Experimental Analysis for a New Design of Thermal Energy Storage System

Abstract

Accumulative knowledge on Thermal Energy Storage (TES) is imperative in society today because technology is ever expanding, opening doors for improved innovation that is more sustainable to our environment. TES has a multitude of uses; from simply boiling a kettle of water on a stove to more complex applications such as solar power generation. This research focuses on the application of a thermal energy storage unit introduced to a selected Phase Change Material (PCM) to undergo controlled experimentation. It helpful to gain understanding of how the TES unit will perform in a typical laboratory environment. A PCM is any substance capable of absorbing or releasing sufficient energy to undergo a phase transition. For specified purposes of this work was, the relevant states of matter liquid and solid; hence the use of a paraffin wax was the ideal for the experimental work model where the phase transition from solid to liquid occurs in a relatively low temperature. The objective of this work was determining the amount of energy that can be stored, and the power that can be generated by using paraffin wax. The setup of the experimental work for this project was consisting of a wax chamber, corrugated steel plates, and gaskets compressed within two plexiglass frames with an inlet and outlet. Tap water was used the medium of transferring thermal energy, and a JULABO heating unit was used to generate enough thermal energy for the steel plates. PCM was used to absorb the energy and transfer it to the cold water during the PCM transformation. A normal faucet was to provide cool enough water to lower the temperature within the system initiating the liquid to solid phase transition. Hoses was used to connect the main TES unit, JULABO unit, and faucet, as well as allowing flow throughout the system. Experiential work and calculation model results shows that the energy recovery was effected by flow rates, melting temperatures, and PCM. Other factors were considered in this work including mass, volume, density, specific heat, latency, turbulence flow, Reynolds number, limitations, and factor of safety. The results of this work can be used to get useful energy especially in isolated location such as desert, ships in occasion, and military locations.