. Finally, different solar thermal applications and potential PCMs for low-temperature thermal energy storage were also discussed.

scholarly journals The Impact of Heat Exchangers’ Constructions on the Melting and Solidification Time of Phase Change Materials

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (18) ◽  
pp. 4840
Author(s):  
Ewelina Radomska ◽  
Lukasz Mika ◽  
Karol Sztekler ◽  
Lukasz Lis
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Phase Change ◽  
Latent Heat ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Heat Exchangers ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
Storage Systems ◽  
Energy Storage Systems ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage Systems

An application of latent heat thermal energy storage systems with phase change materials seems to be unavoidable in the present world. The latent heat thermal energy storage systems allow for storing excessive heat during low demand and then releasing it during peak demand. However, a phase change material is only one of the components of a latent heat thermal energy storage system. The second part of the latent heat thermal energy storage is a heat exchanger that allows heat transfer between a heat transfer fluid and a phase change material. Thus, the main aim of this review paper is to present and systematize knowledge about the heat exchangers used in the latent heat thermal energy storage systems. Furthermore, the operating parameters influencing the phase change time of phase change materials in the heat exchangers, and the possibilities of accelerating the phase change are discussed. Based on the literature reviewed, it is found that the phase change time of phase change materials in the heat exchangers can be reduced by changing the geometrical parameters of heat exchangers or by using fins, metal foams, heat pipes, and multiple phase change materials. To decrease the phase change material’s phase change time in the tubular heat exchangers it is recommended to increase the number of tubes keeping the phase change material’s mass constant. In the case of tanks filled with spherical phase change material’s capsules, the capsules’ diameter should be reduced to shorten the phase change time. However, it is found that some changes in the constructions of heat exchangers reduce the melting time of the phase change materials, but they increase the solidification time.

scholarly journals Evaluation and Improvement of Thermal Energy of Heat Exchangers with SWCNT, GQD Nanoparticles and PCM (RT82)

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 153-168
Author(s):  
Mohammadreza Hasandust Rostami ◽  
Gholamhassan Najafi ◽  
Ali Motevalli ◽  
Nor Azwadi Che Sidik ◽  
Muhammad Arif Harun
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Heat Exchanger ◽  
Heat Exchange ◽  
Phase Change ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Heat Exchangers ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
Single Wall Carbon Nanotubes ◽  
In Series

Today, due to the reduction of energy resources in the world and its pollutants, energy storage methods and increase the thermal efficiency of various systems are very important. In this research, the thermal efficiency and energy storage of two heat exchangers have been investigated in series using phase change materials (RT82) and single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) and graphene quantum dot nanoparticles (GQD) In this research, two heat exchangers have been used in combination. The first heat exchanger was in charge of storing thermal energy and the second heat exchanger was in charge of heat exchange. The reason for this is to improve the heat exchange of the main exchanger (shell and tube) by using heat storage in the secondary exchanger, which has not been addressed in previous research. The results of this study showed that using two heat exchangers in series, the thermal efficiency of the system has increased. Also, the heat energy storage of the double tube heat exchanger was obtained using phase change materials in the single-walled carbon nanotube composition of about 3000 W. The average thermal efficiency of the two heat exchangers as the series has increased by 52%. In general, the effect of the two heat exchangers on each other was investigated in series with two approaches (energy storage and energy conversion) using fin and nanoparticles, which obtained convincing results.

scholarly journals Applicability of MCDM Algorithms for the Selection of Phase Change Materials for Thermal Energy Storage Heat Exchangers

2021 ◽  
pp. 611-622
Author(s):  
Paul Gregory Felix ◽  
Velavan Rajagopal ◽  
Kannan Kumaresan
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Physical Properties ◽  
Phase Change ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Heat Exchangers ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
Weight Estimation ◽  
Thermo Physical Properties ◽  
Selection Of

Latent heat thermal energy storage heat exchangers store heat energy by virtue of the phase transition that occurs in the thermal storage media. Since phase change materials (PCMs) are utilized as the media, there is a critical necessity for the appropriate selection of the PCM utilized. Since multiple thermo-physical properties and multiple PCMs are required to be evaluated for the selection, there arises a need for multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) algorithms to be adopted for the selection. But owing to the different weight estimation techniques employed and the voluminous quantity of selection algorithms available, there arises a need for a comparative methodology to be adopted. This study was intended to select an optimal PCM for a sustainable steam cooking application coupled with a thermal energy storage system. In this research study, six PCMs were chosen as the alternatives and five thermo-physical properties were chosen as the criteria for the evaluation. 11 different algorithms were augmented with 3 different weight estimation techniques and therefore a total of 33 algorithms were employed in this study. All of the algorithms have chosen Erythritol as the optimal PCM for the application. The outcomes of the MCDM algorithms have been validated through an intricate Pearson’s correlation coefficient study.

scholarly journals A Heat Pump-Based Multi-source Renewable Energy System for the Building Air Conditioning: The IDEAS Project Experience

2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-22
Author(s):  
Silvia Cesari ◽  
Alessia Natali ◽  
Barbara Larwa ◽  
Eleonora Baccega ◽  
Elena Mainardi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Heat Pump ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Heat Exchangers ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Solar Panels ◽  
Renewable Energy System

The current paper presents the state-of-the-art of the ongoing IDEAS research project, funded under the Horizon 2020 EU framework programme. The project involves fourteen partners from six European countries and proposes a multi-source cost-effective renewable energy system for the decarbonisation of the building envelope. The system features a radiant floor fed by a heat pump for the building thermal management. The heat pump can exploit sun, air, and/or ground as thermal sources through the use of photovoltaic/thermal solar panels, air heat exchangers, and shallow ground flat-panel heat exchangers. Thermal energy storage is achieved by means of phase change materials spread along several system components, such as: radiant floor to increase its thermal inertia, solar panels for cooling purposes, ground to enhance soil thermal capacity. Within the project framework, a small-scale building, featuring a plethora of sensors for test purposes, and two large-scale buildings are meant to be equipped with the renewable energy system proposed. The small-scale building is currently in operation, and the first results are discussed in the present work. Preliminary data suggest that while multi-source systems coupled with heat pumps are particularly effective, it is complex to obtain suitable thermal energy storages on urban scale.

scholarly journals Finite Element Modeling of Geothermal Source of Heat Pump in Long-Term Operation

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elżbieta Hałaj ◽  
Leszek Pająk ◽  
Bartosz Papiernik
Keyword(s):  
Heat Pump ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Heat Exchangers ◽  
Thermal Recovery ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Term Operation ◽  
Ground Source ◽  
Space Cooling ◽  
Borehole Heat Exchangers

Model simulation allows to present the time-varying temperature distribution of the ground source for heat pumps. A system of 25 double U-shape borehole heat exchangers (BHEs) in long-term operation and three scenarios were created. In these scenarios, the difference between balanced and non-balanced energy load was considered as well as the influence of the hydrogeological factors on the temperature of the ground source. The aim of the study was to compare different thermal regimes of BHEs operation and examine the influence of small-scale and short-time thermal energy storage on ground source thermal balance. To present the performance of the system according to geological and hydrogeological factors, a Feflow® software (MIKE Powered by DHI Software) was used. The temperature for the scenarios was visualized after 10 and 30 years of the system’s operation. In this paper, a case is presented in which waste thermal energy from space cooling applications during summer months was used to upgrade thermal performance of the ground (geothermal) source of a heat pump. The study shows differences in the temperature in the ground around different Borehole Heat Exchangers. The cold plume from the not-balanced energy scenario is the most developed and might influence the future installations in the vicinity. Moreover, seasonal storage can partially overcome the negative influence of the travel of a cold plume. The most exposed to freezing were BHEs located in the core of the cold plumes. Moreover, the influence of the groundwater flow on the thermal recovery of the several BHEs is visible. The proper energy load of the geothermal source heat pump installation is crucial and it can benefit from small-scale storage. After 30 years of operation, the minimum average temperature at 50 m depth in the system with waste heat from space cooling was 2.1 °C higher than in the system without storage and 1.6 °C higher than in the layered model in which storage was not applied.

scholarly journals Application of Hybrid PCM Thermal Energy Storages with and without Al Foams in Solar Heating/Cooling and Ground Source Absorption Heat Pump Plant: An Energy and Economic Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 1007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renato Lazzarin ◽  
Marco Noro ◽  
Giulia Righetti ◽  
Simone Mancin
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Heat Pump ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
Metal Foam ◽  
Solar Heating ◽  
Plant Design ◽  
Absorption Heat Pump ◽  
Ground Source ◽  
Pump Plant

The use of phase change materials (PCM) can be considered an effective way to improve the energy storage capabilities of hybrid water thermal energy storage (TESs) in solar heating and cooling plants. However, due to a few shortcomings, their use is still limited. This paper aims to give a direct estimation of the considerable advantages achievable by means of these hybrid TESs by simulating the annual performance of an existing gymnasium building located in northern Italy. The solar heating/cooling and ground source absorption heat pump plant is simulated using Trnsys. A validated type allows for the simulation of the hybrid water TESs, and also includes the possibility to use aluminum foams to enhance the heat transfer capabilities of the paraffin waxes used as PCM. This paper presents an optimization of the plant design from both energy and economic points of view by considering different cases: all three tanks modeled as sensible (water) storage, or one of the tanks modeled as PCM storage, or as enhanced PCM with metal foam.

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