Publication detail

Numerical and experimental investigation of a PCM-based thermal storage unit for solar air systems

CHARVÁT, P. KLIMEŠ, L. OSTRÝ, M.

Original Title

Numerical and experimental investigation of a PCM-based thermal storage unit for solar air systems

Type

journal article in Web of Science

Language

English

Original Abstract

A general problem of most solar thermal systems is the need for thermal storage in order to balance supply and demand of heat over a certain period of time. A possibility to employ latent heat of fusion in phase change materials (PCMs) for thermal energy storage in air-based solar thermal systems was investigated using laboratory experiments and numerical simulations. A heat storage unit containing 100 aluminium panels filled with a paraffin-based PCM was used in the investigations. The experiments were carried out in a lab environment with an electric air heater as a heat source. A numerical model of the unit was developed and implemented as a type in the TRNSYS 17 simulation tool. The results of the simulations with the developed model show a good agreement with experimental results. Subsequently, the model was used for a parametric study analysing the influence of certain parameters. The performed investigations showed a potential of the use of latent heat thermal storage in air-based thermal systems with a narrow temperature operation range.

Keywords

thermal storage, heat storage unit, latent heat, phase change materials, solar air systems

Authors

CHARVÁT, P.; KLIMEŠ, L.; OSTRÝ, M.

RIV year

2014

Released

6. 1. 2014

Publisher

Elsevier

Location

Švýcarská konfederace

ISBN

0378-7788

Periodical

ENERGY AND BUILDINGS

Year of study

68A

Number

1

State

Swiss Confederation

Pages from

488

Pages to

497

Pages count

10

BibTex

@article{BUT101888,
  author="Pavel {Charvát} and Lubomír {Klimeš} and Milan {Ostrý}",
  title="Numerical and experimental investigation of a PCM-based thermal storage unit for solar air systems",
  journal="ENERGY AND BUILDINGS",
  year="2014",
  volume="68A",
  number="1",
  pages="488--497",
  doi="10.1016/j.enbuild.2013.10.011",
  issn="0378-7788"
}