Obtainment and Characterization of Metal-Coated Polyethylene Granules as a Basis for the Development of Heat Storage Systems

The research studied the feasibility of using copper-coated polyethylene granules as a basis for creating efficient heat storage systems. A technology for imparting catalytic properties to a polymer surface by the joint processing of polymer granules and an activator metal in a ball mill with their subsequent metallization in a chemical reducing solution is proposed. The efficiency of copper-coating a polyethylene surface is shown to be largely determined by the activation stage and the assumption regarding the mechanism of interaction of the activator metal with the polymer surface is made. To obtain different amounts of metal on the polyethylene granules, it is proposed that the method of remetallization is used. It was established that the rate of copper ion reduction depends on the number of previous coatings and is determined by the area of interaction of the metal-coated granules with the chemical reducing solution. The obtained metal-coated polyethylene granules were characterized in terms of the viability of using it as a phase transition material for a heat storage system. Using the developed installation that simulates the heat accumulator operation, it was shown that the efficiency of using metal-coated polyethylene granules to create heat storage systems is higher. The copper coating deposited on the polyethylene granules was studied using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis.

Mobile Thermal Energy Storage

The article is devoted to topical issues related to the storage, accumulation and transportation of heat by stationary and mobile heat storage. Analysis of the current state of the district heating system indicates significant heat losses at all stages of providing the consumer with heat. The use of heat storage in heat supply systems leads to balancing the heat supply system, namely, the peak load is reduced; heat production schedules are optimized by accumulating excess energy and using it during emergency outages; heat losses caused by uneven operation of thermal equipment during heat generation are reduced; the need for primary energy and fuel consumption is reduced, as well as the amount of harmful emissions into the environment. The main focus is on mobile thermal batteries (M-TES). The use of M-TES makes it possible to build a completely new discrete heat supply system without the traditional pipeline transport of the heat carrier. The defining parameters affecting the efficiency of the M-TES are the reliability and convenience of the design, the efficiency and volume of the “working fluid”, the operating temperature of the MTA recharging and the distance of transportation from the heat source to the consumer. The article contains examples of the implementation of mobile heat accumulators in the world and in Ukraine, their technical and technological characteristics, scope and degree of efficiency. The technical indicators of the implemented project for the creation of a mobile heat accumulator located in a 20-foot container and intended for transportation by any available means of transport are given.

Energy and Heat for Medium-sized Cities in a Temperate Climate From a Small Nuclear Reactor and Solar Panels

The article discusses the possibilities of using a system consisting of small nuclear reactors, solar collectors and a heat accumulator in future carbon-free conditions. Kraków (Poland) was chosen as an example of a city supplied with electricity, and heat from the discussed system. The demand for electricity and heat was estimated, possible technical solutions were proposed in an approximate manner and monthly balances of electricity and heat were calculated. It was found impossible to meet the energy needs by using only renewable sources in specific conditions of moderate and season-dependent intensity values of sun and wind. The only and efficient option that is able to cover the city's demand for electricity and heat is a nuclear power plant, consisting, for example, of NuScale nuclear units in combination with solar collectors and a properly selected heat accumulator. Fifty MWel reactors were considered, but a new version of the NuScale modular reactor with a modular capacity of 77 MWel is also briefly shown.

Automated method of calculation of parameters for non-traditional heating technologies and conditioning of buildings

Purpose. Develop an automated method for calculating parameters for heat pump systems for heating, air conditioning and hot water supply, designed for use in domestic conditions with non-standard heat transfer flows. Methodology. Mathematical modeling of thermodynamic processes occurring in heating, air conditioning and hot water supply systems. Findings. The automated method of calculating the parameters of non-traditional technology, which uses standard heat pump equipment of the water heating system for the cooling mode of the air in the warm period of the year, and the discharge of heat dissipated into the ground, was substantiated and developed; and for the needs of hot water supply heat pump air-liquid, acting as a high-speed water heater. The estimation of technologies of the thermal energy utilization in buildings developed earlier by authors is executed. The first technology involved the use of a heat pump and heat accumulator scheme in the cold season, and halved the consumption of conventional fuel compared to a gas column for hot water at the same facility. The second technology involved heat recovery with the help of a heat accumulator in a complex system of air conditioning and hot water supply in the warm period, which saves from 74 to 82% of conventional fuel compared to the scheme with boiler and air conditioner without heat accumulator. Critical conclusions were drawn about the need to use additional dimensional equipment for these technologies and the excess amount of hot water received. Possibilities of realization of such scheme were analyzed. Analytically substantiated recommendations on the design (ribbing of heat exchange surfaces) of heating devices and parameters of their operating modes in the cold and warm periods of the year were given. The condition of invariance of heat exchange areas of heating devices and basic water consumption in the heating system was fulfilled. The need to regulate the air conditioning regime by changing the water flow in the system to maintain a constant indoor air temperature with fluctuations in outdoor air temperature was substantiated. Originality. For the first time, attention is paid to the study of non-traditional methods of using heat pump heating for heating, air conditioning and hot water supply of residential premises. The automated method for determining rational parameters for these technologies was developed. Practical value. The automated method of forming the control dependence of the mass flow of water in the system on the outside air temperature on the condition of constancy of the set comfortable indoor air temperature was developed. The use of air-liquid heat pump for hot water supply in the warm period was analyzed, a high energy conversion factor was noted (14 ... 22). The savings of conventional fuel from the application of the considered technology from 13% to 18% in comparison with the technology using a heat accumulator were substantiated.

Effects of moisture accumulation in outer walls on thermal mode of premises in case of emergency heat supply

Objective. In the case of a coupled supply of heat in a heat supply system, engineering structures act as a heat accumulator. Therefore, when calculating the premises cooling time in case of accidents in a heating network, it is necessary to take into account not only weather conditions, but also a decrease in the flow of heat from the heat supply system, since at low outside temperatures the heat loss in premises is greater than the heat supply, which will lead to the accumulation of moisture in materials of the structures. Methods. To build a model of internal conditions in premises when the heat supply system operates in emergency mode, the humidity potential theory was applied, which allows calculating the humidity mode of engineering structures under various non-periodic exposures. Results. A method for calculating moisture accumulation in outer walls of residential premises using the moisture potential theory is proposed. Conclusion. The impact of moisture accumulation on heat accumulation in outer walls and the dynamics of internal air temperature in premises under emergency conditions of the heat supply system operation has been determined.

Effect of Foaming Formulation and Operating Pressure on Thermoregulating Polyurethane Foams

The synthesis of rigid polyurethane (RPU) foams containing thermoregulatory microcapsules has been carried out under reduced pressure conditions with a new foaming formulation to reduce the final composite densities. These optimized RPU foams were able to overpass the drawbacks exhibited by the previous composites over the studied temperature range, working as insulating and thermal energy storage materials. The change in the formulation allowed to decrease the final foam density and enhance their mechanical strength. The effect of the operating pressure (atmospheric, 800 mbar, and 700 mbar) and microcapsules content (up to 30 wt%) on the physical, mechanical, and thermal PU foam properties was studied. The reduction of the pressure from atmospheric to 800 mbar did not have any effect on the cell size, strut thickness, and compression strength 10% of deformation, the Young modulus being even higher at 800 mbar. Nevertheless, a strong impact on the microstructure and mechanical properties was observed for the foam composites obtained at 700 mbar. A deleterious impact on the RPU foams thermal conductivity was observed when using low-pressure conditions. Thermal analyses showed that a composite able to work as heat accumulator and thermal insulation both at transient and at steady state was achieved.