WorldWideScience

Sample records for thermal energy systems

  1. Thermal energy storage devices, systems, and thermal energy storage device monitoring methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tugurlan, Maria; Tuffner, Francis K; Chassin, David P.

    2016-09-13

    Thermal energy storage devices, systems, and thermal energy storage device monitoring methods are described. According to one aspect, a thermal energy storage device includes a reservoir configured to hold a thermal energy storage medium, a temperature control system configured to adjust a temperature of the thermal energy storage medium, and a state observation system configured to provide information regarding an energy state of the thermal energy storage device at a plurality of different moments in time.

  2. Thermal energy systems design and analysis

    CERN Document Server

    Penoncello, Steven G

    2015-01-01

    IntroductionThermal Energy Systems Design and AnalysisSoftwareThermal Energy System TopicsUnits and Unit SystemsThermophysical PropertiesEngineering DesignEngineering EconomicsIntroductionCommon Engineering Economics NomenclatureEconomic Analysis Tool: The Cash Flow DiagramTime Value of MoneyTime Value of Money ExamplesUsing Software to Calculate Interest FactorsEconomic Decision MakingDepreciation and TaxesProblemsAnalysis of Thermal Energy SystemsIntroductionNomenclatureThermophysical Properties of SubstancesSuggested Thermal Energy Systems Analysis ProcedureConserved and Balanced QuantitiesConservation of MassConservation of Energy (The First Law of Thermodynamics)Entropy Balance (The Second Law of Thermodynamics)Exergy Balance: The Combined LawEnergy and Exergy Analysis of Thermal Energy CyclesDetailed Analysis of Thermal Energy CyclesProblemsFluid Transport in Thermal Energy SystemsIntroductionPiping and Tubing StandardsFluid Flow FundamentalsValves and FittingsDesign and Analysis of Pipe NetworksEconomi...

  3. Thermal Distribution System | Energy Systems Integration Facility | NREL

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thermal Distribution System Thermal Distribution System The Energy Systems Integration Facility's . Photo of the roof of the Energy Systems Integration Facility. The thermal distribution bus allows low as 10% of its full load level). The 60-ton chiller cools water with continuous thermal control

  4. Solar energy thermally powered electrical generating system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Owens, William R. (Inventor)

    1989-01-01

    A thermally powered electrical generating system for use in a space vehicle is disclosed. The rate of storage in a thermal energy storage medium is controlled by varying the rate of generation and dissipation of electrical energy in a thermally powered electrical generating system which is powered from heat stored in the thermal energy storage medium without exceeding a maximum quantity of heat. A control system (10) varies the rate at which electrical energy is generated by the electrical generating system and the rate at which electrical energy is consumed by a variable parasitic electrical load to cause storage of an amount of thermal energy in the thermal energy storage system at the end of a period of insolation which is sufficient to satisfy the scheduled demand for electrical power to be generated during the next period of eclipse. The control system is based upon Kalman filter theory.

  5. Temperature Distribution and Thermal Performance of an Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ganguly, Sayantan

    2017-04-01

    Energy conservation and storage has become very crucial to make use of excess energy during times of future demand. Excess thermal energy can be captured and stored in aquifers and this technique is termed as Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES). Storing seasonal thermal energy in water by injecting it into subsurface and extracting in time of demand is the principle of an ATES system. Using ATES systems leads to energy savings, reduces the dependency on fossil fuels and thus leads to reduction in greenhouse gas emission. This study numerically models an ATES system to store seasonal thermal energy and evaluates the performance of it. A 3D thermo-hydrogeological numerical model for a confined ATES system is presented in this study. The model includes heat transport processes of advection, conduction and heat loss to confining rock media. The model also takes into account regional groundwater flow in the aquifer, geothermal gradient and anisotropy in the aquifer. Results show that thermal injection into the aquifer results in the generation of a thermal-front which grows in size with time. Premature thermal-breakthrough causes thermal interference in the system when the thermal-front reaches the production well and consequences in the fall of system performance and hence should be avoided. This study models the transient temperature distribution in the aquifer for different flow and geological conditions. This may be effectively used in designing an efficient ATES project by ensuring safety from thermal-breakthrough while catering to the energy demand. Based on the model results a safe well spacing is proposed. The thermal energy discharged by the system is determined and strategy to avoid the premature thermal-breakthrough in critical cases is discussed. The present numerical model is applied to simulate an experimental field study which is found to approximate the field results quite well.

  6. Metal hydride-based thermal energy storage systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vajo, John J.; Fang, Zhigang

    2017-10-03

    The invention provides a thermal energy storage system comprising a metal-containing first material with a thermal energy storage density of about 1300 kJ/kg to about 2200 kJ/kg based on hydrogenation; a metal-containing second material with a thermal energy storage density of about 200 kJ/kg to about 1000 kJ/kg based on hydrogenation; and a hydrogen conduit for reversibly transporting hydrogen between the first material and the second material. At a temperature of 20.degree. C. and in 1 hour, at least 90% of the metal is converted to the hydride. At a temperature of 0.degree. C. and in 1 hour, at least 90% of the metal hydride is converted to the metal and hydrogen. The disclosed metal hydride materials have a combination of thermodynamic energy storage densities and kinetic power capabilities that previously have not been demonstrated. This performance enables practical use of thermal energy storage systems for electric vehicle heating and cooling.

  7. Numerical modeling of aquifer thermal energy storage system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Jongchan [Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, Geothermal Resources Department, 92 Gwahang-no, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-350 (Korea, Republic of); Kongju National University, Department of Geoenvironmental Sciences, 182 Singwan-dong, Gongju-si, Chungnam 314-701 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Youngmin [Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, Geothermal Resources Department, 92 Gwahang-no, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-350 (Korea, Republic of); Yoon, Woon Sang; Jeon, Jae Soo [nexGeo Inc., 134-1 Garak 2-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul 138-807 (Korea, Republic of); Koo, Min-Ho; Keehm, Youngseuk [Kongju National University, Department of Geoenvironmental Sciences, 182 Singwan-dong, Gongju-si, Chungnam 314-701 (Korea, Republic of)

    2010-12-15

    The performance of the ATES (aquifer thermal energy storage) system primarily depends on the thermal interference between warm and cold thermal energy stored in an aquifer. Additionally the thermal interference is mainly affected by the borehole distance, the hydraulic conductivity, and the pumping/injection rate. Thermo-hydraulic modeling was performed to identify the thermal interference by three parameters and to estimate the system performance change by the thermal interference. Modeling results indicate that the thermal interference grows as the borehole distance decreases, as the hydraulic conductivity increases, and as the pumping/injection rate increases. The system performance analysis indicates that if {eta} (the ratio of the length of the thermal front to the distance between two boreholes) is lower than unity, the system performance is not significantly affected, but if {eta} is equal to unity, the system performance falls up to {proportional_to}22%. Long term modeling for a factory in Anseong was conducted to test the applicability of the ATES system. When the pumping/injection rate is 100 m{sup 3}/day, system performances during the summer and winter after 3 years of operation are estimated to be {proportional_to}125 kW and {proportional_to}110 kW, respectively. Therefore, 100 m{sup 3}/day of the pumping/injection rate satisfies the energy requirements ({proportional_to}70 kW) for the factory. (author)

  8. The role of Solar thermal in Future Energy Systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mathiesen, Brian Vad; Hansen, Kenneth

    This report deals with solar thermal technologies and investigates possible roles for solar thermal in future energy systems for four national energy systems; Germany, Austria, Italy and Denmark. The project period started in January 2014 and finished by October 2017. This report is based...

  9. Revisit ocean thermal energy conversion system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang, J.C.; Krock, H.J.; Oney, S.K.

    2003-01-01

    The earth, covered more than 70.8% by the ocean, receives most of its energy from the sun. Solar energy is transmitted through the atmosphere and efficiently collected and stored in the surface layer of the ocean, largely in the tropical zone. Some of the energy is re-emitted to the atmosphere to drive the hydrologic cycle and wind. The wind field returns some of the energy to the ocean in the form of waves and currents. The majority of the absorbed solar energy is stored in vertical thermal gradients near the surface layer of the ocean, most of which is in the tropical region. This thermal energy replenished each day by the sun in the tropical ocean represents a tremendous pollution-free energy resource for human civilization. Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) technology refers to a mechanical system that utilizes the natural temperature gradient that exists in the tropical ocean between the warm surface water and the deep cold water, to generate electricity and produce other economically valuable by-products. The science and engineering behind OTEC have been studied in the US since the mid-seventies, supported early by the U.S. Government and later by State and private industries. There are two general types of OTEC designs: closed-cycle plants utilize the evaporation of a working fluid, such as ammonia or propylene, to drive the turbine-generator, and open-cycle plants use steam from evaporated sea water to run the turbine. Another commonly known design, hybrid plants, is a combination of the two. OTEC requires relatively low operation and maintenance costs and no fossil fuel consumption. OTEC system possesses a formidable potential capacity for renewable energy and offers a significant elimination of greenhouse gases in producing power. In addition to electricity and drinking water, an OTEC system can produce many valuable by-products and side-utilizations, such as: hydrogen, air-conditioning, ice, aquaculture, and agriculture, etc. The potential of these

  10. Energy and exergy analyses of an ice-on-coil thermal energy storage system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ezan, Mehmet Akif; Erek, Aytunç; Dincer, Ibrahim

    2011-01-01

    In this study, energy and exergy analyses are carried out for the charging period of an ice-on-coil thermal energy storage system. The present model is developed using a thermal resistance network technique. First, the time-dependent variations of the predicted total stored energy, mass of ice, and outlet temperature of the heat transfer fluid from a storage tank are compared with the experimental data. Afterward, performance of an ice-on-coil type latent heat thermal energy storage system is investigated for several working and design parameters. The results of a comparative study are presented in terms of the variations of the heat transfer rate, total stored energy, dimensionless energetic/exergetic effectiveness and energy/exergy efficiency. The results indicate that working and design parameters of the ice-on-coil thermal storage tank should be determined by considering both energetic and exergetic behavior of the system. For the current parameters, storage capacity and energy efficiency of the system increases with decreasing the inlet temperature of the heat transfer fluid and increasing the length of the tube. Besides, the exergy efficiency increases with increasing the inlet temperature of the heat transfer fluid and increasing the length of the tube. -- Highlights: ► A comprehensive study on energy and exergy analyses of an ice-on-coil TES system. ► Determination of irreversibilities and their potential sources. ► Evaluation of both energy and exergy efficiencies and their comparisons.

  11. Seasonal thermal energy storage in shallow geothermal systems: thermal equilibrium stage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nowamooz Hossein

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper is dedicated to the study of seasonal heat storage in shallow geothermal installations in unsaturated soils for which hydrothermal properties such as degree of saturation and thermal conductivity vary with time throughout the profile. In the model, a semi-analytical model which estimates time-spatial thermal conductivity is coupled with a 2D cylindrical heat transfer modeling using finite difference method. The variation of temperature was obtained after 3 heating and cooling cycles for the different types of loads with maximum thermal load of qmax = 15 W.m−1 with variable angular frequency (8 months of heating and 4 months of cooling.and constant angular frequency (6 months of heating and 6 months of cooling to estimate the necessary number of cycles to reach the thermal equilibrium stage. The results show that we approach a thermal equilibrium stage where the same variation of temperature can be observed in soils after several heating and cooling cycles. Based on these simulations, the necessary number of cycles can be related to the total applied energy on the system and the minimum number of cycles is for a system with the total applied energy of 1.9qmax.

  12. Energy demand and thermal comfort of HVAC systems with thermally activated building systems as a function of user profile

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pałaszyńska, Katarzyna; Bandurski, Karol; Porowski, Mieczysław

    2017-11-01

    Thermally Activated Building Systems (TABS) are a way to use building structure as a thermal energy storage. As a result, renewable energy sources may be used more efficiently. The paper presents numerical analysis of a HVAC system with TABS energy demand and indoor thermal comfort of a representative room in a non-residential building (governmental, commercial, educational). The purpose of analysis is to investigate the influence of a user profile on system performance. The time span of the analysis is one year - a typical meteorological year. The model was prepared using a generally accepted simulation tool - TRNSYS 17. The results help to better understand the interaction of a user profile with TABS. Therefore they are important for the development of optimal control algorithms for energy efficient buildings equipped with such systems.

  13. Energy demand and thermal comfort of HVAC systems with thermally activated building systems as a function of user profile

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pałaszyńska Katarzyna

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Thermally Activated Building Systems (TABS are a way to use building structure as a thermal energy storage. As a result, renewable energy sources may be used more efficiently. The paper presents numerical analysis of a HVAC system with TABS energy demand and indoor thermal comfort of a representative room in a non-residential building (governmental, commercial, educational. The purpose of analysis is to investigate the influence of a user profile on system performance. The time span of the analysis is one year – a typical meteorological year. The model was prepared using a generally accepted simulation tool – TRNSYS 17. The results help to better understand the interaction of a user profile with TABS. Therefore they are important for the development of optimal control algorithms for energy efficient buildings equipped with such systems.

  14. Maximizing the energy storage performance of phase change thermal storage systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Amin, N.A.M.; Bruno, F.; Belusko, M. [South Australia Univ., Mawson Lakes, South Australia (Australia). Inst. for Sustainable Systems and Technologies

    2009-07-01

    The demand for electricity in South Australia is highly influenced by the need for refrigeration and air-conditioning. An extensive literature review has been conducted on the use of phase change materials (PCMs) in thermal storage systems. PCMs use latent heat at the solid-liquid phase transition point to store thermal energy. They are considered to be useful as a thermal energy storage (TES) material because they can provide much higher energy storage densities compared to conventional sensible thermal storage materials. This paper reviewed the main disadvantages of using PCMs for energy storage, such as low heat transfer, super cooling and system design issues. Other issues with PCMs include incongruence and corrosion of heat exchanger surfaces. The authors suggested that in order to address these problems, future research should focus on maximizing heat transfer by optimizing the configuration of the encapsulation through a parametric analysis using a PCM numerical model. The effective conductivity in encapsulated PCMs in a latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) system can also be increased by using conductors in the encapsulation that have high thermal conductivity. 47 refs., 1 tab., 1 fig.

  15. Thermal energy storage apparatus, controllers and thermal energy storage control methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hammerstrom, Donald J.

    2016-05-03

    Thermal energy storage apparatus, controllers and thermal energy storage control methods are described. According to one aspect, a thermal energy storage apparatus controller includes processing circuitry configured to access first information which is indicative of surpluses and deficiencies of electrical energy upon an electrical power system at a plurality of moments in time, access second information which is indicative of temperature of a thermal energy storage medium at a plurality of moments in time, and use the first and second information to control an amount of electrical energy which is utilized by a heating element to heat the thermal energy storage medium at a plurality of moments in time.

  16. Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage for Seasonal Thermal Energy Balance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rostampour, Vahab; Bloemendal, Martin; Keviczky, Tamas

    2017-04-01

    Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) systems allow storing large quantities of thermal energy in subsurface aquifers enabling significant energy savings and greenhouse gas reductions. This is achieved by injection and extraction of water into and from saturated underground aquifers, simultaneously. An ATES system consists of two wells and operates in a seasonal mode. One well is used for the storage of cold water, the other one for the storage of heat. In warm seasons, cold water is extracted from the cold well to provide cooling to a building. The temperature of the extracted cold water increases as it passes through the building climate control systems and then gets simultaneously, injected back into the warm well. This procedure is reversed during cold seasons where the flow direction is reversed such that the warmer water is extracted from the warm well to provide heating to a building. From the perspective of building climate comfort systems, an ATES system is considered as a seasonal storage system that can be a heat source or sink, or as a storage for thermal energy. This leads to an interesting and challenging optimal control problem of the building climate comfort system that can be used to develop a seasonal-based energy management strategy. In [1] we develop a control-oriented model to predict thermal energy balance in a building climate control system integrated with ATES. Such a model however cannot cope with off-nominal but realistic situations such as when the wells are completely depleted, or the start-up phase of newly installed wells, etc., leading to direct usage of aquifer ambient temperature. Building upon our previous work in [1], we here extend the mathematical model for ATES system to handle the above mentioned more realistic situations. Using our improved models, one can more precisely predict system behavior and apply optimal control strategies to manage the building climate comfort along with energy savings and greenhouse gas reductions

  17. User's manual for computer code SOLTES-1 (simulator of large thermal energy systems)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fewell, M.E.; Grandjean, N.R.; Dunn, J.C.; Edenburn, M.W.

    1978-09-01

    SOLTES simulates the steady-state response of thermal energy systems to time-varying data such as weather and loads. Thermal energy system models of both simple and complex systems can easily be modularly constructed from a library of routines. These routines mathematically model solar collectors, pumps, switches, thermal energy storage, thermal boilers, auxiliary boilers, heat exchangers, extraction turbines, extraction turbine/generators, condensers, regenerative heaters, air conditioners, heating and cooling of buildings, process vapor, etc.; SOLTES also allows user-supplied routines. The analyst need only specify fluid names to obtain readout of property data for heat-transfer fluids and constants that characterize power-cycle working fluids from a fluid property data bank. A load management capability allows SOLTES to simulate total energy systems that simultaneously follow heat and power loads and demands. Generalized energy accounting is available, and values for system performance parameters may be automatically determined by SOLTES. Because of its modularity and flexibility, SOLTES can be used to simulate a wide variety of thermal energy systems such as solar power/total energy, fossil fuel power plants/total energy, nuclear power plants/total energy, solar energy heating and cooling, geothermal energy, and solar hot water heaters

  18. Development of space heating and domestic hot water systems with compact thermal energy storage. Compact thermal energy storage: Material development for System Integration

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Davidson, J.H.; Quinnell, J.; Burch, J.; Zondag, H.A.; Boer, R. de; Finck, C.J.; Cuypers, R.; Cabeza, L.F.; Heinz, A.; Jahnig, D.; Furbo, S.; Bertsch, F.

    2013-01-01

    Long-term, compact thermal energy storage (TES) is essential to the development of cost-effective solar and passive building-integrated space heating systems and may enhance the annual technical and economic performance of solar domestic hot water (DHW) systems. Systems should provide high energy

  19. A hybrid solar and chemical looping combustion system for solar thermal energy storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jafarian, Mehdi; Arjomandi, Maziar; Nathan, Graham J.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► A novel solar–CLC hybrid system is proposed which integrates a CLC with solar thermal energy. ► The oxygen carrier particles are used as storage medium for thermal energy storage. ► A solar cavity reactor is proposed for fuel reactor. ► The absorbed solar energy is stored in the particles to produce a base heat load. -- Abstract: A novel hybrid of a solar thermal energy and a chemical looping combustion (CLC) system is proposed here, which employs the oxygen carrier particles in a CLC system to provide diurnal thermal energy storage for concentrated solar thermal energy. In taking advantage of the chemical and sensible energy storage systems that are an inherent part of a CLC system, this hybrid offers potential to achieve cost effective, base load power generation for solar energy. In the proposed system, three reservoirs have been added to a conventional CLC system to allow storage of the oxygen carrier particles, while a cavity solar receiver has been chosen for the fuel reactor. The performance of the system is evaluated using ASPEN PLUS software, with the model being validated using independent simulation result reported previously. Operating temperature, solar efficiency, solar fraction, exergy efficiency and the fraction of the solar thermal energy stored for a based load power generation application are reported.

  20. Comprehensive assessment of the role and potential for solar thermal in future energy systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Kenneth; Mathiesen, Brian Vad

    2018-01-01

    to the energy system configurations. Solar thermal benefits reduce when moving towards a high-renewable energy system as other renewable energy sources start competing with solar thermal on energy prices and energy system flexibility. The findings can be applied to a diversity of energy systems also beyond...

  1. High temperature underground thermal energy storage system for solar energy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collins, R. E.

    1980-01-01

    The activities feasibility of high temperature underground thermal storage of energy was investigated. Results indicate that salt cavern storage of hot oil is both technically and economically feasible as a method of storing huge quantities of heat at relatively low cost. One particular system identified utilizes a gravel filled cavern leached within a salt dome. Thermal losses are shown to be less than one percent of cyclically transferred heat. A system like this having a 40 MW sub t transfer rate capability and over eight hours of storage capacity is shown to cost about $13.50 per KWh sub t.

  2. Performance analysis of different ORC configurations for thermal energy and LNG cold energy hybrid power generation system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Zhixin; Wang, Feng; Wang, Shujia; Xu, Fuquan; Lin, Kui

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents a thermal energy and Liquefied natural gas (LNG) cold energy hybrid power generation system. Performances of four different Organic Rankine cycle (ORC) configurations (the basic, the regenerative, the reheat and the regenerative-reheat ORCs) are studied based on the first and the second law of thermodynamics. Dry organic fluid R245fa is selected as the typical working fluid. Parameter analysis is also conducted in this paper. The results show that regeneration could not increase the thermal efficiency of the thermal and cold energy hybrid power generation system. ORC with the reheat process could produce more specific net power output but it may also reduce the system thermal efficiency. The basic and the regenerative ORCs produce higher thermal efficiency while the regenerative-reheat ORC performs best in the exergy efficiency. A preheater is necessary for the thermal and cold energy hybrid power generation system. And due to the presence of the preheater, there will be a step change of the system performance as the turbine inlet pressure rises.

  3. Thermal Storage Systems Assessment for Energy Sustainability in Housing Units

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tania I. Lagunes Vega

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available In order to achieve greater enhancements in energy sustainability for housing, the function and efficiency of two different passive cooling systems were studied: encapsulated water in recycled bottles of Polyethylene terephthalate (PET and polystyrene plates, in comparison with standard concrete slab systems, which are customarily used in housing. Experiments were placed over a tile surface, in which temperature changes were monitored for a period of 20 days from 08:00 to 20:00. The efficiency of passive thermal storage systems was endorsed through statistical analysis using the “SPSS” software. This resulted in a 17% energy saving, thus promoting energy sustainability in housing units, which reduces the use of electrical appliances required to stabilize conditions to achieve optimum thermal comfort for the human body inside a house, therefore, reducing electrical power consumption, CO2 emissions to the atmosphere and generating savings. Due to the complexity of a system with temperature changes, a fractal analysis was performed for each experimental system, using the “Benoit” software (V.1.3 with self-compatible tools of rescaled range (R/S and a wavelets method, showing that the thermal fluctuations on the tiles with the thermal storage system adapt to the rescaled range analysis and the regular tiles adapt to the wavelets method.

  4. Enthalpy estimation for thermal comfort and energy saving in air conditioning system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chu, C.-M.; Jong, T.-L.

    2008-01-01

    The thermal comfort control of a room must consider not only the thermal comfort level but also energy saving. This paper proposes an enthalpy estimation that is conducive for thermal comfort control and energy saving. The least enthalpy estimator (LEE) combines the concept of human thermal comfort with the theory of enthalpy to predict the load for a suitable setting pair in order to maintain more precisely the thermal comfort level and save energy in the air conditioning system

  5. Economic impact of latent heat thermal energy storage systems within direct steam generating solar thermal power plants with parabolic troughs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seitz, M.; Johnson, M.; Hübner, S.

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Integration of a latent heat thermal energy storage system into a solar direct steam generation power cycle. • Parametric study of solar field and storage size for determination of the optimal layout. • Evaluation of storage impact on the economic performance of the solar thermal power plant. • Economic comparison of new direct steam generation plant layout with state-of-the-art oil plant layout. - Abstract: One possible way to further reduce levelized costs of electricity of concentrated solar thermal energy is to directly use water/steam as the primary heat transfer fluid within a concentrated collector field. This so-called direct steam generation offers the opportunity of higher operating temperatures and better exergy efficiency. A technical challenge of the direct steam generation technology compared to oil-driven power cycles is a competitive storage technology for heat transfer fluids with a phase change. Latent heat thermal energy storages are suitable for storing heat at a constant temperature and can be used for direct steam generation power plants. The calculation of the economic impact of an economically optimized thermal energy storage system, based on a latent heat thermal energy storage system with phase change material, is the main focus of the presented work. To reach that goal, a thermal energy storage system for a direct steam generation power plant with parabolic troughs in the solar field was thermally designed to determine the boundary conditions. This paper discusses the economic impact of the designed thermal energy storage system based on the levelized costs of electricity results, provided via a wide parametric study. A state-of-the-art power cycle with a primary and a secondary heat transfer fluid and a two-tank thermal energy storage is used as a benchmark technology for electricity generation with solar thermal energy. The benchmark and direct steam generation systems are compared to each other, based respectively

  6. Thermal energy storage technologies for sustainability systems design, assessment and applications

    CERN Document Server

    Kalaiselvam, S

    2014-01-01

    Thermal Energy Storage Technologies for Sustainability is a broad-based overview describing the state-of-the-art in latent, sensible, and thermo-chemical energy storage systems and their applications across industries. Beginning with a discussion of the efficiency and conservation advantages of balancing energy demand with production, the book goes on to describe current state-of-the art technologies. Not stopping with description, the authors also discuss design, modeling, and simulation of representative systems, and end with several case studies of systems in use.Describes how thermal energ

  7. Characteristics Study of Photovoltaic Thermal System with Emphasis on Energy Efficiency

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yong Chuah Yee

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Solar energy is typically collected through photovoltaic (PV to generate electricity or through thermal collectors as heat energy, they are generally utilised separately. This project is done with the purpose of integrating the two systems to improve the energy efficiency. The idea of this photovoltaic-thermal (PVT setup design is to simultaneously cool the PV panel so it can operate at a lower temperature thus higher electrical efficiency and also store the thermal energy. The experimental data shows that the PVT setup increased the electrical efficiency of the standard PV setup from 1.64% to 2.15%. The integration of the thermal collector also allowed 37.25% of solar energy to be stored as thermal energy. The standard PV setup harnessed only 1.64% of the solar energy, whereas the PVT setup achieved 39.4%. Different flowrates were tested to determine its effects on the PVT setup’s electrical and thermal efficiency. The various flowrate does not significantly impact the electrical efficiency since it did not significantly impact the cooling of the panel. The various flowrates resulted in fluctuating thermal efficiencies, the relation between the two is inconclusive in this project.

  8. Phase change thermal storage for a solar total energy system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rice, R. E.; Cohen, B. M.

    1978-01-01

    An analytical and experimental program is being conducted on a one-tenth scale model of a high-temperature (584 K) phase-change thermal energy storage system for installation in a solar total energy test facility at Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A. The thermal storage medium is anhydrous sodium hydroxide with 8% sodium nitrate. The program will produce data on the dynamic response of the system to repeated cycles of charging and discharging simulating those of the test facility. Data will be correlated with a mathematical model which will then be used in the design of the full-scale system.

  9. Molten salt thermal energy storage systems: salt selection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maru, H.C.; Dullea, J.F.; Huang, V.S.

    1976-08-01

    A research program aimed at the development of a molten salt thermal energy storage system commenced in June 1976. This topical report describes Work performed under Task I: Salt Selection is described. A total of 31 inorganic salts and salt mixtures, including 9 alkali and alkaline earth carbonate mixtures, were evaluated for their suitability as heat-of-fusion thermal energy storage materials at temperatures of 850 to 1000/sup 0/F. Thermophysical properties, safety hazards, corrosion, and cost of these salts were compared on a common basis. We concluded that because alkali carbonate mixtures show high thermal conductivity, low volumetric expansion on melting, low corrosivity and good stability, they are attractive as heat-of-fusion storage materials in this temperature range. A 35 wt percent Li/sub 2/CO/sub 3/-65 wt percent K/sub 2/CO/sub 3/ (50 mole percent Li/sub 2/CO/sub 3/-50 mole percent K/sub 2/CO/sub 3/) mixture was selected as a model system for further experimental work. This is a eutectoid mixture having a heat of fusion of 148 Btu/lb (82 cal/g) that forms an equimolar compound, LiKCO/sub 3/. The Li/sub 2/CO/sub 3/-K/sub 2/CO/sub 3/ mixture is intended to serve as a model system to define heat transfer characteristics, potential problems, and to provide ''first-cut'' engineering data required for the prototype system. The cost of a thermal energy storage system containing this mixture cannot be predicted until system characteristics are better defined. However, our comparison of different salts indicated that alkali and alkaline earth chlorides may be more attractive from a salt cost point of view. The long-term corrosion characteristics and the effects of volume change on melting for the chlorides should be investigated to determine their overall suitability as a heat-of-fusion storage medium.

  10. Numerical Modeling of a Shallow Borehole Thermal Energy Storage System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Catolico, N.; Ge, S.; Lu, N.; McCartney, J. S.

    2014-12-01

    Borehole thermal energy storage (BTES) combined with solar thermal energy harvesting is an economic technological system to garner and store energy as well as an environmentally-sustainable alternative for the heating of buildings. The first community-scale BTES system in North America was installed in 2007 in the Drake Landing Solar Community (DLSC), about 35 miles south of Calgary, Canada. The BTES system involves direct circulation of water heated from solar thermal panels in the summer into a storage tank, after which it is circulate within an array of 144 closed-loop geothermal heat exchangers having a depth of 35 m and a spacing of 2.5 m. In the winter the circulation direction is reversed to supply heat to houses. Data collection over a six year period indicates that this system can supply more than 90% of the winter heating energy needs for 52 houses in the community. One major challenge facing the BTES system technology is the relatively low annual efficiency, i.e., the ratio of energy input and output is in the range of 15% to 40% for the system in Drake Landing. To better understand the working principles of BTES and to improve BTES performance for future applications at larger scales, a three-dimensional transient coupled fluid and heat transfer model is established using TOUGH2. The time-dependent injection temperatures and circulation rate measured over the six years of monitoring are used as model input. The simulations are calibrated using soil temperature data measured at different locations over time. The time-dependent temperature distributions within the borehole region agree well with the measured temperatures for soil with an intrinsic permeability of 10e-19 m2, an apparent thermal conductivity of 2.03 W/m°C, and a volumetric heat capacity of 2.31 MJ/m-3°C. The calibrated model serves as the basis for a sensitivity analysis of soil and operational parameters on BTES system efficiency preformed with TOUGH2. Preliminary results suggest 1) BTES

  11. Smart thermal grid with integration of distributed and centralized solar energy systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Libing; Entchev, Evgueniy; Rosato, Antonio; Sibilio, Sergio

    2017-01-01

    Smart thermal grids (STGs) are able to perform the same function as classical grids, but are developed in order to make better use of distributed, possibly intermittent, thermal energy resources and to provide the required energy when needed through efficient resources utilization and intelligent management. District heating (DH) plays a significant role in the implementation of future smart energy systems. To fulfil its role, DH technologies must be further developed to integrate renewable resources, create low-temperature networks, and consequently to make existing or new DH networks ready for integration into future STGs. Solar heating is a promising option for low-temperature DH systems. Thermal energy storage (TES) can make the availability of the energy supply match the demand. An integration of centralized seasonal and distributed short-term thermal storages would facilitate an efficient recovery of the solar energy. This study, through modelling and simulation, investigates the impacts of such integration on the overall performance of a community-level solar DH system. The performance analysis results show that the solar DH system with integration of distributed and centralized seasonal TESs improves system overall efficiency, and reduces DH network heat losses, primary energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, in comparison to the one without integration. - Highlights: • STG should be designed to store energy in the most efficient way at the most effective location. • Integration of centralized seasonal and distributed TESs in a solar DH system is proposed. • Performance of such integrated solar DH system is evaluated and compared to the one without. • The integration results in reduction of primary energy consumption and GHG emission. • The integration improves the overall efficiency of the total solar energy system.

  12. A THERMAL-HYDRAULIC SYSTEM FOR THE CONVERSION AND THE STORAGE OF ENERGY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    MITRAN Tudor

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available The paper proposes the concept design of a thermal-hydraulic system that converts the thermal energy (from the geothermal water, from the cooling water of power equipment, from exhaust gasses, and so. in hydrostatic energy, that is stored in a hydraulic accumulator. The hydraulic energy can be converted into electrical energy when needed.

  13. Performance analysis of an integrated energy storage and energy upgrade thermochemical solid–gas sorption system for seasonal storage of solar thermal energy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Tingxian; Wang, Ruzhu; Kiplagat, Jeremiah K.; Kang, YongTae

    2013-01-01

    An innovative dual-mode thermochemical sorption energy storage method is proposed for seasonal storage of solar thermal energy with little heat losses. During the charging phase in summer, solar thermal energy is stored in form of chemical bonds resulting from thermochemical decomposition process, which enables the stored energy to be kept several months at ambient temperature. During the discharging phase in winter, the stored thermal energy is released in the form of chemical reaction heat resulting from thermochemical synthesis process. Thermodynamic analysis showed that the advanced dual-mode thermochemical sorption energy storage is an effective method for the long-term seasonal storage of solar energy. A coefficient of performance (COP h ) of 0.6 and energy density higher than 1000 kJ/kg of salt can be attained from the proposed system. During the discharging phase at low ambient temperatures, the stored thermal energy can be upgraded by use of a solid–gas thermochemical sorption heat transformer cycle. The proposed thermochemical sorption energy storage has distinct advantages over the conventional sensible heat and latent heat storage, such as higher energy storage density, little heat losses, integrated energy storage and energy upgrade, and thus it can contribute to improve the seasonal utilization of solar thermal energy. - Highlights: ► A dual-mode solid thermochemical sorption is proposed for seasonal solar thermal energy storage. ► Energy upgrade techniques into the energy storage system are integrated. ► Performance of the proposed seasonal energy storage system is evaluated. ► Energy density and COP h from the proposed system are as high as 1043 kJ/kg of salt and 0.60, respectively

  14. A coupled nuclear reactor thermal energy storage system for enhanced load following operation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alameri, Saeed A.; King, Jeffrey C.

    2013-01-01

    Nuclear power plants operate most economically at a constant power level, providing base load electric power. In an energy grid containing a high fraction of renewable power sources, nuclear reactors may be subject to significantly variable power demands. These variable power demands can negatively impact the effective capacity factor of the reactor and result in severe economic penalties. Coupling a nuclear reactor to a large thermal energy storage block will allow the reactor to better respond to variable power demands. In the system described in this paper, a Prismatic core Advanced High Temperature Reactor supplies constant power to a lithium chloride molten salt thermal energy storage block that provides thermal power as needed to a closed Brayton cycle energy conversion system. During normal operation, the thermal energy storage block stores thermal energy during the night for use in the times of peak demand during the day. In this case, the nuclear reactor stays at a constant thermal power level. After a loss of forced circulation, the reactor reaches a shut down state in less than half an hour and the average fuel, graphite and coolant temperatures remain well within the design limits over the duration of the transient, demonstrating the inherent safety of the coupled system. (author)

  15. Technological drivers in data centers and telecom systems: Multiscale thermal, electrical, and energy management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garimella, Suresh V.; Persoons, Tim; Weibel, Justin; Yeh, Lian-Tuu

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► Thermal management approaches reviewed against energy usage of IT industry. ► Challenges of energy efficiency in large-scale electronic systems highlighted. ► Underlying drivers for progress at the business and technology levels identified. ► Thermal, electrical and energy management challenges discussed as drivers. ► Views of IT system operators, manufacturers and integrators represented. - Abstract: We identify technological drivers for tomorrow’s data centers and telecommunications systems, including thermal, electrical and energy management challenges, based on discussions at the 2nd Workshop on Thermal Management in Telecommunication Systems and Data Centers in Santa Clara, California, on April 25–26, 2012. The relevance of thermal management in electronic systems is reviewed against the background of the energy usage of the information technology (IT) industry, encompassing perspectives of different sectors of the industry. The underlying drivers for progress at the business and technology levels are identified. The technological challenges are reviewed in two main categories – immediate needs and future needs. Enabling cooling techniques that are currently under development are also discussed

  16. Thermal Energy Recovery through Optimal Salt concentration in a Parabolic Trough Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ramsurn Rikesh

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Making a PVT system hybrid is to support the use of thermal and electrical energy simultaneously or independently, to control the thermal effect to improve electrical efficiency or vice-versa. This project makes use of the Parabolic Trough design with emphasis on making the system to be sustainable and also increasing the thermal efficiency of the system. Polystyrene and acrylic foam is utilized to maximize the heat retention capability of the system. To power, the pump that moves the heat transfer fluid (tested with salt water proportions within the copper tube, a set of solar PV panel is to support its power demand making it sustainable. The closed loop setup designed achieved an improved thermal efficiency level of 66.2%, which contributes to having a reliable heat energy source for applications such as hot showers. The novel setup design also makes use of PV cells to support other energy demands through power electronic control designs. Using a similar heat dissipation technique, a novel setup has been designed to improve the voltage supply by making use of liquid cooling and translucent glass PV panels. Cooling the PV panel restored up to 11.7% of its rated voltage supply. This is achieved by keeping the PV panels within its best thermal operating conditions using an energy efficient electronically controlled cooling system.

  17. Thermal energy storage system using phase change materials: Constant heat source

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reddy Meenakshi R.

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The usage of phase change materials (PCM to store the heat in the form of latent heat is increased, because large quantity of thermal energy is stored in smaller volumes. In the present experimental investigation paraffin and stearic acid are employed as PCMs in thermal energy storage (TES system to store the heat as sensible and latent heat also. A constant heat source is used to supply heat transfer fluid (HTF at constant temperature to the TES system. In the TES system PCMs are stored in the form of spherical capsules of 38 mm diameter made of high density poly ethylene (HDPE. The results of the investigation are related to the charging time and recovery of stored energy from the TES system.

  18. Improvement of energy performances of existing buildings by application of solar thermal systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Krstić-Furundžić Aleksandra

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Improvement of energy performances of the existing buildings in the suburban settlement Konjarnik in Belgrade, by the application of solar thermal systems is the topic presented in this paper. Hypothetical models of building improvements are created to allow the benefits of applying solar thermal collectors to residential buildings in Belgrade climate conditions to be estimated. This case study presents different design variants of solar thermal collectors integrated into a multifamily building envelope. The following aspects of solar thermal systems integration are analyzed in the paper: energy, architectural, ecological and economic. The results show that in Belgrade climatic conditions significant energy savings and reduction of CO2 emissions can be obtained with the application of solar thermal collectors.

  19. Cost/benefit comparison of thermal solar energy systems in Switzerland

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suter, J.M.

    1991-10-01

    A comparison is made between thermal solar energy systems of different size for five different applications in the three main climatic zones in Switzerland. Conventional ways of energy conservation are also included in the comparison. A cost/benefit ratio is calculated for each system. The investment is used as a cost indicator whereas the useful solar heat or the conventional energy saving is chosen as benefit. It is shown that the most systems sold today in Switzerland - combined hot water and space heating systems for single family houses - have the poorest cost/benefit ratio among all systems considered in the analysis. Four applications with more favourable cost/benefit ratio are identified. Large systems have generally a better cost/benefit ratio than smaller ones, although the total investment is higher. Photovoltaics is even less favourable than all thermal systems considered. The large scale penetration of technologies with good cost/benefit ratio lies in the public interest. Supporting activities should consider the priority set by the cost/benefit ratio. (author) 1 fig., 14 refs

  20. Assessing District Energy Systems Performance Integrated with Multiple Thermal Energy Storages

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rezaie, Behnaz

    The goal of this study is to examine various energy resources in district energy (DE) systems and then DE system performance development by means of multiple thermal energy storages (TES) application. This study sheds light on areas not yet investigated precisely in detail. Throughout the research, major components of the heat plant, energy suppliers of the DE systems, and TES characteristics are separately examined; integration of various configurations of the multiple TESs in the DE system is then analysed. In the first part of the study, various sources of energy are compared, in a consistent manner, financially and environmentally. The TES performance is then assessed from various aspects. Then, TES(s) and DE systems with several sources of energy are integrated, and are investigated as a heat process centre. The most efficient configurations of the multiple TESs integrated with the DE system are investigated. Some of the findings of this study are applied on an actual DE system. The outcomes of this study provide insight for researchers and engineers who work in this field, as well as policy makers and project managers who are decision-makers. The accomplishments of the study are original developments TESs and DE systems. As an original development the Enviro-Economic Function, to balance the economic and environmental aspects of energy resources technologies in DE systems, is developed; various configurations of multiple TESs, including series, parallel, and general grid, are developed. The developed related functions are discharge temperature and energy of the TES, and energy and exergy efficiencies of the TES. The TES charging and discharging behavior of TES instantaneously is also investigated to obtain the charging temperature, the maximum charging temperature, the charging energy flow, maximum heat flow capacity, the discharging temperature, the minimum charging temperature, the discharging energy flow, the maximum heat flow capacity, and performance

  1. High Efficiency and Low Cost Thermal Energy Storage System

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sienicki, James J. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Nuclear Engineering Division; Lv, Qiuping [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Nuclear Engineering Division; Moisseytsev, Anton [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Nuclear Engineering Division; Bucknor, Matthew [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Nuclear Engineering Division

    2017-09-29

    BgtL, LLC (BgtL) is focused on developing and commercializing its proprietary compact technology for processes in the energy sector. One such application is a compact high efficiency Thermal Energy Storage (TES) system that utilizes the heat of fusion through phase change between solid and liquid to store and release energy at high temperatures and incorporate state-of-the-art insulation to minimize heat dissipation. BgtL’s TES system would greatly improve the economics of existing nuclear and coal-fired power plants by allowing the power plant to store energy when power prices are low and sell power into the grid when prices are high. Compared to existing battery storage technology, BgtL’s novel thermal energy storage solution can be significantly less costly to acquire and maintain, does not have any waste or environmental emissions, and does not deteriorate over time; it can keep constant efficiency and operates cleanly and safely. BgtL’s engineers are experienced in this field and are able to design and engineer such a system to a specific power plant’s requirements. BgtL also has a strong manufacturing partner to fabricate the system such that it qualifies for an ASME code stamp. BgtL’s vision is to be the leading provider of compact systems for various applications including energy storage. BgtL requests that all technical information about the TES designs be protected as proprietary information. To honor that request, only non-proprietay summaries are included in this report.

  2. Thermal energy storage and losses in a room-Trombe wall system located in Mexico

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hernández-López, I.; Xamán, J.; Chávez, Y.; Hernández-Pérez, I.; Alvarado-Juárez, R.

    2016-01-01

    A thermal evaluation of a R-TW system (room with a Trombe wall) is presented. Hourly climatic data of the coldest and the warmest days of 2014 was used to assess the behavior of the R-TW in two cities of Mexico with cold climate (Huitzilac and Toluca). The simulations were done with an in-house code based on the Finite Volume Method. It was found that thermal energy losses through the semitransparent wall are about 60% of the solar radiation incident on the system (G_s_o_l). Despite of the thermal losses, the system gets enough energy to keep the air inside the room with a temperature above 35 °C. For both cities during the coldest day, the maximum energy stored is about 109 MJ and during the warmest day is about 70 MJ. This energy is supplied from the storage wall to the air inside the room during periods without insolation. - Highlights: • Thermal performance of a Room-Trombe Wall system was evaluated under two cold cities. • Thermal energy losses through the semitransparent wall were about 60% of the solar radiation incident of the system. • The maximum energy stored by the Trombe Wall was 109 MJ during the coldest day. • The maximum energy stored by the Trombe Wall was 70 MJ during the warmest day.

  3. Thermal performance of a linear Fresnel reflector solar concentrator PV/T energy systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gomaa, Mohamed R. [State Engineering University of Armenia (Armenia)], E-Mail: Dmoh_elbehary@yahoo.com

    2011-07-01

    This is a report on an investigation of photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) collectors. Solar energy conversion efficiency was increased by taking advantage of PV/T collectors and low solar concentration technologies, combined into a PV/T system operated at elevated temperature. The main novelty is the coupling of a linear Fresnel mirror reflecting concentrator with a channel PV/T collector. Concentrator PV/T collectors can function at temperatures over 100 degrees celsius, and thus thermal energy can be made to drive processes such as refrigeration, desalination and steam production. Solar system analytical thermal performance gives efficiency values over 60%. Combined electric and thermal (CET) efficiency is high. A combined electric and heat power for the linear fresnel reflector approach that employs high performance CPV technology to produce both electricity and thermal energy at low to medium temperatures is presented. A well-functioning PV/T system can be designed and constructed with low concentration and a total efficiency of nearly 80% can be attained.

  4. Energy dashboard for real-time evaluation of a heat pump assisted solar thermal system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lotz, David Allen

    The emergence of net-zero energy buildings, buildings that generate at least as much energy as they consume, has lead to greater use of renewable energy sources such as solar thermal energy. One example is a heat pump assisted solar thermal system, which uses solar thermal collectors with an electrical heat pump backup to supply space heating and domestic hot water. The complexity of such a system can be somewhat problematic for monitoring and maintaining a high level of performance. Therefore, an energy dashboard was developed to provide comprehensive and user friendly performance metrics for a solar heat pump system. Once developed, the energy dashboard was tested over a two-week period in order to determine the functionality of the dashboard program as well as the performance of the heating system itself. The results showed the importance of a user friendly display and how each metric could be used to better maintain and evaluate an energy system. In particular, Energy Factor (EF), which is the ratio of output energy (collected energy) to input energy (consumed energy), was a key metric for summarizing the performance of the heating system. Furthermore, the average EF of the solar heat pump system was 2.29, indicating an efficiency significantly higher than traditional electrical heating systems.

  5. More Efficient Solar Thermal-Energy Receiver

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dustin, M. O.

    1987-01-01

    Thermal stresses and reradiation reduced. Improved design for solar thermal-energy receiver overcomes three major deficiencies of solar dynamic receivers described in literature. Concentrator and receiver part of solar-thermal-energy system. Receiver divided into radiation section and storage section. Concentrated solar radiation falls on boiling ends of heat pipes, which transmit heat to thermal-energy-storage medium. Receiver used in number of applications to produce thermal energy directly for use or to store thermal energy for subsequent use in heat engine.

  6. Thermal performance and heat transport in aquifer thermal energy storage

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sommer, W.T.; Doornenbal, P.J.; Drijver, B.C.; Gaans, van P.F.M.; Leusbrock, I.; Grotenhuis, J.T.C.; Rijnaarts, H.H.M.

    2014-01-01

    Aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) is used for seasonal storage of large quantities of thermal energy. Due to the increasing demand for sustainable energy, the number of ATES systems has increased rapidly, which has raised questions on the effect of ATES systems on their surroundings as well as

  7. Hot Thermal Storage in a Variable Power, Renewable Energy System

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-06-01

    where cost effective, increase the utilization of distributed electric power generation through wind, solar, geothermal , and biomass renewable...characteristics and may not necessarily be available in all cases. Types of direct heat energy systems include solar thermal, waste heat, and geothermal ...of super capacitor energy storage system in microgrid,” in International Conference on Sustainable Power Generation and Supply, Janjing, China

  8. The Evaluation of Feasibility of Thermal Energy Storage System at Riga TPP-2

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ivanova, P.; Linkevics, O.; Cers, A.

    2015-12-01

    The installation of thermal energy storage system (TES) provides the optimisation of energy source, energy security supply, power plant operation and energy production flexibility. The aim of the present research is to evaluate the feasibility of thermal energy system installation at Riga TPP-2. The six modes were investigated: four for non-heating periods and two for heating periods. Different research methods were used: data statistic processing, data analysis, analogy, forecasting, financial method and correlation and regression method. In the end, the best mode was chosen - the increase of cogeneration unit efficiency during the summer.

  9. Thermal performance and heat transport in aquifer thermal energy storage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sommer, W. T.; Doornenbal, P. J.; Drijver, B. C.; van Gaans, P. F. M.; Leusbrock, I.; Grotenhuis, J. T. C.; Rijnaarts, H. H. M.

    2014-01-01

    Aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) is used for seasonal storage of large quantities of thermal energy. Due to the increasing demand for sustainable energy, the number of ATES systems has increased rapidly, which has raised questions on the effect of ATES systems on their surroundings as well as their thermal performance. Furthermore, the increasing density of systems generates concern regarding thermal interference between the wells of one system and between neighboring systems. An assessment is made of (1) the thermal storage performance, and (2) the heat transport around the wells of an existing ATES system in the Netherlands. Reconstruction of flow rates and injection and extraction temperatures from hourly logs of operational data from 2005 to 2012 show that the average thermal recovery is 82 % for cold storage and 68 % for heat storage. Subsurface heat transport is monitored using distributed temperature sensing. Although the measurements reveal unequal distribution of flow rate over different parts of the well screen and preferential flow due to aquifer heterogeneity, sufficient well spacing has avoided thermal interference. However, oversizing of well spacing may limit the number of systems that can be realized in an area and lower the potential of ATES.

  10. Electrochemical energy storage systems for solar thermal applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krauthamer, S.; Frank, H.

    1980-01-01

    Existing and advanced electrochemical storage and inversion/conversion systems that may be used with terrestrial solar-thermal power systems are evaluated. The status, cost and performance of existing storage systems are assessed, and the cost, performance, and availability of advanced systems are projected. A prime consideration is the cost of delivered energy from plants utilizing electrochemical storage. Results indicate that the five most attractive electrochemical storage systems are the: iron-chromium redox (NASA LeRC), zinc-bromine (Exxon), sodium-sulfur (Ford), sodium-sulfur (Dow), and zinc-chlorine (EDA).

  11. Evaluation of in-situ thermal energy storage for lunar based solar dynamic systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crane, Roger A.

    1991-01-01

    A practical lunar based thermal energy storage system, based on locally available materials, could significantly reduce transportation requirements and associated costs of a continuous, solar derived power system. The concept reported here is based on a unique, in-situ approach to thermal energy storage. The proposed design is examined to assess the problems of start-up and the requirements for attainment of stable operation. The design remains, at this stage, partially conceptional in nature, but certain aspects of the design, bearing directly on feasibility, are examined in some detail. Specifically included is an engineering evaluation of the projected thermal performance of this system. Both steady state and start-up power requirements are evaluated and the associated thermal losses are evaluated as a basis for establishing potential system performance.

  12. Energy efficient hybrid nanocomposite-based cool thermal storage air conditioning system for sustainable buildings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parameshwaran, R.; Kalaiselvam, S.

    2013-01-01

    The quest towards energy conservative building design is increasingly popular in recent years, which has triggered greater interests in developing energy efficient systems for space cooling in buildings. In this work, energy efficient silver–titania HiTES (hybrid nanocomposites-based cool thermal energy storage) system combined with building A/C (air conditioning) system was experimentally investigated for summer and winter design conditions. HiNPCM (hybrid nanocomposite particles embedded PCM) used as the heat storage material has exhibited 7.3–58.4% of improved thermal conductivity than at its purest state. The complete freezing time for HiNPCM was reduced by 15% which was attributed to its improved thermophysical characteristics. Experimental results suggest that the effective energy redistribution capability of HiTES system has contributed for reduction in the chiller nominal cooling capacity by 46.3% and 39.6% respectively, under part load and on-peak load operating conditions. The HiTES A/C system achieved 27.3% and 32.5% of on-peak energy savings potential in summer and winter respectively compared to the conventional A/C system. For the same operating conditions, this system yield 8.3%, 12.2% and 7.2% and 10.2% of per day average and yearly energy conservation respectively. This system can be applied for year-round space conditioning application without sacrificing energy efficiency in buildings. - Highlights: • Energy storage is acquired by HiTES (hybrid nanocomposites-thermal storage) system. • Thermal conductivity of HiNPCM (hybrid nanocomposites-PCM) was improved by 58.4%. • Freezing time of HiNPCM was reduced by 15% that enabled improved energy efficiency. • Chiller nominal capacity was reduced by 46.3% and 39.6% in on-peak and part load respectively. • HiTES A/C system achieved appreciable energy savings in the range of 8.3–12.2%

  13. Utilizing primary energy savings and exergy destruction to compare centralized thermal plants and cogeneration/trigeneration systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Espirito Santo, Denilson Boschiero do; Gallo, Waldyr Luiz Ribeiro

    2017-01-01

    Rising energy conversion processes efficiencies reduces CO_2 emissions and global warming implications. Decentralized electricity production through cogeneration/trigeneration systems can save primary energy if it operates with high efficiency. High efficiency is obtained when the system produces electricity and a substantial amount of the energy rejected by the prime mover is used to meet site thermal demands. Environmental concerns and international agreements are directing governments of different countries to incentive high efficiency solutions. Centralized thermal plants and cogeneration/trigeneration efficiency are compared through efficiency indicators using the first law of thermodynamics and the second law of thermodynamics. This paper proposes the use of the primary energy savings analysis and the exergy destruction analysis to compare decentralized power production through cogeneration/trigeneration systems and centralized thermal plants. The analysis concluded that both methods achieve the same results if the thermal efficiency indicator is used to compare the methods. The analysis also revealed that trigeneration systems with the same energy input are comparable with quite different thermal efficiency centralized thermal plants. Case 1 is comparable to a 53% thermal efficiency power plant and case 2 is comparable to a 77% thermal efficiency power plant. - Highlights: • Trigeneration and thermal plants are compared using PES and exergy destruction. • The thermal efficiency indicator is used to compare both methods. • The same equivalent thermal efficiency is achieved by both methods. • Same energy input trigeneration is similar to different thermal efficiency plants. • Evaluated trigeneration are comparable to a 53–77% thermal efficiency power plant.

  14. Local Thermal Insulating Materials For Thermal Energy Storage ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Thermal insulation is one of the most important components of a thermal energy storage system. In this paper the thermal properties of selected potential local materials which can be used for high temperature insulation are presented. Thermal properties of seven different samples were measured. Samples consisted of: ...

  15. Experimental investigation on charging and discharging performance of absorption thermal energy storage system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Xiaoling; Li, Minzhi; Shi, Wenxing; Wang, Baolong; Li, Xianting

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • A prototype of ATES using LiBr/H 2 O was designed and built. • Charging and discharging performances of ATES system were investigated. • ESE and ESD for cooling, domestic hot water and heating were obtained. - Abstract: Because of high thermal storage density and little heat loss, absorption thermal energy storage (ATES) is known as a potential thermal energy storage (TES) technology. To investigate the performance of the ATES system with LiBr–H 2 O, a prototype with 10 kW h cooling storage capacity was designed and built. The experiments demonstrated that charging and discharging processes are successful in producing 7 °C chilled water, 65 °C domestic hot water, or 43 °C heating water to meet the user’s requirements. Characteristics such as temperature, concentration and power variation of the ATES system during charging and discharging processes were investigated. The performance of the ATES system for supplying cooling, heating or domestic hot water was analyzed and compared. The results indicate that the energy storage efficiencies (ESE) for cooling, domestic hot water and heating are 0.51, 0.97, 1.03, respectively, and the energy storage densities (ESD) for cooling, domestic hot water and heating reach 42, 88, 110 kW h/m 3 , respectively. The performance is better than those of previous TES systems, which proves that the ATES system using LiBr–H 2 O may be a good option for thermal energy storage

  16. Selection of high temperature thermal energy storage materials for advanced solar dynamic space power systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lacy, Dovie E.; Coles-Hamilton, Carolyn; Juhasz, Albert

    1987-01-01

    Under the direction of NASA's Office of Aeronautics and Technology (OAST), the NASA Lewis Research Center has initiated an in-house thermal energy storage program to identify combinations of phase change thermal energy storage media for use with a Brayton and Stirling Advanced Solar Dynamic (ASD) space power system operating between 1070 and 1400 K. A study has been initiated to determine suitable combinations of thermal energy storage (TES) phase change materials (PCM) that result in the smallest and lightest weight ASD power system possible. To date the heats of fusion of several fluoride salt mixtures with melting points greater than 1025 K have been verified experimentally. The study has indicated that these salt systems produce large ASD systems because of their inherent low thermal conductivity and low density. It is desirable to have PCMs with high densities and high thermal conductivities. Therefore, alternate phase change materials based on metallic alloy systems are also being considered as possible TES candidates for future ASD space power systems.

  17. Advanced latent heat of fusion thermal energy storage for solar power systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phillips, W. M.; Stearns, J. W.

    1985-01-01

    The use of solar thermal power systems coupled with thermal energy storage (TES) is being studied for both terrestrial and space applications. In the case of terrestrial applications, it was found that one or two hours of TES could shift the insolation peak (solar noon) to coincide with user peak loads. The use of a phase change material (PCM) is attractive because of the higher energy storage density which can be achieved. However, the use of PCM has also certain disadvantages which must be addressed. Proof of concept testing was undertaken to evaluate corrosive effects and thermal ratcheting effects in a slurry system. It is concluded that the considered alkali metal/alkali salt slurry approach to TES appears to be very viable, taking into account an elimination of thermal ratcheting in storage systems and the reduction of corrosive effects. The approach appears to be useful for an employment involving temperatures applicable to Brayton or Stirling cycles.

  18. Cost and performance analysis of concentrating solar power systems with integrated latent thermal energy storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nithyanandam, K.; Pitchumani, R.

    2014-01-01

    Integrating TES (thermal energy storage) in a CSP (concentrating solar power) plant allows for continuous operation even during times when solar irradiation is not available, thus providing a reliable output to the grid. In the present study, the cost and performance models of an EPCM-TES (encapsulated phase change material thermal energy storage) system and HP-TES (latent thermal storage system with embedded heat pipes) are integrated with a CSP power tower system model utilizing Rankine and s-CO 2 (supercritical carbon-dioxide) power conversion cycles, to investigate the dynamic TES-integrated plant performance. The influence of design parameters of the storage system on the performance of a 200 MW e capacity power tower CSP plant is studied to establish design envelopes that satisfy the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative requirements, which include a round-trip annualized exergetic efficiency greater than 95%, storage cost less than $15/kWh t and LCE (levelized cost of electricity) less than 6 ¢/kWh. From the design windows, optimum designs of the storage system based on minimum LCE, maximum exergetic efficiency, and maximum capacity factor are reported and compared with the results of two-tank molten salt storage system. Overall, the study presents the first effort to construct and analyze LTES (latent thermal energy storage) integrated CSP plant performance that can help assess the impact, cost and performance of LTES systems on power generation from molten salt power tower CSP plant. - Highlights: • Presents technoeconomic analysis of thermal energy storage integrated concentrating solar power plants. • Presents a comparison of different storage options. • Presents optimum design of thermal energy storage system for steam Rankine and supercritical carbon dioxide cycles. • Presents designs for maximizing exergetic efficiency while minimizing storage cost and levelized cost of energy

  19. Comparative Study of Electric Energy Storages and Thermal Energy Auxiliaries for Improving Wind Power Integration in the Cogeneration System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yanjuan Yu

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available In regards to the cogeneration system in Northern China, mainly supported by combined heat and power (CHP plants, it usually offers limited operation flexibility due to the joint production of electric and thermal power. For that large-scale wind farms included in the cogeneration system, a large amount of wind energy may have to be wasted. To solve this issue, the utilization of the electric energy storages and the thermal energy auxiliaries are recommended, including pumped hydro storage (PHS, compressed air energy storage (CAES, hydrogen-based energy storage (HES, heat storage (HS, electric boilers (EB, and heat pumps (HP. This paper proposes a general evaluation method to compare the performance of these six different approaches for promoting wind power integration. In consideration of saving coal consumption, reducing CO2 emissions, and increasing investment cost, the comprehensive benefit is defined as the evaluation index. Specifically, a wind-thermal conflicting expression (WTCE is put forward to simplify the formulation of the comprehensive benefit. Further, according to the cogeneration system of the West Inner Mongolia (WIM power grid, a test system is modelled to perform the comparison of the six different approaches. The results show that introducing the electric energy storages and the thermal energy auxiliaries can both contribute to facilitating wind power integration, and the HP can provide the best comprehensive benefit.

  20. Solar applications of thermal energy storage. Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, C.; Taylor, L.; DeVries, J.; Heibein, S.

    1979-01-01

    A technology assessment is presented on solar energy systems which use thermal energy storage. The study includes characterization of the current state-of-the-art of thermal energy storage, an assessment of the energy storage needs of solar energy systems, and the synthesis of this information into preliminary design criteria which would form the basis for detailed designs of thermal energy storage. (MHR)

  1. Flexibility of a combined heat and power system with thermal energy storage for district heating

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nuytten, Thomas; Claessens, Bert; Paredis, Kristof; Van Bael, Johan; Six, Daan

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► A generic model for flexibility assessment of thermal systems is proposed. ► The model is applied to a combined heat and power system with thermal energy storage. ► A centrally located storage offers more flexibility compared to individual units. ► Increasing the flexibility requires both a more powerful CHP and a larger buffer. - Abstract: The trend towards an increased importance of distributed (renewable) energy resources characterized by intermittent operation redefines the energy landscape. The stochastic nature of the energy systems on the supply side requires increased flexibility at the demand side. We present a model that determines the theoretical maximum of flexibility of a combined heat and power system coupled to a thermal energy storage solution that can be either centralized or decentralized. Conventional central heating, to meet the heat demand at peak moments, is also available. The implications of both storage concepts are evaluated in a reference district. The amount of flexibility created in the district heating system is determined by the approach of the system through delayed or forced operation mode. It is found that the distinction between the implementation of the thermal energy storage as a central unit or as a collection of local units, has a dramatic effect on the amount of available flexibility

  2. Analysis of economic characteristics of a tariff system for thermal energy activities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Banovac, Eraldo [Croatian Energy Regulatory Agency, Zagreb (Croatia); Gelo, Tomislav; Simurina, Jurica [University of Zagreb (Croatia). Faculty of Economics and Business

    2007-11-15

    Generally speaking, the creation of tariff systems for energy activities carried out as regulated or public service obligation is becoming professionally challenging. The Croatian Energy Regulatory Agency (CERA) created the methodology of the tariff system for thermal energy activities and passed this tariff system (without tariff element amounts) in May 2006. The background of the tariff system for thermal energy activities (heat generation, heat distribution and heat supply) including a legislative framework relevant for passing the tariff system, terminology, matrix of the tariff models, tariff elements and amounts of tariff entries are analyzed in this paper. Special attention is paid to the economic characteristics of the tariff system, such as the capital asset pricing model (CAPM), which is chosen among several models of the weighted average of cost of capital (WACC). Using the WACC, the regulatory authorities ensure returns to be equal to the opportunity cost of capital. Furthermore, main formulae and procedures for submitting the proposal for changing the amounts of tariff elements are analyzed as well. (author)

  3. Analysis of economic characteristics of a tariff system for thermal energy activities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Banovac, Eraldo; Gelo, Tomislav; Simurina, Jurica

    2007-01-01

    Generally speaking, the creation of tariff systems for energy activities carried out as regulated or public service obligation is becoming professionally challenging. The Croatian Energy Regulatory Agency (CERA) created the methodology of the tariff system for thermal energy activities and passed this tariff system (without tariff element amounts) in May 2006. The background of the tariff system for thermal energy activities (heat generation, heat distribution and heat supply) including a legislative framework relevant for passing the tariff system, terminology, matrix of the tariff models, tariff elements and amounts of tariff entries are analyzed in this paper. Special attention is paid to the economic characteristics of the tariff system, such as the capital asset pricing model (CAPM), which is chosen among several models of the weighted average of cost of capital (WACC). Using the WACC, the regulatory authorities ensure returns to be equal to the opportunity cost of capital. Furthermore, main formulae and procedures for submitting the proposal for changing the amounts of tariff elements are analyzed as well

  4. Economic Dispatch for Power System Included Wind and Solar Thermal Energy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saoussen BRINI

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available With the fast development of technologies of alternative energy, the electric power network can be composed of several renewable energy resources. The energy resources have various characteristics in terms of operational costs and reliability. In this study, the problem is the Economic Environmental Dispatching (EED of hybrid power system including wind and solar thermal energies. Renewable energy resources depend on the data of the climate such as the wind speed for wind energy, solar radiation and the temperature for solar thermal energy. In this article it proposes a methodology to solve this problem. The resolution takes account of the fuel costs and reducing of the emissions of the polluting gases. The resolution is done by the Strength Pareto Evolutionary Algorithm (SPEA method and the simulations have been made on an IEEE network test (30 nodes, 8 machines and 41 lines.

  5. Investigation of the charge boost technology for the efficiency increase of closed sorption thermal energy storage systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rohringer, C.; Engel, G.; Köll, R.; Wagner, W.; van Helden, W.

    2017-10-01

    The inclusion of solar thermal energy into energy systems requires storage possibilities to overcome the gap between supply and demand. Storage of thermal energy with closed sorption thermal energy systems has the advantage of low thermal losses and high energy density. However, the efficiency of these systems needs yet to be increased to become competitive on the market. In this paper, the so-called “charge boost technology” is developed and tested via experiments as a new concept for the efficiency increase of compact thermal energy storages. The main benefit of the charge boost technology is that it can reach a defined state of charge for sorption thermal energy storages at lower temperature levels than classic pure desorption processes. Experiments are conducted to provide a proof of principle for this concept. The results show that the charge boost technology does function as predicted and is a viable option for further improvement of sorption thermal energy storages. Subsequently, a new process application is developed by the author with strong focus on the utilization of the advantages of the charge boost technology over conventional desorption processes. After completion of the conceptual design, the theoretical calculations are validated via experiments.

  6. Feasibility study of a self-remediation system for mine drainage using its thermal energy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oh, Chamteut; Cheong, Youngwook; Yim, Giljae; Ji, Sangwoo

    2016-04-01

    Mine drainage is defined as the water which is discharged to the ground surface through shafts and/or cracks formed by mining activities. Typically, mine drainage features high concentration of acidity and metals since it passes through the underground. Therefore, for the purpose of protecting the surrounding natural environment, mine drainage should be remediated before being discharged to nature. Mine drainage, due to its nature of being retained underground, shows constant temperature which is independent from the temperature of the atmosphere above ground. This condition allows mine drainage to become a promising renewable energy source since energy can be recovered from water with constant temperature. In this research, a self-remediation system is proposed which remediates the mine drainage through electrochemical reactions powered by the thermal energy of mine drainage. High energy efficiency is able to be achieved by shortening the distance between the energy source and consumption, and therefore, this system has a strong advantage to be actualized. A feasibility study for the system was conducted in this research where the thermal energy of mine drainage over time and depth was calculated as energy supply and the required electrical energy for remediating the mine drainage was measured as energy consumption. While the technology of converting thermal energy directly into electrical energy is yet to be developed, energy balance analysis results showed that the proposed self-remediation system is theoretically possible.

  7. Ocean Thermal Extractable Energy Visualization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ascari, Matthew [Lockheed Martin Corporation, Bethesda, MD (United States)

    2012-10-28

    The Ocean Thermal Extractable Energy Visualization (OTEEV) project focuses on assessing the Maximum Practicably Extractable Energy (MPEE) from the world’s ocean thermal resources. MPEE is defined as being sustainable and technically feasible, given today’s state-of-the-art ocean energy technology. Under this project the OTEEV team developed a comprehensive Geospatial Information System (GIS) dataset and software tool, and used the tool to provide a meaningful assessment of MPEE from the global and domestic U.S. ocean thermal resources.

  8. Phase-Change Thermal Energy Storage

    Science.gov (United States)

    1989-11-01

    The goal of this program is to advance the engineering and scientific understanding of solar thermal technology and to establish the technology base from which private industry can develop solar thermal power production options for introduction into the competitive energy market. Solar thermal technology concentrates the solar flux using tracking mirrors or lenses onto a receiver where the solar energy is absorbed as heat and converted into electricity or incorporated into products as process heat. The two primary solar thermal technologies, central receivers and distributed receivers, employ various point and line-focus optics to concentrate sunlight. Current central receiver systems use fields of heliostats (two-axes tracking mirrors) to focus the sun's radiant energy onto a single, tower-mounted receiver. Point focus concentrators up to 17 meters in diameter track the sun in two axes and use parabolic dish mirrors or Fresnel lenses to focus radiant energy onto a receiver. Troughs and bowls are line-focus tracking reflectors that concentrate sunlight onto receiver tubes along their focal lines. Concentrating collector modules can be used alone or in a multimodule system. The concentrated radiant energy absorbed by the solar thermal receiver is transported to the conversion process by a circulating working fluid. Receiver temperatures range from 100 C in low-temperature troughs to over 1500 C in dish and central receiver systems.

  9. Study of Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okuyama, Masaaki; Umemiya, Hiromichi; Shibuya, Ikuko; Haga, Eiji

    Yamagata University 'Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES)' is the experimental system which has been running since 1982. From the results for along terms of experiments, we obtain many important knowledge. This paper presents the accomplishments for 16 years and the characteristics of thermal energy storage in thermal energy storage well. The conclusions show as follows. 1)In recent years, the thermal recovery factor of warm energy storage well becomes almost constant at about 60%. 2) The thermal recovery factor of cool energy storage well increases gradually and becomes at about 15%. 3) Since the ferric colloidal dam is formed in aquifer, thermal recovery factor increase year after year. 4) Back wash can remove clogging for ferric colloidal dam. 5) The apparent thermal diffusivity decrease gradually due to ferric colloidal dam.

  10. Development of road hydronic snow-ice melting system with solar energy and seasonal underground thermal energy storage

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gao, Q.; Liu, Y.; Ma, C.Q.; Li, M.; Huang, Y.; Yu, M. [Jilin Univ., Changchun (China). Dept. of Thermal Energy Engineering; Liu, X.B. [Climate Master Inc., OK (United States)

    2008-07-01

    Snow and ice melting technologies that used thermal energy storage were explored. The study included analyses of solar heat slab, seasonal underground thermal energy storage, and embedded pipe technologies. Different road materials, roadbed construction methods, and underground rock and soil conditions were also discussed. New processes combining all 3 of the main technologies were also reviewed. Other thermal ice melting technologies included conductive concrete and asphalt; heating cables, and hydronic melting systems. Geothermal energy is increasingly being considered as a means of melting snow and ice from roads and other infrastructure. Researchers have also been focusing on simulating heat transfer in solar collectors and road-embedded pipes. Demonstration projects in Japan, Switzerland, and Poland are exploring the use of combined geothermal and solar energy processes to remove snow and ice from roads. Research on hydronic melting technologies is also being conducted in the United States. The study demonstrated that snow-ice melting energy storage systems will become an important and sustainable method of snow and ice removal in the future. The technology efficiently uses renewable energy sources, and provides a cost-effective means of replacing or reducing chemical melting agents. 33 refs., 1 fig.

  11. An experimental study on energy generation with a photovoltaic (PV)-solar thermal hybrid system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Erdil, Erzat; Ilkan, Mustafa; Egelioglu, Fuat

    2008-01-01

    A hybrid system, composed of a photovoltaic (PV) module and a solar thermal collector is constructed and tested for energy collection at a geographic location of Cyprus. Normally, it is required to install a PV system occupying an area of about 10 m 2 in order to produce electrical energy; 7 kWh/day, required by a typical household. In this experimental study, we used only two PV modules of area approximately 0.6 m 2 (i.e., 1.3x0.47 m 2 ) each. PV modules absorb a considerable amount of solar radiation that generate undesirable heat. This thermal energy, however, may be utilized in water pre-heating applications. The proposed hybrid system produces about 2.8 kWh thermal energy daily. Various attachments that are placed over the hybrid modules lead to a total of 11.5% loss in electrical energy generation. This loss, however, represents only 1% of the 7 kWh energy that is consumed by a typical household in northern Cyprus. The pay-back period for the modification is less than 2 years. The low investment cost and the relatively short pay-back period make this hybrid system economically attractive

  12. Design optimization and sensitivity analysis of a biomass-fired combined cooling, heating and power system with thermal energy storage systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Caliano, Martina; Bianco, Nicola; Graditi, Giorgio; Mongibello, Luigi

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • A novel operation strategy for biomass-fired combined cooling, heating and power system is presented. • A design optimization of the system is conducted. • The effects of variation of the incentive for the electricity generation are evaluated. • The effects of the variation of the absorption chiller size and the thermal energy storage system one are evaluated. • The inclusion of a cold storage system into the combined cooling, heating and power system is also analyzed. - Abstract: In this work, an operation strategy for a biomass-fired combined cooling, heating and power system, composed of a cogeneration unit, an absorption chiller, and a thermal energy storage system, is formulated in order to satisfy time-varying energy demands of an Italian cluster of residential multi-apartment buildings. This operation strategy is adopted for performing the economical optimization of the design of two of the devices composing the combined cooling, heating and power system, namely the absorption chiller and the storage system. A sensitivity analysis is carried out in order to evaluate the impact of the incentive for the electricity generation on the optimized results, and also to evaluate, separately, the effects of the variation of the absorption chiller size, and the effects of the variation of the thermal energy storage system size on the system performance. In addition, the inclusion into the system of a cold thermal energy storage system is analyzed, as well, assuming different possible values for the cold storage system cost. The results of the sensitivity analysis indicate that the most influencing factors from the economical point of view are represented by the incentive for the electricity generation and the absorption chiller power. Results also show that the combined use of a thermal energy storage and of a cold thermal energy storage during the hot season could represent a viable solution from the economical point of view.

  13. Hybrid model predictive control of a residential HVAC system with on-site thermal energy generation and storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fiorentini, Massimo; Wall, Josh; Ma, Zhenjun; Braslavsky, Julio H.; Cooper, Paul

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • A comprehensive approach to managing thermal energy in residential buildings. • Solar-assisted HVAC system with on-site energy generation and storage. • Mixed logic-dynamical building model identified using experimental data. • Design and implementation of a logic-dynamical model predictive control strategy. • MPC applied to the Net-Zero Energy house winner of the Solar Decathlon China 2013. - Abstract: This paper describes the development, implementation and experimental investigation of a Hybrid Model Predictive Control (HMPC) strategy to control solar-assisted heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems with on-site thermal energy generation and storage. A comprehensive approach to the thermal energy management of a residential building is presented to optimise the scheduling of the available thermal energy resources to meet a comfort objective. The system has a hybrid nature with both continuous variables and discrete, logic-driven operating modes. The proposed control strategy is organized in two hierarchical levels. At the high-level, an HMPC controller with a 24-h prediction horizon and a 1-h control step is used to select the operating mode of the HVAC system. At the low-level, each operating mode is optimised using a 1-h rolling prediction horizon with a 5-min control step. The proposed control strategy has been practically implemented on the Building Management and Control System (BMCS) of a Net Zero-Energy Solar Decathlon house. This house features a sophisticated HVAC system comprising of an air-based photovoltaic thermal (PVT) collector and a phase change material (PCM) thermal storage integrated with the air-handling unit (AHU) of a ducted reverse-cycle heat pump system. The simulation and experimental results demonstrated the high performance achievable using an HMPC approach to optimising complex multimode HVAC systems in residential buildings, illustrating efficient selection of the appropriate operating modes

  14. A survey of manufacturers of solar thermal energy systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levine, N.; Slonski, M. L.

    1982-01-01

    Sixty-seven firms that had received funding for development of solar thermal energy systems (STES) were surveyed. The effect of the solar thermal technology systems program in accelerating (STES) were assessed. The 54 firms still developing STES were grouped into a production typology comparing the three major technologies with three basic functions. It was discovered that large and small firms were developing primarily central receiver systems, but also typically worked on more than one technology. Most medium-sized firms worked only on distributed systems. Federal support of STES was perceived as necessary to allow producers to take otherwise unacceptable risks. Approximately half of the respondents would drop out of STES if support were terminated, including a disproportionate number of medium-sized firms. A differentiated view of the technology, taking into account differing firm sizes and the various stages of technology development, was suggested for policy and planning purposes.

  15. A hybrid optimization model of biomass trigeneration system combined with pit thermal energy storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dominković, D.F.; Ćosić, B.; Bačelić Medić, Z.; Duić, N.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Hybrid optimization model of biomass trigeneration system with PTES is developed. • Influence of premium feed-in tariffs on trigeneration systems is assessed. • Influence of total system efficiency on biomass trigeneration system with PTES is assessed. • Influence of energy savings on project economy is assessed. - Abstract: This paper provides a solution for managing excess heat production in trigeneration and thus, increases the power plant yearly efficiency. An optimization model for combining biomass trigeneration energy system and pit thermal energy storage has been developed. Furthermore, double piping district heating and cooling network in the residential area without industry consumers was assumed, thus allowing simultaneous flow of the heating and cooling energy. As a consequence, the model is easy to adopt in different regions. Degree-hour method was used for calculation of hourly heating and cooling energy demand. The system covers all the yearly heating and cooling energy needs, while it is assumed that all the electricity can be transferred to the grid due to its renewable origin. The system was modeled in Matlab© on hourly basis and hybrid optimization model was used to maximize the net present value (NPV), which was the objective function of the optimization. Economic figures become favorable if the economy-of-scale of both power plant and pit thermal energy storage can be utilized. The results show that the pit thermal energy storage was an excellent option for storing energy and shaving peaks in energy demand. Finally, possible switch from feed-in tariffs to feed-in premiums was assessed and possible subsidy savings have been calculated. The savings are potentially large and can be used for supporting other renewable energy projects

  16. Heat transfer enhancement in triplex-tube latent thermal energy storage system with selected arrangements of fins

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Liang; Xing, Yuming; Liu, Xin; Rui, Zhoufeng

    2018-01-01

    The use of thermal energy storage systems can effectively reduce energy consumption and improve the system performance. One of the promising ways for thermal energy storage system is application of phase change materials (PCMs). In this study, a two-dimensional numerical model is presented to investigate the heat transfer enhancement during the melting/solidification process in a triplex tube heat exchanger (TTHX) by using fluent software. The thermal conduction and natural convection are all taken into account in the simulation of the melting/solidification process. As the volume fraction of fin is kept to be a constant, the influence of proposed fin arrangement on temporal profile of liquid fraction over the melting process is studied and reported. By rotating the unit with different angle, the simulation shows that the melting time varies a little, which means that the installation error can be reduced by the selected fin arrangement. The proposed fin arrangement also can effectively reduce time of the solidification of the PCM by investigating the solidification process. To summarize, this work presents a shape optimization for the improvement of the thermal energy storage system by considering both thermal energy charging and discharging process.

  17. Heat pipe solar receiver with thermal energy storage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zimmerman, W. F.

    1981-01-01

    An HPSR Stirling engine generator system featuring latent heat thermal energy storge, excellent thermal stability and self regulating, effective thermal transport at low system delta T is described. The system was supported by component technology testing of heat pipes and of thermal storage and energy transport models which define the expected performance of the system. Preliminary and detailed design efforts were completed and manufacturing of HPSR components has begun.

  18. Energy managemant through PCM based thermal storage system for building air-conditioning: Tidel Park, Chennai

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nallusamy, N.; Sampath, S.; Velraj, R.

    2006-01-01

    Many modern building are designed for air-conditioning and the amount of electrical energy required for providing air-conditioning can be very significant especially in the tropics. Conservation of energy is major concern to improve the overall efficiency of the system. Integration is energy storage with the conventional system gives a lot of potential for energy saving and long-term economics. Thermal energy storage systems can improve energy management and help in matching supply and demand patterns. In the present work, a detailed study has been done on the existing thermal energy storage system used in the air-conditioning system in Tidel Park, Chennai. The present study focuses on the cool energy storage system. The modes of operation and advantages of such a system for energy management are highlighted. The reason for the adoption of combined storage system and the size of the storage medium in the air-conditioning plant are analyzed. The possibility of using this concept in other cooling and heating applications, such as storage type solar water heating system, has been explored

  19. Multi-Fluid Geo-Energy Systems for Bulk and Thermal Energy Storage and Dispatchable Renewable and Low-Carbon Electricity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buscheck, T. A.; Randolph, J.; Saar, M. O.; Hao, Y.; Sun, Y.; Bielicki, J. M.

    2014-12-01

    Integrating renewable energy sources into electricity grids requires advances in bulk and thermal energy storage technologies, which are currently expensive and have limited capacity. We present an approach that uses the huge fluid and thermal storage capacity of the subsurface to harvest, store, and dispatch energy from subsurface (geothermal) and surface (solar, nuclear, fossil) thermal resources. CO2 captured from fossil-energy systems and N2 separated from air are injected into permeable formations to store pressure, generate artesian flow of brine, and provide additional working fluids. These enable efficient fluid recirculation, heat extraction, and power conversion, while adding operational flexibility. Our approach can also store and dispatch thermal energy, which can be used to levelize concentrating solar power and mitigate variability of wind and solar power. This may allow low-carbon, base-load power to operate at full capacity, with the stored excess energy being available to addresss diurnal and seasonal mismatches between supply and demand. Concentric rings of horizontal injection and production wells are used to create a hydraulic divide to store pressure, CO2, N2, and thermal energy. Such storage can take excess power from the grid and excess thermal energy, and dispatch that energy when it is demanded. The system is pressurized and/or heated when power supply exceeds demand and depressurized when demand exceeds supply. Supercritical CO2 and N2 function as cushion gases to provide enormous pressure-storage capacity. Injecting CO2 and N2 displaces large quantities of brine, reducing the use of fresh water. Geologic CO2 storage is a crucial option for reducing CO2 emissions, but valuable uses for CO2 are needed to justify capture costs. The initial "charging" of our system requires permanently isolating large volumes of CO2 from the atmosphere and thus creates a market for its disposal. Our approach is designed for locations where a permeable

  20. Efficient thermal desalination technologies with renewable energy systems: A state-of-the-art review

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Esfahani, Iman Janghorban; Rashidi, Jouan; Ifaei, Pouya; Yoo, ChangKyoo [Center for Environmental Studies, Kyung Hee University, Yongin (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-02-15

    Due to the current fossil fuel crisis and associated adverse environmental impacts, renewable energy sources (RES) have drawn interest as alternatives to fossil fuels for powering water desalination systems. Over the last few decades the utility of renewable energy sources such as solar, geothermal, and wind to run desalination processes has been explored. However, the expansion of these technologies to larger scales is hampered by techno-economic and thermo-economic challenges. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art in the field of renewable energy-powered thermal desalination systems (RE-PTD) to compare their productivity and efficiency through thermodynamic, economic, and environmental analyses. We performed a comparative study using published data to classify RE-PTD systems technologies on the basis of the energy collection systems that they use. Among RE-PTD systems, solar energy powered-thermal desalination systems demonstrate high thermo-environ-economic efficiency to produce fresh water to meet various scales of demand.

  1. Efficient thermal desalination technologies with renewable energy systems: A state-of-the-art review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Esfahani, Iman Janghorban; Rashidi, Jouan; Ifaei, Pouya; Yoo, ChangKyoo

    2016-01-01

    Due to the current fossil fuel crisis and associated adverse environmental impacts, renewable energy sources (RES) have drawn interest as alternatives to fossil fuels for powering water desalination systems. Over the last few decades the utility of renewable energy sources such as solar, geothermal, and wind to run desalination processes has been explored. However, the expansion of these technologies to larger scales is hampered by techno-economic and thermo-economic challenges. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art in the field of renewable energy-powered thermal desalination systems (RE-PTD) to compare their productivity and efficiency through thermodynamic, economic, and environmental analyses. We performed a comparative study using published data to classify RE-PTD systems technologies on the basis of the energy collection systems that they use. Among RE-PTD systems, solar energy powered-thermal desalination systems demonstrate high thermo-environ-economic efficiency to produce fresh water to meet various scales of demand.

  2. A Review on Concepts, Applications, and Models of Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kun Sang Lee

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Being a heat source or sink, aquifers have been used to store large quantities of thermal energy to match cooling and heating supply and demand on both a short-term and long-term basis. The current technical, economic, and environmental status of aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES is promising. General information on the basic operation principles, design, and construction of ATES systems is discussed in this paper. Numerous projects in operation around the world are summarized to illustrate the present status of ATES. Hydrogeological-thermal simulation has become an integral part of predicting ATES system performance. Numerical models which are available to simulate an ATES system by modeling mass and heat transport in the aquifer have been summarized. This paper also presents an example of numerical simulation and thermohydraulic evaluation of a two-well, ATES system operating under a continuous flow regime.

  3. Hybrid energy harvesting using active thermal backplane

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Hyun-Wook; Lee, Dong-Gun

    2016-04-01

    In this study, we demonstrate the concept of a new hybrid energy harvesting system by combing solar cells with magneto-thermoelectric generator (MTG, i.e., thermal energy harvesting). The silicon solar cell can easily reach high temperature under normal operating conditions. Thus the heated solar cell becomes rapidly less efficient as the temperature of solar cell rises. To increase the efficiency of the solar cell, air or water-based cooling system is used. To surpass conventional cooling devices requiring additional power as well as large working space for air/water collectors, we develop a new technology of pairing an active thermal backplane (ATB) to solar cell. The ATB design is based on MTG technology utilizing the physics of the 2nd order phase transition of active ferromagnetic materials. The MTG is cost-effective conversion of thermal energy to electrical energy and is fundamentally different from Seebeck TEG devices. The ATB (MTG) is in addition to being an energy conversion system, a very good conveyor of heat through both conduction and convection. Therefore, the ATB can provide dual-mode for the proposed hybrid energy harvesting. One is active convective and conductive cooling for heated solar cell. Another is active thermal energy harvesting from heat of solar cell. These novel hybrid energy harvesting device have potentially simultaneous energy conversion capability of solar and thermal energy into electricity. The results presented can be used for better understanding of hybrid energy harvesting system that can be integrated into commercial applications.

  4. Solidification of high temperature molten salts for thermal energy storage systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheffield, J. W.

    1981-01-01

    The solidification of phase change materials for the high temperature thermal energy storage system of an advanced solar thermal power system has been examined theoretically. In light of the particular thermophysical properties of candidate phase change high temperature salts, such as the eutectic mixture of NaF - MgF2, the heat transfer characteristics of one-dimensional inward solidification for a cylindrical geometry have been studied. The Biot number for the solidified salt is shown to be the critical design parameter for constant extraction heat flux. A fin-on-fin design concept of heat transfer surface augmentation is proposed in an effort to minimize the effects of the salt's low thermal conductivity and large volume change upon fusing.

  5. Concrete thermal energy storage for steam generation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Singh, Shobhana; Sørensen, Kim

    2017-01-01

    Establishing enhancement methods to develop cost-effective thermal energy storage technology requires a detailed analysis. In this paper, a numerical investigation of the concrete based thermal energy storage system is carried out. The storage system consists of a heat transfer fluid flowing inside...

  6. Thermal solar energy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gonzalez, J.C.; Leal C, H.

    1998-01-01

    Some relative aspects to the development and current state of thermal solar energy are summarized, so much at domestic level as international. To facilitate the criteria understanding as the size of the facilities in thermal solar systems, topics as availability of the solar resource and its interactions with the matter are included. Finally, some perspectives for the development of this energetic alternative are presented

  7. Full-energy-chain analysis of greenhouse gas emissions for solar thermal electric power generation systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Norton, B.; Lawson, W.R.

    1997-01-01

    Technical attributes and environmental impacts of solar thermal options for centralized electricity generation are discussed. In particular, the full-energy-chain, including embodied energy and energy production, is considered in relation to greenhouse gas emission arising from solar thermal electricity generation. Central receiver, parabolic dish, parabolic trough and solar pond systems are considered. (author)

  8. Evaluation of the differential energy distribution of systems of non-thermally activated molecules

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rogers, E.B.

    1986-01-01

    A non-thermally activated molecule may undergo pressure dependent deactivation or energy dependent decomposition. It should be possible to use the pressure dependent stabilization/decomposition yields to determine the energy distribution in non-thermal systems. The numerical technique of regularization has been applied to this chemical problem to evaluate this distribution. The resulting method has been tested with a number of simulated distributions and kinetic models. Application was then made to several real chemical systems to determine the energy distribution resulting from the primary excitation process. Testing showed the method to be quite effective in reproducing input distributions from simulated data in all test cases. The effect of experimental error proved to be negligible when the error-filled data were first smoothed with a parabolic spline. This method has been applied to three different hot atom activated systems. Application to 18 F-for-F substituted CH 3 CF 3 generated a broad distribution extending from 62 to 318 kcal/mol, with a median energy of 138 kcal/mol. The shape of this distribution (and those from the other applications) indicated the involvement of two mechanisms in the excitation process. Analysis of the T-for-H substituted CH 3 CH 2 F system showed a more narrow distribution (56-218 kcal/mol) with a median energy of 79.8 kcal/mol. The distribution of the T-for-H substituted CH 3 CH 2 Cl system, extending from 54.5 to 199 kcal/mol was seen to be quite similar. It was concluded that this method is a valid approach to evaluating differential energy distributions in non-thermal systems, specifically those activated by hot atom substitution

  9. Radiation Heat Transfer Modeling Improved for Phase-Change, Thermal Energy Storage Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kerslake, Thomas W.; Jacqmin, David A.

    1998-01-01

    Spacecraft solar dynamic power systems typically use high-temperature phase-change materials to efficiently store thermal energy for heat engine operation in orbital eclipse periods. Lithium fluoride salts are particularly well suited for this application because of their high heat of fusion, long-term stability, and appropriate melting point. Considerable attention has been focused on the development of thermal energy storage (TES) canisters that employ either pure lithium fluoride (LiF), with a melting point of 1121 K, or eutectic composition lithium-fluoride/calcium-difluoride (LiF-20CaF2), with a 1040 K melting point, as the phase-change material. Primary goals of TES canister development include maximizing the phase-change material melt fraction, minimizing the canister mass per unit of energy storage, and maximizing the phase-change material thermal charge/discharge rates within the limits posed by the container structure.

  10. Solar Thermal Energy; Energia Solar Termica

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Perez-Martinez, M; Cuesta-Santianes, M J; Cabrera Jimenez, J A

    2008-07-01

    Approximately, 50 % of worldwide primary energy consumption is done in the form of heat in applications with a temperature lower than 250 degree centigree (low-medium temperature heat). These data clearly demonstrate the great potential of solar thermal energy to substitute conventional fossil fuels, which are becoming more expensive and are responsible for global warming. Low-medium temperature solar thermal energy is mainly used to obtain domestic hot water and provide space heating. Active solar thermal systems are those related to the use of solar thermal collectors. This study is dealing with low temperature solar thermal applications, mainly focusing on active solar thermal systems. This kind of systems has been extensively growing worldwide during the last years. At the end of 2006, the collector capacity in operation worldwide equalled 127.8 GWth. The technology is considered to be already developed and actions should be aimed at favouring a greater market penetration: diffusion, financial support, regulations establishment, etc. China and USA are the leading countries with a technology based on evacuated tube collectors and unglazed collectors, respectively. The rest of the world markets are dominated by the flat glazed collectors technology. (Author) 15 refs.

  11. Thermal analysis of a hybrid solar energy saving system inside a greenhouse

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ntinas, G.K.; Fragos, V.P.; Nikita-Martzopoulou, Ch.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • A hybrid solar system consisted of water filled polyethylene sleeves was examined. • The thermal behaviour of the system was studied based on the sleeves energy balance. • Water temperature and heat exchanges of the sleeves were dynamically estimated. • Experimental data used to validate the predictions of the mathematical model. • The use of the system led to an energy saving of 23% inside a heated greenhouse. - Abstract: The intensive greenhouse energy requirements are a major operational and economical problem for producers around the world. Energy conservation techniques and innovative applications of solar energy for heating are being employed in greenhouse operation to reduce heating costs during cold periods. The present study investigated the development of a mathematical model to predict the thermal efficiency of a novel hybrid solar energy saving system inside a heated greenhouse. The solar system consisted of a transparent water-filled polyethylene sleeve and two perforated air-filled polyethylene tubes on the top peripheral sides of it. Above the sleeve and between the two tubes, rockwool substrates were placed for hydroponic cultivation of tomato crop. In order to validate this model, experiments were carried out in two identical parts of a polyethylene arched-type greenhouse to obtain data during winter. By comparing the measured and the predicted values, a correlation of 95% was found, indicating that the model can simulate the water temperature inside the hybrid solar sleeves. Moreover, the additional energy provided by the hybrid solar system reached approximately 23% during the examined period, depending on solar radiation levels

  12. Solar-energy conversion system provides electrical power and thermal control for life-support systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, B. K.

    1974-01-01

    System utilizes Freon cycle and includes boiler turbogenerator with heat exchanger, regenerator and thermal-control heat exchangers, low-pressure and boiler-feed pumps, and condenser. Exchanger may be of interest to engineers and scientists investigating new energy sources.

  13. Seasonal Thermal-Energy Storage: A Critical Review on BTES Systems, Modeling, and System Design for Higher System Efficiency

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael Lanahan

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Buildings consume approximately ¾ of the total electricity generated in the United States, contributing significantly to fossil fuel emissions. Sustainable and renewable energy production can reduce fossil fuel use, but necessitates storage for energy reliability in order to compensate for the intermittency of renewable energy generation. Energy storage is critical for success in developing a sustainable energy grid because it facilitates higher renewable energy penetration by mitigating the gap between energy generation and demand. This review analyzes recent case studies—numerical and field experiments—seen by borehole thermal energy storage (BTES in space heating and domestic hot water capacities, coupled with solar thermal energy. System design, model development, and working principle(s are the primary focus of this analysis. A synopsis of the current efforts to effectively model BTES is presented as well. The literature review reveals that: (1 energy storage is most effective when diurnal and seasonal storage are used in conjunction; (2 no established link exists between BTES computational fluid dynamics (CFD models integrated with whole building energy analysis tools, rather than parameter-fit component models; (3 BTES has less geographical limitations than Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES and lower installation cost scale than hot water tanks and (4 BTES is more often used for heating than for cooling applications.

  14. Modeling energy flexibility of low energy buildings utilizing thermal mass

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Foteinaki, Kyriaki; Heller, Alfred; Rode, Carsten

    2016-01-01

    In the future energy system a considerable increase in the penetration of renewable energy is expected, challenging the stability of the system, as both production and consumption will have fluctuating patterns. Hence, the concept of energy flexibility will be necessary in order for the consumption...... to match the production patterns, shifting demand from on-peak hours to off-peak hours. Buildings could act as flexibility suppliers to the energy system, through load shifting potential, provided that the large thermal mass of the building stock could be utilized for energy storage. In the present study...... the load shifting potential of an apartment of a low energy building in Copenhagen is assessed, utilizing the heat storage capacity of the thermal mass when the heating system is switched off for relieving the energy system. It is shown that when using a 4-hour preheating period before switching off...

  15. Optimization of Thermal Object Nonlinear Control Systems by Energy Efficiency Criterion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Velichkin, Vladimir A.; Zavyalov, Vladimir A.

    2018-03-01

    This article presents the results of thermal object functioning control analysis (heat exchanger, dryer, heat treatment chamber, etc.). The results were used to determine a mathematical model of the generalized thermal control object. The appropriate optimality criterion was chosen to make the control more energy-efficient. The mathematical programming task was formulated based on the chosen optimality criterion, control object mathematical model and technological constraints. The “maximum energy efficiency” criterion helped avoid solving a system of nonlinear differential equations and solve the formulated problem of mathematical programming in an analytical way. It should be noted that in the case under review the search for optimal control and optimal trajectory reduces to solving an algebraic system of equations. In addition, it is shown that the optimal trajectory does not depend on the dynamic characteristics of the control object.

  16. Molten Salt-Carbon Nanotube Thermal Energy Storage for Concentrating Solar Power Systems Final Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Michael Schuller; Frank Little; Darren Malik; Matt Betts; Qian Shao; Jun Luo; Wan Zhong; Sandhya Shankar; Ashwin Padmanaban

    2012-03-30

    We demonstrated that adding nanoparticles to a molten salt would increase its utility as a thermal energy storage medium for a concentrating solar power system. Specifically, we demonstrated that we could increase the specific heat of nitrate and carbonate salts containing 1% or less of alumina nanoparticles. We fabricated the composite materials using both evaporative and air drying methods. We tested several thermophysical properties of the composite materials, including the specific heat, thermal conductivity, latent heat, and melting point. We also assessed the stability of the composite material with repeated thermal cycling and the effects of adding the nanoparticles on the corrosion of stainless steel by the composite salt. Our results indicate that stable, repeatable 25-50% improvements in specific heat are possible for these materials. We found that using these composite salts as the thermal energy storage material for a concentrating solar thermal power system can reduce the levelized cost of electricity by 10-20%. We conclude that these materials are worth further development and inclusion in future concentrating solar power systems.

  17. A Comprehensive Review of Thermal Energy Storage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ioan Sarbu

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Thermal energy storage (TES is a technology that stocks thermal energy by heating or cooling a storage medium so that the stored energy can be used at a later time for heating and cooling applications and power generation. TES systems are used particularly in buildings and in industrial processes. This paper is focused on TES technologies that provide a way of valorizing solar heat and reducing the energy demand of buildings. The principles of several energy storage methods and calculation of storage capacities are described. Sensible heat storage technologies, including water tank, underground, and packed-bed storage methods, are briefly reviewed. Additionally, latent-heat storage systems associated with phase-change materials for use in solar heating/cooling of buildings, solar water heating, heat-pump systems, and concentrating solar power plants as well as thermo-chemical storage are discussed. Finally, cool thermal energy storage is also briefly reviewed and outstanding information on the performance and costs of TES systems are included.

  18. Recycled Thermal Energy from High Power Light Emitting Diode Light Source.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ji, Jae-Hoon; Jo, GaeHun; Ha, Jae-Geun; Koo, Sang-Mo; Kamiko, Masao; Hong, JunHee; Koh, Jung-Hyuk

    2018-09-01

    In this research, the recycled electrical energy from wasted thermal energy in high power Light Emitting Diode (LED) system will be investigated. The luminous efficiency of lights has been improved in recent years by employing the high power LED system, therefore energy efficiency was improved compared with that of typical lighting sources. To increase energy efficiency of high power LED system further, wasted thermal energy should be re-considered. Therefore, wasted thermal energy was collected and re-used them as electrical energy. The increased electrical efficiency of high power LED devices was accomplished by considering the recycled heat energy, which is wasted thermal energy from the LED. In this work, increased electrical efficiency will be considered and investigated by employing the high power LED system, which has high thermal loss during the operating time. For this research, well designed thermoelement with heat radiation system was employed to enhance the collecting thermal energy from the LED system, and then convert it as recycled electrical energy.

  19. Phase Change Materials for Thermal Energy Storage

    OpenAIRE

    Stiebra, L; Cabulis, U; Knite, M

    2014-01-01

    Phase change materials (PCMs) for thermal energy storage (TES) have become an important subject of research in recent years. Using PCMs for thermal energy storage provides a solution to increase the efficiency of the storage and use of energy in many domestic and industrial sectors. Phase change TES systems offer a number of advantages over other systems (e.g. chemical storage systems): particularly small temperature distance between the storage and retrieval cycles, small unit sizes and lo...

  20. An automatic energy-saving and thermal monitoring/controlling system for a pond

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cheng Ching-Chien

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Because of low temperatures and oxygen in cold water, fish will die when cold currents arrive. This will cause tremendous loss of money. In order reduce the cooling of the pond, an automatic thermal detecting and cold-roofing system using a wind-proofing device, heaters, and thermal detectors is proposed. To reduce heat loss due to thermal convection above the pond surface, a motor-driven wind-proofing device automatically controlled by a PLC controller is adopted. Here, the wind-proofing device, thermal detectors, and heating system are connected to the PLC controller. The PLC will also be connected to the PC interface. The temperature thresholds used to trigger the heater and the wind proofing device can be set at the PC interface. Two options for manipulating the heating and the automatic heating can be selected. The related wind-proofing area and the number of heaters will be determined according to the current temperature. Moreover, the PLC can be wirelessly connected to the server PC in the control room. The pond keeper can monitor everything online and control the pond water's temperature. With this, the problem of fish dying in a cold wave can be solved. Consequently, to reduce the electrical exhaust when heating up the pond water, green energy, solar energy and wind energy, is used.

  1. Thermal comfort analysis of a low temperature waste energy recovery system. SIECHP

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Herrero Martin, R. [Departamento de Ingenieria Termica y de Fluidos, Universidad Politecnica de Cartagena, C/Dr. Fleming, s/n (Campus Muralla), 30202 Cartagena, Murcia (Spain); Rey Martinez, F.J.; Velasco Gomez, E. [Departamento de Ingenieria Energetica y Fluidomecanica, ETSII, Universidad de Valladolid, Paseo del Cauce s/n, 47011 Valladolid (Spain)

    2008-07-01

    The use of a recovery device is justified in terms of energy savings and environmental concerns. But it is clear that the use of a recovery system also has to lead to controlling indoor environmental quality, nowadays a priority concern. In this article, experimental research has been carried out whose aim is to study the thermal comfort provided by a combined recovery equipment (SIECHP), consisting of a ceramic semi-indirect evaporative cooler (SIEC) and a heat pipe device (HP) to recover energy at low temperature in air-conditioning systems. To characterize this device empirically in terms of thermal comfort (TC), Fanger's predicted mean vote (PMV), draught rate, and vertical air temperature difference were used in this study as the TC criteria. (author)

  2. Thermal energy storages analysis for high temperature in air solar systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andreozzi, Assunta; Buonomo, Bernardo; Manca, Oronzio; Tamburrino, Salvatore

    2014-01-01

    In this paper a high temperature thermal storage in a honeycomb solid matrix is numerically investigated and a parametric analysis is accomplished. In the formulation of the model it is assumed that the system geometry is cylindrical, the fluid and the solid thermo physical properties are temperature independent and radiative heat transfer is taken into account whereas the effect of gravity is neglected. Air is employed as working fluid and the solid material is cordierite. The evaluation of the fluid dynamic and thermal behaviors is accomplished assuming the honeycomb as a porous medium. The Brinkman–Forchheimer–extended Darcy model is used in the governing equations and the local thermal non equilibrium is assumed. The commercial CFD Fluent code is used to solve the governing equations in transient regime. Numerical simulations are carried out with storage medium for different mass flow rates of the working fluid and different porosity values. Results in terms of temperature profiles, temperatures fields and stored thermal energy as function of time are presented. The effects of storage medium, different porosity values and mass flow rate on stored thermal energy and storage time are shown. - Highlights: • HTTES in a honeycomb solid matrix is numerically investigated. • The numerical analysis is carried out assuming the honeycomb as a porous medium. • The Brinkman–Forchheimer–extended Darcy model is used in the governing equations. • Results are carried out for different mass flow rates and porosity values. • The main effect is due to the porosity which set the thermal energy storage value

  3. Accelerator-driven thermal fission systems may provide energy supply advantages

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Linford, R.K.

    1992-01-01

    This presentation discusses the energy supply advantages of using accelerator-driven thermal fission systems. Energy supply issues as related to cost, fuel supply stability, environmental impact, and safety are reviewed. It is concluded that the Los Alamos Accelerator Transmutation of Waste (ATW) concept, discussed here, has the following advantages: improved safety in the form of low inventory and subcriticality; reduced high-level radioactive waste management timescales for both fission products and actinides; and a very long-term fuel supply requiring no enrichment

  4. One-dimensional arrays of oscillators: Energy localization in thermal equilibrium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reigada, R.; Romero, A.H.; Sarmiento, A.; Lindenberg, K.

    1999-01-01

    All systems in thermal equilibrium exhibit a spatially variable energy landscape due to thermal fluctuations. Thus at any instant there is naturally a thermodynamically driven localization of energy in parts of the system relative to other parts of the system. The specific characteristics of the spatial landscape such as, for example, the energy variance, depend on the thermodynamic properties of the system and vary from one system to another. The temporal persistence of a given energy landscape, that is, the way in which energy fluctuations (high or low) decay toward the thermal mean, depends on the dynamical features of the system. We discuss the spatial and temporal characteristics of spontaneous energy localization in 1D anharmonic chains in thermal equilibrium. copyright 1999 American Institute of Physics

  5. Thermal energy storage for a space solar dynamic power system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faget, N. M.; Fraser, W. M., Jr.; Simon, W. E.

    1985-01-01

    In the past, NASA has employed solar photovoltaic devices for long-duration missions. Thus, the Skylab system has operated with a silicon photovoltaic array and a nickel-cadmium electrochemical system energy storage system. Difficulties regarding the employment of such a system for the larger power requirements of the Space Station are related to a low orbit system efficiency and the large weight of the battery. For this reason the employment of a solar dynamic power system (SDPS) has been considered. The primary components of an SDPS include a concentrating mirror, a heat receiver, a thermal energy storage (TES) system, a thermodynamic heat engine, an alternator, and a heat rejection system. The heat-engine types under consideration are a Brayton cycle engine, an organic Rankine cycle engine, and a free-piston/linear-alternator Stirling cycle engine. Attention is given to a system description, TES integration concepts, and a TES technology assessment.

  6. Solar-thermal-energy collection/storage-pond system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blahnik, D.E.

    1982-03-25

    A solar thermal energy collection and storage system is disclosed. Water is contained, and the water surface is exposed directly to the sun. The central part of an impermeable membrane is positioned below the water's surface and above its bottom with a first side of the membrane pointing generally upward in its central portion. The perimeter part of the membrane is placed to create a watertight boundary separating the water into a first volume which is directly exposable to the sun and which touches the membranes first side, and a second volumn which touches the membranes second side. A salt is dissolved in the first water volume.

  7. Discharging process of a finned heat pipe–assisted thermal energy storage system with high temperature phase change material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tiari, Saeed; Qiu, Songgang; Mahdavi, Mahboobe

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • The discharging process of a latent heat thermal energy storage system is studied. • The thermal energy storage system is assisted by finned heat pipes. • The influences of heat pipe spacing and fins geometrical features are studied. • Smaller heat pipe spacing enhances the solidification rate. • Better heat pipe and fin arrangements are determined. - Abstract: This paper presents the results of a numerical study conducted to investigate the discharging process of a latent heat thermal energy storage system assisted by finned heat pipes. A two-dimensional finite volume based numerical model along with enthalpy-porosity technique is employed to simulate the phase change of storage media during the discharging mode. The thermal energy storage system in this study consists of a square container, finned heat pipes, and potassium nitrate (KNO 3 ) as the phase change material. The charging process of the same thermal energy storage system was reported in an early paper by the authors. This paper reports the results of discharging process of the thermal energy storage system. The influences of heat pipe spacing, fin geometry and quantities as well as the effects of natural convection heat transfer on the thermal performance of the storage system were studied. The results indicate that the phase change material solidification process is hardly affected by the natural convection. Decreasing the heat pipe spacing results in faster discharging process and higher container base wall temperature. Increasing the fins length does not change the discharging time but yields higher base wall temperature. Using more fins also accelerates the discharging process and increases the container base wall temperature.

  8. Reports on 1979 result of Sunshine Project. Investigation and research on solar energy utilization system (solar thermal power generation system); 1979 nendo taiyo energy riyo system chosa kenkyu seika hokokusho. Taiyonetsu hatsuden system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1980-03-01

    An investigation and research were conducted on the operation method of various solar thermal power generation systems and on the evaluation of the rating and cost performance; in the environmental test method for the equipment, the examination was continued for the test method and evaluation method concerning the absorbing surface and transmitting film; in the heat storing technology, an investigative research was done on the optimum heat storing method and energy conversion method suitable for the operation of the thermal power generation system, as well as performing, as an objective, a computer simulation on the total system with the purpose of clarifying the heat storing capacity. The results in the year were as follows. The operation method for solar thermal power generation was examined, as were the energy analysis, evaluation method of 1 MW pilot plant, the optimum utilization system of solar energy in the long run including its application, and technological economical problems to be solved for the next large solar thermal power generating plant. A discussion was carried out on the endurance test of the selective absorbing surface and transmitting film and on the durability of the reflection mirror. Evaluation and examination were made on the various materials of the 1 MW pilot plant. A review was done on various heat accumulating devices for solar thermal generation, mathematical thermal characteristics of heat accumulating devices, and future energy storing methods and problems. (NEDO)

  9. Experimental Investigation of A Heat Pipe-Assisted Latent Heat Thermal Energy Storage System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tiari, Saeed; Mahdavi, Mahboobe; Qiu, Songgang

    2016-11-01

    In the present work, different operation modes of a latent heat thermal energy storage system assisted by a heat pipe network were studied experimentally. Rubitherm RT55 enclosed by a vertical cylindrical container was used as the Phase Change Material (PCM). The embedded heat pipe network consisting of a primary heat pipe and an array of four secondary heat pipes were employed to transfer heat to the PCM. The primary heat pipe transports heat from the heat source to the heat sink. The secondary heat pipes transfer the extra heat from the heat source to PCM during charging process or retrieve thermal energy from PCM during discharging process. The effects of heat transfer fluid (HTF) flow rate and temperature on the thermal performance of the system were investigated for both charging and discharging processes. It was found that the HTF flow rate has a significant effect on the total charging time of the system. Increasing the HTF flow rate results in a remarkable increase in the system input thermal power. The results also showed that the discharging process is hardly affected by the HTF flow rate but HTF temperature plays an important role in both charging and discharging processes. The authors would like to acknowledge the financial supports by Temple University for the project.

  10. Dynamic modeling and sensitivity analysis of solar thermal energy conversion systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamilton, C. L.

    1977-01-01

    Since the energy input to solar thermal conversion systems is both time variant and probabilistic, it is unlikely that simple steady-state methods for estimating lifetime performance will provide satisfactory results. The work described here uses dynamic modeling to begin identifying what must be known about input radiation and system dynamic characteristics to estimate performance reliably. Daily operation of two conceptual solar energy systems was simulated under varying operating strategies with time-dependent radiation intensity ranging from smooth input of several magnitudes to input of constant total energy whose intensity oscillated with periods from 1/4 hour to 6 hours. Integrated daily system output and efficiency were functions of both level and dynamic characteristics of insolation. Sensitivity of output to changes in total input was greater than one.

  11. High efficiency thermal energy storage system for utility applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vrable, D.L.; Quade, R.N.

    1979-01-01

    A concept of coupling a high efficiency base loaded coal or nuclear power plant with a thermal energy storage scheme for efficient and low-cost intermediate and peaking power is presented. A portion of the power plant's thermal output is used directly to generate superheated steam for continuous operation of a conventional turbine-generator to product base-load power. The remaining thermal output is used on a continuous basis to heat a conventional heat transfer salt (such as the eutectic composition of KaNO 3 /NaNO 3 /NaNO 2 ), which is stored in a high-temperature reservoir [538 0 C (1000 0 F)]. During peak demand periods, the salt is circulated from the high-temperature reservoir to a low-temperature reservoir through steam generators in order to provide peaking power from a conventional steam cycle plant. The period of operation can vary, but may typically be the equivalent of about 4 to 8 full-power hours each day. The system can be tailored to meet the utilities' load demand by varying the base-load level and the period of operation of the peak-load system

  12. Efficiency gains of photovoltaic system using latent heat thermal energy storage

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tan, Lippong; Date, Abhijit; Fernandes, Gabriel; Singh, Baljit; Ganguly, Sayantan

    This paper presents experimental assessments of the thermal and electrical performance of photovoltaic (PV) system by comparing the latent heat-cooled PV panel with the naturally-cooled equivalent. It is commonly known that the energy conversion efficiency of the PV cells declines with the increment

  13. Interreg IIIA SR - AT project SOLARSTRAT. Results of the interviews with experts on solar-thermal energy utilization. Possibilities of support to thermal-solar systems installation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ilias, I.

    2005-01-01

    In this presentation author presented the results of collecting of important data for solar-thermal market scenario modelling through interviews with Slovak stakeholders. Interviews with Slovak experts on thermal-solar energy utilisation represents important project activity in order to give a general review of current status of the market in target Bratislava region and to collect important data for next market analyses, which will be prepared by Austrian partner - IFAST. The results of face-to-face interviews and filled questionnaires can be generally presented as follows: - public attitude towards the renewable energy sources and solar energy utilisation is slowly getting better in Slovakia; - evaluating public awareness only 15% share of population is able to consider the possibilities of thermal-solar technologies; - expected increase of fossil fuels and energy prices will help to spread of thermal-solar systems through shorten the pay-back period of investment while prices of thermal-solar systems will increase only slightly; - also expected increase of political and economic public awareness about energy production and demand on thermal-solar systems will help to promote the further development of solar energy utilisation in Slovakia. Respondents were also evaluating the main barriers for better solar energy utilisation: (1) Weak public awareness, no systematic information campaign (examples from real life); (2) Missing support to installation for physical persons, no tax allowances; (3) High investment costs; (4) Unfriendly legislation. Other important barriers for better development of the sector were presented. E.g. assembling companies cannot afford effective promotion, only big producers are able to fund the marketing on their products, which are mainly expensive systems. Public is still considering solar systems as too expensive ('I can't afford it'). Renewable energy sources (RES) are often presented as the alternative to nuclear energy - this

  14. Interreg IIIA SR - AT project SOLARSTRAT. Results of the interviews with experts on solar-thermal energy utilization. Possibilities of support to thermal-solar systems installation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ilias, I.

    2005-01-01

    In this presentation author presented the results of collecting of important data for solar-thermal market scenario modelling through interviews with Slovak stakeholders. Interviews with Slovak experts on thermal-solar energy utilisation represents important project activity in order to give a general review of current status of the market in target Bratislava region and to collect important data for next market analyses, which will be prepared by Austrian partner - IFAST. The results of face-to-face interviews and filled questionnaires can be generally presented as follows: - public attitude towards the renewable energy sources and solar energy utilisation is slowly getting better in Slovakia; - evaluating public awareness only 15% share of population is able to consider the possibilities of thermal-solar technologies; - expected increase of fossil fuels and energy prices will help to spread of thermal-solar systems through shorten the pay-back period of investment while prices of thermal-solar systems will increase only slightly; - also expected increase of political and economic public awareness about energy production and demand on thermal-solar systems will help to promote the further development of solar energy utilisation in Slovakia. Respondent were also evaluating the main barriers for better solar energy utilisation: (1) Weak public awareness, no systematic information campaign (examples from real life); (2) Missing support to installation for physical persons, no tax allowances; (3) High investment costs; (4) Unfriendly legislation Other important barriers for better development of the sector were presented. E.g. assembling companies cannot afford effective promotion, only big producers are able to fund the marketing on their products, which are mainly expensive systems. Public is still considering solar systems as too expensive ('I can't afford it'). Renewable energy sources (RES) are often presented as the alternative to nuclear energy - this argument

  15. Guide to Setting Thermal Comfort Criteria and Minimizing Energy Use in Delivering Thermal Comfort

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Regnier, Cindy [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

    2012-08-01

    Historically thermal comfort in buildings has been controlled by simple dry bulb temperature settings. As we move into more sophisticated low energy building systems that make use of alternate systems such as natural ventilation, mixed mode system and radiant thermal conditioning strategies, a more complete understanding of human comfort is needed for both design and control. This guide will support building designers, owners, operators and other stakeholders in defining quantifiable thermal comfort parameters?these can be used to support design, energy analysis and the evaluation of the thermal comfort benefits of design strategies. This guide also contains information that building owners and operators will find helpful for understanding the core concepts of thermal comfort. Whether for one building, or for a portfolio of buildings, this guide will also assist owners and designers in how to identify the mechanisms of thermal comfort and space conditioning strategies most important for their building and climate, and provide guidance towards low energy design options and operations that can successfully address thermal comfort. An example of low energy design options for thermal comfort is presented in some detail for cooling, while the fundamentals to follow a similar approach for heating are presented.

  16. Model Predictive Control of Hybrid Thermal Energy Systems in Transport Refrigeration

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Shafiei, Seyed Ehsan; Alleyne, Andrew

    2015-01-01

    A predictive control scheme is designed to control a transport refrigeration system, such as a delivery truck, that includes a vapor compression cycle configured in parallel with a thermal energy storage (TES) unit. A novel approach to TES utilization is introduced and is based on the current...

  17. A Thermal grid coordinated by a Multi Agent Energy Management System

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pruissen, O.P. van; Kamphuis, V.; Togt, A. van der; Werkman, E.

    2013-01-01

    In the near future an increase of both thermal grids and sustainable suppliers of heat with intermittency behavior, connected to these heat grids, is expected. For smart operation this challenges the current centralized management systems. To deal with this and to optimize cost and energy efficiency

  18. Research opportunities in salt hydrates for thermal energy storage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Braunstein, J.

    1983-11-01

    The state of the art of salt hydrates as phase change materials for low temperature thermal energy storage is reviewed. Phase equilibria, nucleation behavior and melting kinetics of the commonly used hydrate are summarized. The development of efficient, reliable inexpensive systems based on phase change materials, especially salt hydrates for the storage (and retrieval) of thermal energy for residential heating is outlined. The use of phase change material thermal energy storage systems is not yet widespread. Additional basic research is needed in the areas of crystallization and melting kinetics, prediction of phase behavior in ternary systems, thermal diffusion in salt hydrate systems, and in the physical properties pertinent to nonequilibrium and equilibrium transformations in these systems.

  19. Thermal System Analysis and Optimization of Large-Scale Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhongguang Fu

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available As an important solution to issues regarding peak load and renewable energy resources on grids, large-scale compressed air energy storage (CAES power generation technology has recently become a popular research topic in the area of large-scale industrial energy storage. At present, the combination of high-expansion ratio turbines with advanced gas turbine technology is an important breakthrough in energy storage technology. In this study, a new gas turbine power generation system is coupled with current CAES technology. Moreover, a thermodynamic cycle system is optimized by calculating for the parameters of a thermodynamic system. Results show that the thermal efficiency of the new system increases by at least 5% over that of the existing system.

  20. Thermal energy recovery of air conditioning system--heat recovery system calculation and phase change materials development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gu Zhaolin; Liu Hongjuan; Li Yun

    2004-01-01

    Latent heat thermal energy storage systems can be used to recover the rejected heat from air conditioning systems, which can be used to generate low-temperature hot water. It decreases not only the consumption of primary energy for heating domestic hot water but also the calefaction to the surroundings due to the rejection of heat from air conditioning systems. A recovery system using phase change materials (PCMs) to store the rejected (sensible and condensation) heat from air conditioning system has been developed and studied, making up the shortage of other sensible heat storage system. Also, PCMs compliant for heat recovery of air conditioning system should be developed. Technical grade paraffin wax has been discussed in this paper in order to develop a paraffin wax based PCM for the recovery of rejected heat from air conditioning systems. The thermal properties of technical grade paraffin wax and the mixtures of paraffin wax with lauric acid and with liquid paraffin (paraffin oil) are investigated and discussed, including volume expansion during the phase change process, the freezing point and the heat of fusion

  1. Analysis of dynamic effects in solar thermal energy conversion systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamilton, C. L.

    1978-01-01

    The paper examines a study the purpose of which is to assess the performance of solar thermal power systems insofar as it depends on the dynamic character of system components and the solar radiation which drives them. Using a dynamic model, the daily operation of two conceptual solar conversion systems was simulated under varying operating strategies and several different time-dependent radiation intensity functions. These curves ranged from smoothly varying input of several magnitudes to input of constant total energy whose intensity oscillated with periods from 1/4 hour to 6 hours.

  2. Experimental and numerical study of latent heat thermal energy storage systems assisted by heat pipes for concentrated solar power application

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tiari, Saeed

    A desirable feature of concentrated solar power (CSP) with integrated thermal energy storage (TES) unit is to provide electricity in a dispatchable manner during cloud transient and non-daylight hours. Latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) offers many advantages such as higher energy storage density, wider range of operating temperature and nearly isothermal heat transfer relative to sensible heat thermal energy storage (SHTES), which is the current standard for trough and tower CSP systems. Despite the advantages mentioned above, LHTES systems performance is often limited by low thermal conductivity of commonly used, low cost phase change materials (PCMs). Research and development of passive heat transfer devices, such as heat pipes (HPs) to enhance the heat transfer in the PCM has received considerable attention. Due to its high effective thermal conductivity, heat pipe can transport large amounts of heat with relatively small temperature difference. The objective of this research is to study the charging and discharging processes of heat pipe-assisted LHTES systems using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and experimental testing to develop a method for more efficient energy storage system design. The results revealed that the heat pipe network configurations and the quantities of heat pipes integrated in a thermal energy storage system have a profound effect on the thermal response of the system. The optimal placement of heat pipes in the system can significantly enhance the thermal performance. It was also found that the inclusion of natural convection heat transfer in the CFD simulation of the system is necessary to have a realistic prediction of a latent heat thermal storage system performance. In addition, the effects of geometrical features and quantity of fins attached to the HPs have been studied.

  3. Methods of forming thermal management systems and thermal management methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gering, Kevin L.; Haefner, Daryl R.

    2012-06-05

    A thermal management system for a vehicle includes a heat exchanger having a thermal energy storage material provided therein, a first coolant loop thermally coupled to an electrochemical storage device located within the first coolant loop and to the heat exchanger, and a second coolant loop thermally coupled to the heat exchanger. The first and second coolant loops are configured to carry distinct thermal energy transfer media. The thermal management system also includes an interface configured to facilitate transfer of heat generated by an internal combustion engine to the heat exchanger via the second coolant loop in order to selectively deliver the heat to the electrochemical storage device. Thermal management methods are also provided.

  4. Domestic demand-side management (DSM): Role of heat pumps and thermal energy storage (TES) systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arteconi, A.; Hewitt, N.J.; Polonara, F.

    2013-01-01

    Heat pumps are seen as a promising technology for load management in the built environment, in combination with the smart grid concept. They can be coupled with thermal energy storage (TES) systems to shift electrical loads from high-peak to off-peak hours, thus serving as a powerful tool in demand-side management (DSM). This paper analyzes heat pumps with radiators or underfloor heating distribution systems coupled with TES with a view to showing how a heat pump system behaves and how it influences the building occupants' thermal comfort under a DSM strategy designed to flatten the shape of the electricity load curve by switching off the heat pump during peak hours (16:00–19:00). The reference scenario for the analysis was Northern Ireland (UK). The results showed that the heat pump is a good tool for the purposes of DSM, also thanks to the use of TES systems, in particular with heating distribution systems that have a low thermal inertia, e.g. radiators. It proved possible to achieve a good control of the indoor temperature, even if the heat pump was turned off for 3 h, and to reduce the electricity bill if a “time of use” tariff structure was adopted. -- Highlights: ► Heat pump heating systems with thermal energy storage are considered. ► System behavior is investigated during a DSM strategy for reducing peak energy demand. ► Heat pump heating systems demonstrate to be able to have an active role in DSM programs. ► A TES system must be coupled with the heat pump in presence of low thermal inertia heating distribution systems. ► Central role played by incentives schemes to promote this technology

  5. Smart Building: Decision Making Architecture for Thermal Energy Management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uribe, Oscar Hernández; Martin, Juan Pablo San; Garcia-Alegre, María C; Santos, Matilde; Guinea, Domingo

    2015-10-30

    Smart applications of the Internet of Things are improving the performance of buildings, reducing energy demand. Local and smart networks, soft computing methodologies, machine intelligence algorithms and pervasive sensors are some of the basics of energy optimization strategies developed for the benefit of environmental sustainability and user comfort. This work presents a distributed sensor-processor-communication decision-making architecture to improve the acquisition, storage and transfer of thermal energy in buildings. The developed system is implemented in a near Zero-Energy Building (nZEB) prototype equipped with a built-in thermal solar collector, where optical properties are analysed; a low enthalpy geothermal accumulation system, segmented in different temperature zones; and an envelope that includes a dynamic thermal barrier. An intelligent control of this dynamic thermal barrier is applied to reduce the thermal energy demand (heating and cooling) caused by daily and seasonal weather variations. Simulations and experimental results are presented to highlight the nZEB thermal energy reduction.

  6. Smart Building: Decision Making Architecture for Thermal Energy Management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oscar Hernández Uribe

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Smart applications of the Internet of Things are improving the performance of buildings, reducing energy demand. Local and smart networks, soft computing methodologies, machine intelligence algorithms and pervasive sensors are some of the basics of energy optimization strategies developed for the benefit of environmental sustainability and user comfort. This work presents a distributed sensor-processor-communication decision-making architecture to improve the acquisition, storage and transfer of thermal energy in buildings. The developed system is implemented in a near Zero-Energy Building (nZEB prototype equipped with a built-in thermal solar collector, where optical properties are analysed; a low enthalpy geothermal accumulation system, segmented in different temperature zones; and an envelope that includes a dynamic thermal barrier. An intelligent control of this dynamic thermal barrier is applied to reduce the thermal energy demand (heating and cooling caused by daily and seasonal weather variations. Simulations and experimental results are presented to highlight the nZEB thermal energy reduction.

  7. Predicting Formation Damage in Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage Systems Utilizing a Coupled Hydraulic-Thermal-Chemical Reservoir Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Müller, Daniel; Regenspurg, Simona; Milsch, Harald; Blöcher, Guido; Kranz, Stefan; Saadat, Ali

    2014-05-01

    In aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) systems, large amounts of energy can be stored by injecting hot water into deep or intermediate aquifers. In a seasonal production-injection cycle, water is circulated through a system comprising the porous aquifer, a production well, a heat exchanger and an injection well. This process involves large temperature and pressure differences, which shift chemical equilibria and introduce or amplify mechanical processes. Rock-fluid interaction such as dissolution and precipitation or migration and deposition of fine particles will affect the hydraulic properties of the porous medium and may lead to irreversible formation damage. In consequence, these processes determine the long-term performance of the ATES system and need to be predicted to ensure the reliability of the system. However, high temperature and pressure gradients and dynamic feedback cycles pose challenges on predicting the influence of the relevant processes. Within this study, a reservoir model comprising a coupled hydraulic-thermal-chemical simulation was developed based on an ATES demonstration project located in the city of Berlin, Germany. The structural model was created with Petrel, based on data available from seismic cross-sections and wellbores. The reservoir simulation was realized by combining the capabilities of multiple simulation tools. For the reactive transport model, COMSOL Multiphysics (hydraulic-thermal) and PHREEQC (chemical) were combined using the novel interface COMSOL_PHREEQC, developed by Wissmeier & Barry (2011). It provides a MATLAB-based coupling interface between both programs. Compared to using COMSOL's built-in reactive transport simulator, PHREEQC additionally calculates adsorption and reaction kinetics and allows the selection of different activity coefficient models in the database. The presented simulation tool will be able to predict the most important aspects of hydraulic, thermal and chemical transport processes relevant to

  8. An analytical solution for modeling thermal energy transfer in a confined aquifer system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shaw-Yang, Yang; Hund-der, Yeh

    2008-12-01

    A mathematical model is developed for simulating the thermal energy transfer in a confined aquifer with different geological properties in the underlying and overlying rocks. The solutions for temperature distributions in the aquifer, underlying rock, and overlying rock are derived by the Laplace transforms and their corresponding time-domain solutions are evaluated by the modified Crump method. Field data adopted from the literature are used as examples to demonstrate the applicability of the solutions in modeling the heat transfer in an aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) system. The results show that the aquifer temperature increases with time, injection flow rate, and water temperature. However, the temperature decreases with increasing radial and vertical distances. The heat transfer in the rocks is slow and has an effect on the aquifer temperature only after a long period of injection time. The influence distance depends on the aquifer physical and thermal properties, injection flow rate, and injected water temperature. A larger value of thermal diffusivity or injection flow rate will result in a longer influence distance. The present solution can be used as a tool for designing the heat injection facilities for an ATES system.

  9. Application of large underground seasonal thermal energy storage in district heating system : a model-based energy performance assessment of a pilot system in Chifeng, China

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Xu, L.; Torrens Galdiz, J.I.; Guo, F.; Yang, X.; Hensen, J.L.M.

    Seasonal thermal energy storage (STES) technology is a proven solution to resolve the seasonal discrepancy between heating energy generation from renewables and building heating demands. This research focuses on the performance assessment of district heating (DH) systems powered by low-grade energy

  10. Thermal energy storage for smart grid applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Hallaj, Said; Khateeb, Siddique; Aljehani, Ahmed; Pintar, Mike

    2018-01-01

    Energy consumption for commercial building cooling accounts for 15% of all commercial building's electricity usage [1]. Electric utility companies charge their customers time of use consumption charges (/kWh) and additionally demand usage charges (/kW) to limit peak energy consumption and offset their high operating costs. Thus, there is an economic incentive to reduce both the electricity consumption charges and demand charges by developing new energy efficient technologies. Thermal energy storage (TES) systems using a phase change material (PCM) is one such technology that can reduce demand charges and shift the demand from on-peak to off-peak rates. Ice and chilled water have been used in thermal storage systems for many decades, but they have certain limitations, which include a phase change temperature of 0 degrees Celsius and relatively low thermal conductivity in comparison to other materials, which limit their applications as a storage medium. To overcome these limitations, a novel phase change composite (PCC) TES material was developed that has much higher thermal conductivity that significantly improves the charge / discharge rate and a customizable phase change temperature to allow for better integration with HVAC systems. Compared to ice storage, the PCC TES system is capable of very high heat transfer rate and has lower system and operational costs. Economic analysis was performed to compare the PCC TES system with ice system and favorable economics was proven. A 4.5 kWh PCC TES prototype system was also designed for testing and validation purpose.

  11. Development of graphite foam infiltrated with MgCl 2 for a latent heat based thermal energy storage (LHTES) system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Singh, Dileep; Kim, Taeil; Zhao, Weihuan; Yu, Wenhua; France, David M.

    2016-08-01

    Thermal energy storage (TES) systems that are compatible with high temperature power cycles for concentrating solar power (CSP) require high temperature media for transporting and storing thermal energy. To that end, TES systems have been proposed based on the latent heat of fusion of the phase change materials (PCMs). However, PCMs have relatively low thermal conductivities. In this paper, use of high-thermal-conductivity graphite foam infiltrated with a PCM (MgCl2) has been investigated as a potential TES system. Graphite foams with two porosities were infiltrated with MgCl2. The infiltrated composites were evaluated for density, heat of fusion, melting/freezing temperatures, and thermal diffusivities. Estimated thermal conductivities of MgCl2/graphite foam composites were significantly higher than those of MgCl2 alone over the measured temperature range. Furthermore, heat of fusion, melting/freezing temperatures, and densities showed comparable values to those of pure MgCl2. Results of this study indicate that MgCl2/graphite foam composites show promise as storage media for a latent heat thermal energy storage system for CSP applications.

  12. Low temperature desalination using solar collectors augmented by thermal energy storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gude, Veera Gnaneswar; Nirmalakhandan, Nagamany; Deng, Shuguang; Maganti, Anand

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► A new low temperature desalination process using solar collectors was investigated. ► A thermal energy storage tank (TES) was included for continuous process operation. ► Solar collector area and TES volumes were optimized by theoretical simulations. ► Economic analysis for the entire process was compared with and without TES tank. ► Energy and emission payback periods for the solar collector system were reported. -- Abstract: A low temperature desalination process capable of producing 100 L/d freshwater was designed to utilize solar energy harvested from flat plate solar collectors. Since solar insolation is intermittent, a thermal energy storage system was incorporated to run the desalination process round the clock. The requirements for solar collector area as well as thermal energy storage volume were estimated based on the variations in solar insolation. Results from this theoretical study confirm that thermal energy storage is a useful component of the system for conserving thermal energy to meet the energy demand when direct solar energy resource is not available. Thermodynamic advantages of the low temperature desalination using thermal energy storage, as well as energy and environmental emissions payback period of the system powered by flat plate solar collectors are presented. It has been determined that a solar collector area of 18 m 2 with a thermal energy storage volume of 3 m 3 is adequate to produce 100 L/d of freshwater round the clock considering fluctuations in the weather conditions. An economic analysis on the desalination system with thermal energy storage is also presented.

  13. Energy and costs scoping study for plasma pyrolysis thermal processing system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sherick, K.E.; Findley, J.E.

    1992-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to provide information in support of an investigation of thermal technologies as possible treatment process for buried wastes at the INEL. Material and energy balances and a cost estimate were generated for a representative plasma torch-based thermal waste treatment system operating in a pyrolysis mode. Two waste streams were selected which are representative of INEL buried wastes, large in volume, and difficult to treat by other technologies. These streams were a solidified nitrate sludge waste stream and a waste/soil mix of other buried waste components. The treatment scheme selected includes a main plasma chamber operating under pyrolyzing conditions; a plasma afterburner to provide additional residence time at high temperature to ensure complete destruction of hazardous organics; an off-gas treatment system; and a incinerator and stack to oxidize carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide and vent the clean, oxidized gases to atmosphere. The material balances generated provide materials flow and equipment duty information of sufficient accuracy to generate initial rough-order-of-magnitude (ROM) system capital and operating cost estimates for a representative plasma thermal processing system

  14. Quantifying demand flexibility of power-to-heat and thermal energy storage in the control of building heating systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Finck, Christian; Li, Rongling; Kramer, Rick

    2018-01-01

    restricted by power-to-heat conversion such as heat pumps and thermal energy storage possibilities of a building. To quantify building demand flexibility, it is essential to capture the dynamic response of the building energy system with thermal energy storage. To identify the maximum flexibility a building......’s energy system can provide, optimal control is required. In this paper, optimal control serves to determine in detail demand flexibility of an office building equipped with heat pump, electric heater, and thermal energy storage tanks. The demand flexibility is quantified using different performance...... of TES and power-to-heat in any case of charging, discharging or idle mode. A simulation case study is performed showing that a water tank, a phase change material tank, and a thermochemical material tank integrated with building heating system can be designed to provide flexibility with optimal control....

  15. Thermal energy storage using thermo-chemical heat pump

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamdan, M.A.; Rossides, S.D.; Haj Khalil, R.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► Understanding of the performance of thermo chemical heat pump. ► Tool for storing thermal energy. ► Parameters that affect the amount of thermal stored energy. ► Lithium chloride has better effect on storing thermal energy. - Abstract: A theoretical study was performed to investigate the potential of storing thermal energy using a heat pump which is a thermo-chemical storage system consisting of water as sorbet, and sodium chloride as the sorbent. The effect of different parameters namely; the amount of vaporized water from the evaporator, the system initial temperature and the type of salt on the increase in temperature of the salt was investigated and hence on the performance of the thermo chemical heat pump. It was found that the performance of the heat pump improves with the initial system temperature, with the amount of water vaporized and with the water remaining in the system. Finally it was also found that lithium chloride salt has higher effect on the performance of the heat pump that of sodium chloride.

  16. Numerical study of finned heat pipe-assisted thermal energy storage system with high temperature phase change material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tiari, Saeed; Qiu, Songgang; Mahdavi, Mahboobe

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • A finned heat pipe-assisted latent heat thermal energy storage system is studied. • The effects of heat pipes spacing and fins geometrical features are investigated. • Smaller heat pipes spacing and longer fins improve the melting rate. • The optimal heat pipe and fin arrangements are determined. - Abstract: In the present study, the thermal characteristics of a finned heat pipe-assisted latent heat thermal energy storage system are investigated numerically. A transient two-dimensional finite volume based model employing enthalpy-porosity technique is implemented to analyze the performance of a thermal energy storage unit with square container and high melting temperature phase change material. The effects of heat pipe spacing, fin length and numbers and the influence of natural convection on the thermal response of the thermal energy storage unit have been studied. The obtained results reveal that the natural convection has considerable effect on the melting process of the phase change material. Increasing the number of heat pipes (decreasing the heat pipe spacing) leads to the increase of melting rate and the decrease of base wall temperature. Also, the increase of fin length results in the decrease of temperature difference within the phase change material in the container, providing more uniform temperature distribution. It was also shown that number of the fins does not have a significant effect on the performance of the system

  17. Energy Efficiency Enhancement of Photovoltaics by Phase Change Materials through Thermal Energy Recovery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmad Hasan

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Photovoltaic (PV panels convert a certain amount of incident solar radiation into electricity, while the rest is converted to heat, leading to a temperature rise in the PV. This elevated temperature deteriorates the power output and induces structural degradation, resulting in reduced PV lifespan. One potential solution entails PV thermal management employing active and passive means. The traditional passive means are found to be largely ineffective, while active means are considered to be energy intensive. A passive thermal management system using phase change materials (PCMs can effectively limit PV temperature rises. The PCM-based approach however is cost inefficient unless the stored thermal energy is recovered effectively. The current article investigates a way to utilize the thermal energy stored in the PCM behind the PV for domestic water heating applications. The system is evaluated in the winter conditions of UAE to deliver heat during water heating demand periods. The proposed system achieved a ~1.3% increase in PV electrical conversion efficiency, along with the recovery of ~41% of the thermal energy compared to the incident solar radiation.

  18. Stochastic optimization of energy hub operation with consideration of thermal energy market and demand response

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vahid-Pakdel, M.J.; Nojavan, Sayyad; Mohammadi-ivatloo, B.; Zare, Kazem

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Studying heating market impact on energy hub operation considering price uncertainty. • Investigating impact of implementation of heat demand response on hub operation. • Presenting stochastic method to consider wind generation and prices uncertainties. - Abstract: Multi carrier energy systems or energy hubs has provided more flexibility for energy management systems. On the other hand, due to mutual impact of different energy carriers in energy hubs, energy management studies become more challengeable. The initial patterns of energy demands from grids point of view can be modified by optimal scheduling of energy hubs. In this work, optimal operation of multi carrier energy system has been studied in the presence of wind farm, electrical and thermal storage systems, electrical and thermal demand response programs, electricity market and thermal energy market. Stochastic programming is implemented for modeling the system uncertainties such as demands, market prices and wind speed. It is shown that adding new source of heat energy for providing demand of consumers with market mechanism changes the optimal operation point of multi carrier energy system. Presented mixed integer linear formulation for the problem has been solved by executing CPLEX solver of GAMS optimization software. Simulation results shows that hub’s operation cost reduces up to 4.8% by enabling the option of using thermal energy market for meeting heat demand.

  19. Energy Storage System by Means of Improved Thermal Performance of a 3 MW Grid Side Wind Power Converter

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Qin, Zian; Liserre, Marco; Blaabjerg, Frede

    2013-01-01

    method of the energy storage system. Then the conventional thermal evaluation approach is simplified for evaluation with long term wind profile. The case studies are done to address the optimal power size and capacity of the energy storage system by comparing the improvement of the thermal performance....... Also, the two promising candidates, ultracapacitors and batteries, are compared....

  20. Thermal Analysis of Fluidized Bed and Fixed Bed Latent Heat Thermal Storage System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beemkumar, N.; Karthikeyan, A.; Shiva Keshava Reddy, Kota; Rajesh, Kona; Anderson, A.

    2017-05-01

    Thermal energy storage technology is essential because its stores available energy at low cost. Objective of the work is to store the thermal energy in a most efficient method. This work is deal with thermal analysis of fluidized bed and fixed bed latent heat thermal storage (LHTS) system with different encapsulation materials (aluminium, brass and copper). D-Mannitol has been used as phase change material (PCM). Encapsulation material which is in orbicular shape with 4 inch diameter and 2 mm thickness orbicular shaped product is used. Therminol-66 is used as a heat transfer fluid (HTF). Arrangement of encapsulation material is done in two ways namely fluidized bed and fixed bed thermal storage system. Comparison was made between the performance of fixed bed and fluidized bed with different encapsulation material. It is observed that from the economical point of view aluminium in fluidized bed LHTS System has highest efficiency than copper and brass. The thermal energy storage system can be analyzed with fixed bed by varying mass flow rate of oil paves a way to find effective heat energy transfer.

  1. Thermal energy storage in granular deposits

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ratuszny, Paweł

    2017-10-01

    Energy storage technology is crucial for the development of the use of renewable energy sources. This is a substantial constraint, however it can, to some extent, be solved by storing energy in its various forms: electrical, mechanical, chemical and thermal. This article presents the results of research in thermal properties of granular deposits. Correlation between temperature changes in the stores over a period of time and their physical properties has been studied. The results of the research have practical application in designing thermal stores based on bulk materials and ground deposits. Furthermore, the research results are significant for regeneration of the lower ground sources for heat pumps and provide data for designing ground heat exchangers for ventilation systems.

  2. Screening of metal hydride pairs for closed thermal energy storage systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aswin, N.; Dutta, Pradip; Murthy, S. Srinivasa

    2016-01-01

    Thermal energy storage systems based on metal/hydrides usually are closed systems composed of two beds of metal/alloy – one meant for energy storage and the other for hydrogen storage. It can be shown that a feasible operating cycle for such a system using a pair of metals/alloys operating between specified temperature values can be ensured if the equilibrium hydrogen intake characteristics satisfy certain criteria. In addition, application of first law of thermodynamics to an idealized operating cycle can provide the upper bounds of selected performance indices, namely volumetric energy storage density, energy storage efficiency and peak discharge temperature. This is demonstrated for a representative system composed of LaNi 4.7 Al 0.3 –LaNi 5 operating between 353 K and 303 K which gave values of about 56 kW h m −3 for volumetric storage density, about 85% for energy storage efficiency and 343 K for peak discharge temperature. A system level heat and mass transfer study considering the reaction kinetics, hydrogen flow between the beds and heat exchanger models is presented which gave second level estimates of about 40 kW h m −3 for volumetric energy storage density, 73% for energy storage efficiency and 334 K for peak temperature for the representative system. The results from such studies lead to identifying metal/alloy pairs which can be shortlisted for detailed studies.

  3. Improving Thermal and Electrical Efficiency in Photovoltaic Thermal Systems for Sustainable Cooling System Integration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Alobaid

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Research into photovoltaic thermal systems is important in solar technologies as photovoltaic thermal systems are designed to produce both electrical and thermal energy, this can lead to improved performance of the overall system. The performance of photovoltaic thermal systems is based on several factors that include photovoltaic thermal materials, design, ambient temperature, inlet and outlet fluid temperature and photovoltaic cell temperature. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of photovoltaic thermal outlet water temperatures and solar cell temperature on both electrical and thermal efficiency for different range of inlet water temperature. To achieve this, a mathematical model of a photovoltaic thermal system was developed to calculate the anticipated system performance. The factors that affect the efficiency of photovoltaic thermal collectors were discussed and the outlet fluid temperature from the photovoltaic thermal is investigated in order to reach the highest overall efficiency for the solar cooling system. An average thermal and electrical efficiency of 65% and 13.7%, respectively, was achieved and the photovoltaic thermal mathematical model was validated with experimental data from literature.

  4. Effect of Set-point Variation on Thermal Comfort and Energy Use in a Plus-energy Dwelling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Toftum, Jørn; Kazanci, Ongun Berk; Olesen, Bjarne W.

    2016-01-01

    When designing buildings and space conditioning systems, the occupant thermal comfort, health, and productivity are the main criteria to satisfy. However, this should be achieved with the most energy-efficient space conditioning systems (heating, cooling, and ventilation). Control strategy, set......-points, and control dead-bands have a direct effect on the thermal environment in and the energy use of a building. The thermal environment in and the energy use of a building are associated with the thermal mass of the building and the control strategy, including set-points and control dead-bands. With thermally...... active building systems (TABS), temperatures are allowed to drift within the comfort zone, while in spaces with air-conditioning, temperatures in a narrower interval typically are aimed at. This behavior of radiant systems provides certain advantages regarding energy use, since the temperatures...

  5. Metal hydrides based high energy density thermal battery

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fang, Zhigang Zak; Zhou, Chengshang; Fan, Peng; Udell, Kent S.; Bowman, Robert C.; Vajo, John J.; Purewal, Justin J.; Kekelia, Bidzina

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • The principle of the thermal battery using advanced metal hydrides was demonstrated. • The thermal battery used MgH 2 and TiMnV as a working pair. • High energy density can be achieved by the use of MgH 2 to store thermal energy. - Abstract: A concept of thermal battery based on advanced metal hydrides was studied for heating and cooling of cabins in electric vehicles. The system utilized a pair of thermodynamically matched metal hydrides as energy storage media. The pair of hydrides that was identified and developed was: (1) catalyzed MgH 2 as the high temperature hydride material, due to its high energy density and enhanced kinetics; and (2) TiV 0.62 Mn 1.5 alloy as the matching low temperature hydride. Further, a proof-of-concept prototype was built and tested, demonstrating the potential of the system as HVAC for transportation vehicles

  6. Thermal systems; Systemes thermiques

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lalot, S. [Valenciennes Univ. et du Hainaut Cambresis, LME, 59 (France); Lecoeuche, S. [Ecole des Mines de Douai, Dept. GIP, 59 - Douai (France)]|[Lille Univ. des Sciences et Technologies, 59 - Villeneuve d' Ascq (France); Ahmad, M.; Sallee, H.; Quenard, D. [CSTB, 38 - Saint Martin d' Heres (France); Bontemps, A. [Universite Joseph Fourier, LEGI/GRETh, 38 - Grenoble (France); Gascoin, N.; Gillard, P.; Bernard, S. [Laboratoire d' Energetique, Explosion, Structure, 18 - Bourges (France); Gascoin, N.; Toure, Y. [Laboratoire Vision et Robotique, 18 - Bourges (France); Daniau, E.; Bouchez, M. [MBDA, 18 - Bourges (France); Dobrovicescu, A.; Stanciu, D. [Bucarest Univ. Polytechnique, Faculte de Genie Mecanique (Romania); Stoian, M. [Reims Univ. Champagne Ardenne, Faculte des Sciences, UTAP/LTM, 51 (France); Bruch, A.; Fourmigue, J.F.; Colasson, S. [CEA Grenoble, Lab. Greth, 38 (France); Bontemps, A. [Universite Joseph Fourier, LEGI/GRETh, 38 - Grenoble (France); Voicu, I.; Mare, T.; Miriel, J. [Institut National des Sciences Appliquees (INSA), LGCGM, IUT, 35 - Rennes (France); Galanis, N. [Sherbrooke Univ., Genie Mecanique, QC (Canada); Nemer, M.; Clodic, D. [Ecole des Mines de Paris, Centre Energetique et Procedes, 75 (France); Lasbet, Y.; Auvity, B.; Castelain, C.; Peerhossaini, H. [Nantes Univ., Ecole Polytechnique, Lab. de Thermocinetiquede Nantes, UMR-CNRS 6607, 44 (France)

    2005-07-01

    This session about thermal systems gathers 26 articles dealing with: neural model of a compact heat exchanger; experimental study and numerical simulation of the thermal behaviour of test-cells with walls made of a combination of phase change materials and super-insulating materials; hydraulic and thermal modeling of a supercritical fluid with pyrolysis inside a heated channel: pre-dimensioning of an experimental study; energy analysis of the heat recovery devices of a cryogenic system; numerical simulation of the thermo-hydraulic behaviour of a supercritical CO{sub 2} flow inside a vertical tube; mixed convection inside dual-tube exchangers; development of a nodal approach with homogenization for the simulation of the brazing cycle of a heat exchanger; chaotic exchanger for the cooling of low temperature fuel cells; structural optimization of the internal fins of a cylindrical generator; a new experimental approach for the study of the local boiling inside the channels of exchangers with plates and fins; experimental study of the flow regimes of boiling hydrocarbons on a bundle of staggered tubes; energy study of heat recovery exchangers used in Claude-type refrigerating systems; general model of Carnot engine submitted to various operating constraints; the free pistons Stirling cogeneration system; natural gas supplied cogeneration system with polymer membrane fuel cell; influence of the CRN coating on the heat flux inside the tool during the wood unrolling process; transport and mixture of a passive scalar injected inside the wake of a Ahmed body; control of a laser welding-brazing process by infrared thermography; 2D self-adaptative method for contours detection: application to the images of an aniso-thermal jet; exergy and exergy-economical study of an 'Ericsson' engine-based micro-cogeneration system; simplified air-conditioning of telephone switching equipments; parametric study of the 'low-energy' individual dwelling; brief synthesis of

  7. Thermal energy storage systems using fluidized bed heat exchangers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weast, T.; Shannon, L.

    1980-06-01

    A rotary cement kiln and an electric arc furnace were chosen for evaluation to determine the applicability of a fluid bed heat exchanger (FBHX) for thermal energy storage (TES). Multistage shallow bed FBHX's operating with high temperature differences were identified as the most suitable for TES applications. Analysis of the two selected conceptual systems included establishing a plant process flow configuration, an operational scenario, a preliminary FBHX/TES design, and parametric analysis. A computer model was developed to determine the effects of the number of stages, gas temperatures, gas flows, bed materials, charge and discharge time, and parasitic power required for operation. The maximum national energy conservation potential of the cement plant application with TES is 15.4 million barrels of oil or 3.9 million tons of coal per year. For the electric arc furnance application the maximum national conservation potential with TES is 4.5 million barrels of oil or 1.1 million tons of coal per year. Present time of day utility rates are near the breakeven point required for the TES system. Escalation of on-peak energy due to critical fuel shortages could make the FBHX/TES applications economically attractive in the future.

  8. Thermal distillation system utilizing biomass energy burned in stove by means of heat pipe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hiroshi Tanaka

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available A thermal distillation system utilizing a part of the thermal energy of biomass burned in a stove during cooking is proposed. The thermal energy is transported from the stove to the distiller by means of a heat pipe. The distiller is a vertical multiple-effect diffusion distiller, in which a number of parallel partitions in contact with saline-soaked wicks are set vertically with narrow gaps of air. A pilot experimental apparatus was constructed and tested with a single-effect and multiple-effect distillers to investigate primarily whether a heat pipe can transport thermal energy adequately from the stove to the distiller. It was found that the temperatures of the heated plate and the first partition of the distiller reached to about 100 °C and 90 °C, respectively, at steady state, showing that the heat pipe works sufficiently. The distilled water obtained was about 0.75 and 1.35 kg during the first 2 h of burning from a single-effect and multiple-effect distillers, respectively.

  9. Energy system investment model incorporating heat pumps with thermal storage in buildings and buffer tanks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hedegaard, Karsten; Balyk, Olexandr

    2013-01-01

    Individual compression heat pumps constitute a potentially valuable resource in supporting wind power integration due to their economic competitiveness and possibilities for flexible operation. When analysing the system benefits of flexible heat pump operation, effects on investments should be taken into account. In this study, we present a model that facilitates analysing individual heat pumps and complementing heat storages in integration with the energy system, while optimising both investments and operation. The model incorporates thermal building dynamics and covers various heat storage options: passive heat storage in the building structure via radiator heating, active heat storage in concrete floors via floor heating, and use of thermal storage tanks for space heating and hot water. It is shown that the model is well qualified for analysing possibilities and system benefits of operating heat pumps flexibly. This includes prioritising heat pump operation for hours with low marginal electricity production costs, and peak load shaving resulting in a reduced need for peak and reserve capacity investments. - Highlights: • Model optimising heat pumps and heat storages in integration with the energy system. • Optimisation of both energy system investments and operation. • Heat storage in building structure and thermal storage tanks included. • Model well qualified for analysing system benefits of flexible heat pump operation. • Covers peak load shaving and operation prioritised for low electricity prices

  10. Thermophysical parameters of coconut oil and its potential application as the thermal energy storage system in Indonesia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Putri, Widya A.; Fahmi, Zulfikar; Sutjahja, I. M.; Kurnia, D.; Wonorahardjo, S.

    2016-08-01

    The high consumption of electric energy for room air conditioning (AC) system in Indonesia has driven the research of potential thermal energy storage system as a passive temperature controller. The application of coconut oil (CO) as the potential candidate for this purpose has been motivated since its working temperature just around the human thermal comfort zone in the tropical area as Indonesia. In this research we report the time-dependent temperature data of CO, which is adopting the T-history method. The analysis of the data revealed a set of thermophysical parameters, consist of the mean specific heats of the solid and liquid, as well as the latent heat of fusion for the phase change transition. The performance of CO to decrease the air temperature was measured in the thermal chamber. From the results it is shown that the latent phase of CO related to the solid-liquid phase transition show the highest capability in heat absorption, directly showing the potential application of CO as thermal energy storage system in Indonesia.

  11. Thermal indoor environment and energy consumption in a plus-energy house: cooling season measurements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kazanci, Ongun Berk; Olesen, Bjarne W.

    2015-01-01

    indoor environment. For the energy consumption of the HVAC system, air-to-brine heat pump, mixing station and controller of the radiant floor, and the air handling unit were considered. The measurements were analyzed based on the achieved indoor environment category (according to EN 15251...... the floor cooling system) and increasing the ventilation rate provided a better thermal indoor environment but with increased energy consumption. The thermal indoor environment and energy performance of the house can be improved with decreased glazing area, increased thermal mass, installation of solar...

  12. Thermal Heat and Power Production with Models for Local and Regional Energy Systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saether, Sturla

    1999-07-01

    The primary goal of this thesis is the description and modelling of combined heat and power systems as well as analyses of thermal dominated systems related to benefits of power exchange. Large power plants with high power efficiency (natural gas systems) and heat production in local heat pumps can be favourable in areas with low infrastructure of district heating systems. This system is comparable with typical combined heat and power (CHP) systems based on natural gas with respect to efficient use of fuel energy. The power efficiency obtainable from biomass and municipal waste is relatively low and the advantage of CHP for this system is high compared to pure power production with local heat pumps for heat generation. The advantage of converting pure power systems into CHP systems is best for power systems with low power efficiency and heat production at low temperature. CHP systems are divided into two main groups according to the coupling of heat and power production. Some CHP systems, especially those with strong coupling between heat and power production, may profit from having a thermal heat storage subsystem. District heating temperatures direct the heat to power ratio of the CHP units. The use of absorption chillers driven by district heating systems are also evaluated with respect to enhancing the utilisation of district heating in periods of low heat demand. Power exchange between a thermal dominated and hydropower system is found beneficial. Use of hydropower as a substitute for peak power production in thermal dominated systems is advantageous. Return of base load from the thermal dominated system to the hydropower system can balance in the net power exchange.

  13. Metal hydrides based high energy density thermal battery

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fang, Zhigang Zak, E-mail: zak.fang@utah.edu [Department of Metallurgical Engineering, The University of Utah, 135 South 1460 East, Room 412, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0114 (United States); Zhou, Chengshang; Fan, Peng [Department of Metallurgical Engineering, The University of Utah, 135 South 1460 East, Room 412, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0114 (United States); Udell, Kent S. [Department of Metallurgical Engineering, The University of Utah, 50 S. Central Campus Dr., Room 2110, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0114 (United States); Bowman, Robert C. [Department of Metallurgical Engineering, The University of Utah, 135 South 1460 East, Room 412, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0114 (United States); Vajo, John J.; Purewal, Justin J. [HRL Laboratories, LLC, 3011 Malibu Canyon Road, Malibu, CA 90265 (United States); Kekelia, Bidzina [Department of Metallurgical Engineering, The University of Utah, 50 S. Central Campus Dr., Room 2110, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0114 (United States)

    2015-10-05

    Highlights: • The principle of the thermal battery using advanced metal hydrides was demonstrated. • The thermal battery used MgH{sub 2} and TiMnV as a working pair. • High energy density can be achieved by the use of MgH{sub 2} to store thermal energy. - Abstract: A concept of thermal battery based on advanced metal hydrides was studied for heating and cooling of cabins in electric vehicles. The system utilized a pair of thermodynamically matched metal hydrides as energy storage media. The pair of hydrides that was identified and developed was: (1) catalyzed MgH{sub 2} as the high temperature hydride material, due to its high energy density and enhanced kinetics; and (2) TiV{sub 0.62}Mn{sub 1.5} alloy as the matching low temperature hydride. Further, a proof-of-concept prototype was built and tested, demonstrating the potential of the system as HVAC for transportation vehicles.

  14. Analysis of an integrated packed bed thermal energy storage system for heat recovery in compressed air energy storage technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ortega-Fernández, Iñigo; Zavattoni, Simone A.; Rodríguez-Aseguinolaza, Javier; D'Aguanno, Bruno; Barbato, Maurizio C.

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: •A packed bed TES system is proposed for heat recovery in CAES technology. •A CFD-based approach has been developed to evaluate the behaviour of the TES unit. •TES system enhancement and improvement alternatives are also demonstrated. •TES performance evaluated according to the first and second law of thermodynamics. -- Abstract: Compressed air energy storage (CAES) represents a very attracting option to grid electric energy storage. Although this technology is mature and well established, its overall electricity-to-electricity cycle efficiency is lower with respect to other alternatives such as pumped hydroelectric energy storage. A meager heat management strategy in the CAES technology is among the main reasons of this gap of efficiency. In current CAES plants, during the compression stage, a large amount of thermal energy is produced and wasted. On the other hand, during the electricity generation stage, an extensive heat supply is required, currently provided by burning natural gas. In this work, the coupling of both CAES stages through a thermal energy storage (TES) unit is introduced as an effective solution to achieve a noticeable increase of the overall CAES cycle efficiency. In this frame, the thermal energy produced in the compression stage is stored in a TES unit for its subsequent deployment during the expansion stage, realizing an Adiabatic-CAES plant. The present study addresses the conceptual design of a TES system based on a packed bed of gravel to be integrated in an Adiabatic-CAES plant. With this objective, a complete thermo-fluid dynamics model has been developed, including the implications derived from the TES operating under variable-pressure conditions. The formulation and treatment of the high pressure conditions were found being particularly relevant issues. Finally, the model provided a detailed performance and efficiency analysis of the TES system under charge/discharge cyclic conditions including a realistic operative

  15. Integrated Thermal Treatment Systems study: US Department of Energy Internal Review Panel report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cudahy, J.; Escarda, T.; Gimpel, R.

    1995-04-01

    The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Technology Development (OTD) commissioned two studies to uniformly evaluate nineteen thermal treatment technologies. These studies were called the Integrated Thermal Treatment System (ITTS) Phase I and Phase II. With the advice and guidance of the DOE Office of Environmental Management's (EM's) Mixed Waste Focus Group, OTD formed an ITTS Internal Review Panel, composed of scientists and engineers from throughout the DOE complex, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the California EPA, and private experts. The Panel met from November 15-18, 1994, to review and comment on the ITTS studies, to make recommendations on the most promising thermal treatment systems for DOE mixed low level wastes (MLLW), and to make recommendations on research and development necessary to prove the performance of the technologies on MLLW

  16. Thermal Energy Storage with Phase Change Material

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lavinia Gabriela SOCACIU

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Thermal energy storage (TES systems provide several alternatives for efficient energy use and conservation. Phase change materials (PCMs for TES are materials supplying thermal regulation at particular phase change temperatures by absorbing and emitting the heat of the medium. TES in general and PCMs in particular, have been a main topic in research for the last 30 years, but although the information is quantitatively enormous, it is also spread widely in the literature, and difficult to find. PCMs absorb energy during the heating process as phase change takes place and release energy to the environment in the phase change range during a reverse cooling process. PCMs possesses the ability of latent thermal energy change their state with a certain temperature. PCMs for TES are generally solid-liquid phase change materials and therefore they need encapsulation. TES systems using PCMs as a storage medium offers advantages such as high TES capacity, small unit size and isothermal behaviour during charging and discharging when compared to the sensible TES.

  17. Development and prototype testing of MgCl 2 /graphite foam latent heat thermal energy storage system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Singh, Dileep; Yu, Wenhua; Zhao, Weihuan; Kim, Taeil; France, David M.; Smith, Roger K.

    2018-01-01

    Composites of graphite foam infiltrated with a magnesium chloride phase-change material have been developed as high-temperature thermal energy storage media for concentrated solar power applications. This storage medium provides a high thermal energy storage density, a narrow operating temperature range, and excellent heat transfer characteristics. In this study, experimental investigations were conducted on laboratory-scale prototypes with magnesium chloride/graphite foam composite as the latent heat thermal energy storage system. Prototypes were designed and built to monitor the melt front movement during the charging/discharging tests. A test loop was built to ensure the charging/discharging of the prototypes at temperatures > 700 degrees C. Repeated thermal cycling experiments were carried out on the fabricated prototypes, and the experimental temperature profiles were compared to the predicted results from numerical simulations using COMSOL Multiphysics software. Experimental results were found to be in good agreement with the simulations to validate the thermal models.

  18. Integration and Validation of a Thermal Energy Storage System for Electric Vehicle Cabin Heating

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Mingyu [MAHLE Behr Troy Inc.; Craig, Timothy [MAHLE Behr Troy Inc.; Wolfe, Edward [MAHLE Behr Troy Inc.; LaClair, Tim J. [ORNL; Gao, Zhiming [ORNL; Levin, Michael [Ford Motor Company; Demitroff, Danrich [Ford Motor Company; Shaikh, Furqan [Ford Motor Company

    2017-03-01

    It is widely recognized in the automotive industry that, in very cold climatic conditions, the driving range of an Electric Vehicle (EV) can be reduced by 50% or more. In an effort to minimize the EV range penalty, a novel thermal energy storage system has been designed to provide cabin heating in EVs and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) by using an advanced phase change material (PCM). This system is known as the Electrical PCM-based Thermal Heating System (ePATHS) [1, 2]. When the EV is connected to the electric grid to charge its traction battery, the ePATHS system is also “charged” with thermal energy. The stored heat is subsequently deployed for cabin comfort heating during driving, for example during commuting to and from work.The ePATHS system, especially the PCM heat exchanger component, has gone through substantial redesign in order to meet functionality and commercialization requirements. The final system development for EV implementation has occurred on a mid-range EV and has been evaluated for its capability to extend the driving range. Both simulated driving in a climatic tunnel and actual road testing have been carried out. The ePATHS has demonstrated its ability to supply the entire cabin heating needs for a round trip commute totaling 46 minutes, including 8 hours of parking, at an ambient temperature of -10°C.

  19. Renewable energy distributed power system with photovoltaic/ thermal and bio gas power generators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haider, M.U.; Rehman, S.U.

    2011-01-01

    The energy shortage and environmental pollution is becoming an important problem in these days. Hence it is very much important to use renewable power technologies to get rid of these problems. The important renewable energy sources are Bio-Energy, Wind Energy, Hydrogen Energy, Tide Energy, Terrestrial Heat Energy, Solar Energy, Thermal Energy and so on. Pakistan is rich in all these aspects particularly in Solar and Thermal Energies. In major areas of Pakistan like in South Punjab, Sind and Baluchistan the weather condition are very friendly for these types of Renewable Energies. In these areas Solar Energy can be utilized by solar panels in conjunction with thermal panels. The Photovoltaic cells are used to convert Solar Energy directly to Electrical Energy and thermal panels can be uses to convert solar energy into heat energy and this heat energy will be used to drive some turbine to get Electrical Energy. The Solar Energy can be absorbed more efficiently by any given area of Solar Panel if these two technologies can be combined in such a way that they can work together. The first part of this paper shows that how these technologies can be combined. Furthermore it is known to all that photovoltaic/thermal panels depend entirely on weather conditions. So in order to maintain constant power a biogas generator is used in conjunction with these. (author)

  20. Modeling Pumped Thermal Energy Storage with Waste Heat Harvesting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abarr, Miles L. Lindsey

    This work introduces a new concept for a utility scale combined energy storage and generation system. The proposed design utilizes a pumped thermal energy storage (PTES) system, which also utilizes waste heat leaving a natural gas peaker plant. This system creates a low cost utility-scale energy storage system by leveraging this dual-functionality. This dissertation first presents a review of previous work in PTES as well as the details of the proposed integrated bottoming and energy storage system. A time-domain system model was developed in Mathworks R2016a Simscape and Simulink software to analyze this system. Validation of both the fluid state model and the thermal energy storage model are provided. The experimental results showed the average error in cumulative fluid energy between simulation and measurement was +/- 0.3% per hour. Comparison to a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) model showed heat transfer. The system model was used to conduct sensitivity analysis, baseline performance, and levelized cost of energy of a recently proposed Pumped Thermal Energy Storage and Bottoming System (Bot-PTES) that uses ammonia as the working fluid. This analysis focused on the effects of hot thermal storage utilization, system pressure, and evaporator/condenser size on the system performance. This work presents the estimated performance for a proposed baseline Bot-PTES. Results of this analysis showed that all selected parameters had significant effects on efficiency, with the evaporator/condenser size having the largest effect over the selected ranges. Results for the baseline case showed stand-alone energy storage efficiencies between 51 and 66% for varying power levels and charge states, and a stand-alone bottoming efficiency of 24%. The resulting efficiencies for this case were low compared to competing technologies; however, the dual-functionality of the Bot-PTES enables it to have higher capacity factor, leading to 91-197/MWh levelized cost of energy compared to 262

  1. Collection and dissemination of thermal energy storage system information for the pulp and paper industry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edde, H.

    1981-01-01

    The collection and dissemination of thermal energy storage (TES) system technology for the pulp and paper industry with the intent of reducing fossil fuel usage is discussed. The study plan is described and a description presented of example TES systems.

  2. Evaluation of a ground thermal energy storage system for heating and cooling of an existing dwelling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Leong, W.H; Lawrence, C.J. [Ryerson Polytechnic Univ., Toronto, ON (Canada). Dept. of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering; Tarnawski, V.R. [Saint Mary' s Univ., Halifax, NS (Canada). Dept. of Engineering; Rosen, M.A. [University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, ON (Canada). Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science

    2006-07-01

    A ground-coupled heat pump (GCHP) system for heating and cooling a residential house in Ontario was simulated. The system uses the surface ground as a thermal energy storage for storing thermal energy in the summer for later use in the winter. In the summer, the ground receives both solar energy and the heat rejected by the system during cooling operation. The relationship between a heat pump and the ground is a ground heat exchanger (GHE). This presentation described the vertical and horizontal configurations of the GHE, which are the 2 basic configurations. It also described the modelling and analysis of the GCHP system. The modelling involved both simplified and comprehensive models. The simplified models of heating and cooling loads of a building, a heat pump unit, and heat transfer at the ground heat exchanger provided a direct link to the comprehensive model of heat and moisture transfer in the ground, based on the finite element method. This combination of models provided an accurate and practical simulation tool for GCHP systems. The energy analysis was used to evaluate the performance of the system. The use of a horizontal ground heat exchanging pipe and the impact of heat deposition and extraction through it in the ground were also studied with reference to the length of pipe, depth of pipe and layout of the pipe loop. The objective of the analysis was to find ways to optimize the thermal performance of the system and environmental sustainability of the ground. 14 refs., 3 tabs., 5 figs.

  3. Experimental investigation of thermal storage integrated micro trigeneration system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johar, Dheeraj Kishor; Sharma, Dilip; Soni, Shyam Lal; Goyal, Rahul; Gupta, Pradeep K.

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Energy Storage System is integrated with Micro trigeneration system. • Erythritol is used as Phase Change Material. • Maximum energy saved is 15.30%. • Combined systems are feasible to increase energy efficiency. - Abstract: In this study a 4.4 kW stationary compression ignition engine is coupled with a double pipe heat exchanger, vapour absorption refrigeration system and thermal energy storage system to achieve Trigeneration i.e. power, heating and cooling. A shell and tube type heat exchanger filled with erythritol is used to store thermal energy of engine exhaust. Various combinations of thermal energy storage system integrated micro-trigeneration were investigated and results related to performance and emissions are reported in this paper. The test results show that micro capacity (4.4 kW) stationary single cylinder diesel engine can be successfully modified to simultaneously produce power, heating and cooling and also store thermal energy.

  4. Thermal energy storage for organic Rankine cycle solar dynamic space power systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heidenreich, G. R.; Parekh, M. B.

    An organic Rankine cycle-solar dynamic power system (ORC-SDPS) comprises a concentrator, a radiator, a power conversion unit, and a receiver with a thermal energy storage (TES) subsystem which charges and discharges energy to meet power demands during orbital insolation and eclipse periods. Attention is presently given to the criteria used in designing and evaluating an ORC-SDPS TES, as well as the automated test facility employed. It is found that a substantial data base exists for the design of an ORC-SDPS TES subsystem.

  5. Numerical investigation of temperature distribution and thermal performance while charging-discharging thermal energy in aquifer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ganguly, Sayantan; Mohan Kumar, M.S.; Date, Abhijit; Akbarzadeh, Aliakbar

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • A 3D coupled thermo-hydrogeological numerical model of an ATES system is presented. • Importance of a few parameters involved in the study is determined. • Thermal energy discharge by the ATES system for two seasons is estimated. • A strategy and a safe well spacing are proposed to avoid thermal interference. • The proposed model is applied to simulate a real life ATES field study. - Abstract: A three-dimensional (3D) coupled thermo-hydrogeological numerical model for a confined aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) system underlain and overlain by rock media has been presented in this paper. The ATES system operates in cyclic mode. The model takes into account heat transport processes of advection, conduction and heat loss to confining rock media. The model also includes regional groundwater flow in the aquifer in the longitudinal and lateral directions, geothermal gradient and anisotropy in the aquifer. Results show that thermal injection into the aquifer results in the generation of a thermal-front which grows in size with time. The thermal interference caused by the premature thermal-breakthrough when the thermal-front reaches the production well results in the fall of system performance and hence should be avoided. This study models the transient temperature distribution in the aquifer for different flow and geological conditions which may be effectively used in designing an efficient ATES project by ensuring safety from thermal-breakthrough while catering to the energy demand. Parameter studies are also performed which reveals that permeability of the confining rocks; well spacing and injection temperature are important parameters which influence transient heat transport in the subsurface porous media. Based on the simulations here a safe well spacing is proposed. The thermal energy produced by the system in two seasons is estimated for four different cases and strategy to avoid the premature thermal-breakthrough in critical cases is

  6. A novel polygeneration system integrating photovoltaic/thermal collectors, solar assisted heat pump, adsorption chiller and electrical energy storage: Dynamic and energy-economic analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Calise, Francesco; Figaj, Rafal Damian; Vanoli, Laura

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Space heating/cooling, domestic hot water and electrical energy are provided by the system. • Two different users are investigated: fitness center and office. • The influence of the battery system on system economic performance is scarce. • Net metering contract is more profitable compared to simplified purchase/resale arrangement one. - Abstract: In this paper a dynamic simulation model and a thermo-economic analysis of a novel polygeneration system are presented. The system includes photovoltaic/thermal collectors coupled with a solar-assisted heat pump, an adsorption chiller and an electrical energy storage. The modelled plant supplies electrical energy, space heating and cooling and domestic hot water. The produced solar thermal energy is used during the winter to supply the heat pump evaporator, providing the required space heating. In summer, solar thermal energy is used to drive an adsorption chiller providing the required space cooling. All year long, solar thermal energy in excess, with respect to the space heating and cooling demand, is used to produce domestic hot water. The produced electrical energy is self-consumed by both user and system auxiliary equipment and/or supplied to the grid. The system model includes a detailed electrical energy model for user storage and exchange with the grid along with a detailed building model. This study is a continuation of previous works recently presented by the authors. In particular, the present paper focuses on the real electrical demands of several types of users and on the analysis of the comfort of building users. Differently from the works previously published by the authors, the present work bases the calculations on measured electrical demands of real users (fitness center and offices). The system performance is analyzed with two different electricity supply contracts: net metering and simplified purchase/resale arrangement. Daily, weekly and yearly results are presented. Finally, a

  7. Performance analysis of a lunar based solar thermal power system with regolith thermal storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu, Xiaochen; Ma, Rong; Wang, Chao; Yao, Wei

    2016-01-01

    The manned deep-space exploration is a hot topic of the current space activities. The continuous supply of thermal and electrical energy for the scientific equipment and human beings is a crucial issue for the lunar outposts. Since the night lasts for periods of about 350 h at most locations on the lunar surface, massive energy storage is required for continuous energy supply during the lengthy lunar night and the in-situ resource utilization is demanded. A lunar based solar thermal power system with regolith thermal storage is presented in this paper. The performance analysis is carried out by the finite-time thermodynamics to take into account major irreversible losses. The influences of some key design parameters are analyzed for system optimization. The analytical results shows that the lunar based solar thermal power system with regolith thermal storage can meet the requirement of the continuous energy supply for lunar outposts. - Highlights: • A lunar based solar thermal power system with regolith thermal storage is presented. • The performance analysis is carried out by the finite-time thermodynamics. • The influences of some key design parameters are analyzed.

  8. Miscibility gap alloys with inverse microstructures and high thermal conductivity for high energy density thermal storage applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sugo, Heber; Kisi, Erich; Cuskelly, Dylan

    2013-01-01

    New high energy-density thermal storage materials are proposed which use miscibility gap binary alloy systems to operate through the latent heat of fusion of one component dispersed in a thermodynamically stable matrix. Using trial systems Al–Sn and Fe–Cu, we demonstrate the development of the required inverse microstructure (low melting point phase embedded in high melting point matrix) and excellent thermal storage potential. Several other candidate systems are discussed. It is argued that such systems offer enhancement over conventional phase change thermal storage by using high thermal conductivity microstructures (50–400 W/m K); minimum volume of storage systems due to high energy density latent heat of fusion materials (0.2–2.2 MJ/L); and technical utility through adaptability to a great variety of end uses. Low (<300 °C), mid (300–400 °C) and high (600–1400 °C) temperature options exist for applications ranging from space heating and process drying to concentrated solar thermal energy conversion and waste heat recovery. -- Highlights: ► Alloys of immiscible metals are proposed as thermal storage systems. ► High latent heat of fusion per unit volume and tunable temperature are advantageous. ► Thermal storage systems with capacities of 0.2–2.2 MJ/L are identified. ► Heat delivery is via a rigid non-reactive high thermal conductivity matrix. ► The required inverse microstructures were developed for Sn–Al and Cu–Fe systems

  9. A control-oriented model for combined building climate comfort and aquifer thermal energy storage system

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rostampour Samarin, Vahab; Bloemendal, J.M.; Jaxa-Rozen, M.; Keviczky, T.

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents a control-oriented model for combined building climate comfort and aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) system. In particular, we first provide a description of building operational systems together with control framework variables. We then focus on the derivation of an

  10. Proceedings of the General Committee for solar thermal energy 2015

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gibert, Francois; Loyen, Richard; Khebchache, Bouzid; Cholin, Xavier; Leicher, David; Mozas, Kevin; Leclercq, Martine; Laugier, Patrick; Dias, Pedro; Kuczer, Eric; Benabdelkarim, Mohamed; Brottier, Laetitia; Soussana, Max; Cheze, David; Mugnier, Daniel; Laplagne, Valerie; Mykieta, Frederic; Ducloux, Antoine; Egret, Dominique; Noisette, Nadege; Peneau, Yvan; Seguis, Anne-Sophie; Gerard, Roland

    2017-10-01

    After an introducing contribution which discussed the difficult evolution of the solar thermal energy sector in 2015, contributions addressed development plans for SOCOL (a plan for collective solar thermal and solar heat) which aims at reviving the market and at opening new markets. A next set of contributions discussed how solar thermal energy can be at the service of energy transition. Following sessions addressed issues like innovation at the service of solar thermal energy, energetic display of solar systems and application of the Ecodesign and Labelling directives, and the reduction of carbon footprint and the energy dependence of territories

  11. Pulse thermal energy transport/storage system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weislogel, Mark M.

    1992-07-07

    A pulse-thermal pump having a novel fluid flow wherein heat admitted to a closed system raises the pressure in a closed evaporator chamber while another interconnected evaporator chamber remains open. This creates a large pressure differential, and at a predetermined pressure the closed evaporator is opened and the opened evaporator is closed. This difference in pressure initiates fluid flow in the system.

  12. Aquifer thermal-energy-storage modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schaetzle, W. J.; Lecroy, J. E.

    1982-09-01

    A model aquifer was constructed to simulate the operation of a full size aquifer. Instrumentation to evaluate the water flow and thermal energy storage was installed in the system. Numerous runs injecting warm water into a preconditioned uniform aquifer were made. Energy recoveries were evaluated and agree with comparisons of other limited available data. The model aquifer is simulated in a swimming pool, 18 ft by 4 ft, which was filled with sand. Temperature probes were installed in the system. A 2 ft thick aquifer is confined by two layers of polyethylene. Both the aquifer and overburden are sand. Four well configurations are available. The system description and original tests, including energy recovery, are described.

  13. Waste energy harvesting mechanical and thermal energies

    CERN Document Server

    Ling Bing, Kong; Hng, Huey Hoon; Boey, Freddy; Zhang, Tianshu

    2014-01-01

    Waste Energy Harvesting overviews the latest progress in waste energy harvesting technologies, with specific focusing on waste thermal mechanical energies. Thermal energy harvesting technologies include thermoelectric effect, storage through phase change materials and pyroelectric effect. Waste mechanical energy harvesting technologies include piezoelectric (ferroelectric) effect with ferroelectric materials and nanogenerators. The book aims to strengthen the syllabus in energy, materials and physics and is well suitable for students and professionals in the fields.

  14. Characteristics of large thermal energy storage systems in Poland

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zwierzchowski, Ryszard

    2017-11-01

    In District Heating Systems (DHS) there are significant fluctuations in demand for heat by consumers during both the heating and the summer seasons. These variations are considered primarily in the 24-hour time horizon. These problems are aggravated further if the DHS is supplied by a CHP plant, because fluctuations in heat demand adversely affect to a significant degree the stable production of electricity at high overall efficiency. Therefore, introducing Thermal Energy Storage (TES) would be highly recommended on these grounds alone. The characteristics of Large (i.e. over 10 000 m3) TES in operation in Poland are presented. Information is given regarding new projects (currently in design or construction) that apply TES technology in DHS in Poland. The paper looks at the methodology used in Poland to select the TES system for a particular DHS, i.e., procedure for calculating capacity of the TES tank and the system to prevent water stored in the tank from absorbing oxygen from atmospheric air. Implementation of TES in DHS is treated as a recommended technology in the Polish District Heating sector. This technology offers great opportunities to improve the operating conditions of DHS, cutting energy production costs and emissions of pollutants to the atmosphere.

  15. A simplified model to study the location impact of latent thermal energy storage in building cooling heating and power system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Yin; Wang, Xin; Zhang, Yinping; Zhuo, Siwen

    2016-01-01

    Introducing the thermal energy storage (TES) equipment into the building cooling heating and power (BCHP) system proves to be an effective way to improve the part load performance of the whole system and save the primary energy consumption. The location of TES in BCHP has a great impact on the thermal performance of the whole system. In this paper, a simplified model of TES-BCHP system composed of a gas turbine, an absorption chiller/an absorption heat pump, and TES equipment with phase change materials (PCM) is presented. In order to minimize the primary energy consumption, the performances of BCHP systems with different PCM-TES locations (upstream and downstream) are analyzed and compared, for a typical hotel and an office building respectively. Moreover, the influence of the thermal performance of PCM-TES equipment on the energy saving effect of the whole system is investigated. The results confirm that PCM-TES can improve the energy efficiency and reduce the installed capacities of energy supply equipment, and that the optimal TES location in BCHP highly depends on the thermal performance of the TES equipment and the user load characteristics. It also indicates that: 1) the primary energy saving ratio of PCM-TES-BCHP increases with increasing NTU of TES; 2) for the studied cases, downstream TES location becomes more preferable when user loads fluctuate greatly; 3) only downstream TES can reduce the installed capacities of absorption chiller/absorption heat pump. This work can provide guidance for PCM-TES-BCHP system design. - Highlights: • A simplified model of the PCM-TES-BCHP system is established. • TES can increase energy efficiency and decrease installed capacity of equipment. • Primary energy saving ratio increases with increasing NTU of TES. • Downstream TES location is more preferable when user loads fluctuate greatly. • Optimal TES location depends on equipment performances and load characteristics.

  16. Thermal and Performance Analysis of a Photovoltaic Module with an Integrated Energy Storage System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manel Hammami

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper is proposing and analyzing an electric energy storage system fully integrated with a photovoltaic PV module, composed by a set of lithium-iron-phosphate (LiFePO4 flat batteries, which constitutes a generation-storage PV unit. The batteries were surface-mounted on the back side of the PV module, distant from the PV backsheet, without exceeding the PV frame size. An additional low-emissivity sheet was introduced to shield the batteries from the backsheet thermal irradiance. The challenge addressed in this paper is to evaluate the PV cell temperature increase, due to the reduced thermal exchanges on the back of the module, and to estimate the temperature of the batteries, verifying their thermal constraints. Two one-dimensional (1D thermal models, numerically implemented by using the thermal library of Simulink-Matlab accounting for all the heat exchanges, are here proposed: one related to the original PV module, the other related to the portion of the area of the PV module in correspondence of the proposed energy-storage system. Convective and radiative coefficients were then calculated in relation to different configurations and ambient conditions. The model validation has been carried out considering the PV module to be at the nominal operating cell temperature (NOCT, and by specific experimental measurements with a thermographic camera. Finally, appropriate models were used to evaluate the increasing cell batteries temperature in different environmental conditions.

  17. An Optimization Scheduling Model for Wind Power and Thermal Power with Energy Storage System considering Carbon Emission Trading

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huan-huan Li

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Wind power has the characteristics of randomness and intermittence, which influences power system safety and stable operation. To alleviate the effect of wind power grid connection and improve power system’s wind power consumptive capability, this paper took emission trading and energy storage system into consideration and built an optimization model for thermal-wind power system and energy storage systems collaborative scheduling. A simulation based on 10 thermal units and wind farms with 2800 MW installed capacity verified the correctness of the models put forward by this paper. According to the simulation results, the introduction of carbon emission trading can improve wind power consumptive capability and cut down the average coal consumption per unit of power. The introduction of energy storage system can smooth wind power output curve and suppress power fluctuations. The optimization effects achieve the best when both of carbon emission trading and energy storage system work at the same time.

  18. A Chance-Constrained Economic Dispatch Model in Wind-Thermal-Energy Storage System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yanzhe Hu

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available As a type of renewable energy, wind energy is integrated into the power system with more and more penetration levels. It is challenging for the power system operators (PSOs to cope with the uncertainty and variation of the wind power and its forecasts. A chance-constrained economic dispatch (ED model for the wind-thermal-energy storage system (WTESS is developed in this paper. An optimization model with the wind power and the energy storage system (ESS is first established with the consideration of both the economic benefits of the system and less wind curtailments. The original wind power generation is processed by the ESS to obtain the final wind power output generation (FWPG. A Gaussian mixture model (GMM distribution is adopted to characterize the probabilistic and cumulative distribution functions with an analytical expression. Then, a chance-constrained ED model integrated by the wind-energy storage system (W-ESS is developed by considering both the overestimation costs and the underestimation costs of the system and solved by the sequential linear programming method. Numerical simulation results using the wind power data in four wind farms are performed on the developed ED model with the IEEE 30-bus system. It is verified that the developed ED model is effective to integrate the uncertain and variable wind power. The GMM distribution could accurately fit the actual distribution of the final wind power output, and the ESS could help effectively decrease the operation costs.

  19. Operational Experience from Solar Thermal Energy Projects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cameron, C. P.

    1984-01-01

    Over the past few years, Sandia National Laboratories were involved in the design, construction, and operation of a number of DOE-sponsored solar thermal energy systems. Among the systems currently in operation are several industrial process heat projects and the Modular Industrial Solar Retrofit qualification test systems, all of which use parabolic troughs, and the Shenandoah Total Energy Project, which uses parabolic dishes. Operational experience has provided insight to both desirable and undesirable features of the designs of these systems. Features of these systems which are also relevant to the design of parabolic concentrator thermal electric systems are discussed. Other design features discussed are system control functions which were found to be especially convenient or effective, such as local concentrator controls, rainwash controls, and system response to changing isolation. Drive systems are also discussed with particular emphasis of the need for reliability and the usefulness of a manual drive capability.

  20. Multiple Energy System Analysis of Smart Energy Systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thellufsen, Jakob Zinck

    2015-01-01

    thermal grids and smart gas grids, Smart Energy Systems moves the flexibility away from the fuel as is the case in current energy systems and into the system itself. However, most studies applying a Smart Energy System approach deals with analyses for either single countries or whole continents......To eliminate the use of fossil fuels in the energy sector it is necessary to transition to future 100% renewable energy systems. One approach for this radical change in our energy systems is Smart Energy Systems. With a focus on development and interaction between smart electricity grids, smart......, but it is unclear how regions, municipalities, and communities should deal with these national targets. It is necessary to be able to provide this information since Smart Energy Systems utilize energy resources and initiatives that have strong relations to local authorities and communities, such as onshore wind...

  1. Investigation of diffusional transport of heat and its enhancement in phase-change thermal energy storage systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saraswat, Amit; Bhattacharjee, Rajdeep; Verma, Ankit; Das, Malay K.; Khandekar, Sameer

    2017-01-01

    Thermal energy storage in general, and phase-change materials (PCMs) in particular, have been a major topic of research for the last thirty years. Due to their favorable thermo-dynamical characteristics, such as high density, specific heat and latent heat of fusion, PCMs are usually employed as working fluids for thermal storage. However, low thermal conductivities of organic PCMs have posed a continuous challenge in its large scale deployment. This study focuses on experimental and numerical investigation of the melting process of industrial grade paraffin wax inside a semi-cylindrical enclosure with a heating strip attached axially along the center of semi-cylinder. During the first part of the study, the solid-liquid interface location, the liquid flow patterns in the melt pool, and the spatial and temporal variation of PCM temperature were recorded. For numerical simulation of the system, open source library OpenFOAM® was used in order to solve the coupled Navier-Stokes and energy equations in the considered system. It is seen that the enthalpy-porosity technique implemented on OpenFOAM® is reasonably well suited for handling melting/solidification problems and can be employed for system level design. Next, to overcome the inherent thermal limitations of PCM storage material, the study further explored the potential of coupling the existing heat source with copper-water heat pipes, so as to help augment the rate of heat dissipation within the medium by increasing the effective system-level thermal conductivity. Integration of heat pipes led to enhanced transport, and hence, a substantial decrease in the total required melting time. The study provides a framework for designing of large systems with integration of heat pipes with PCM based thermal storage systems.

  2. The thermal impact of aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) systems: a case study in the Netherlands, combining monitoring and modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Visser, Philip W.; Kooi, Henk; Stuyfzand, Pieter J.

    2015-05-01

    Results are presented of a comprehensive thermal impact study on an aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) system in Bilthoven, the Netherlands. The study involved monitoring of the thermal impact and modeling of the three-dimensional temperature evolution of the storage aquifer and over- and underlying units. Special attention was paid to non-uniformity of the background temperature, which varies laterally and vertically in the aquifer. Two models were applied with different levels of detail regarding initial conditions and heterogeneity of hydraulic and thermal properties: a fine-scale heterogeneity model which construed the lateral and vertical temperature distribution more realistically, and a simplified model which represented the aquifer system with only a limited number of homogeneous layers. Fine-scale heterogeneity was shown to be important to accurately model the ATES-impacted vertical temperature distribution and the maximum and minimum temperatures in the storage aquifer, and the spatial extent of the thermal plumes. The fine-scale heterogeneity model resulted in larger thermally impacted areas and larger temperature anomalies than the simplified model. The models showed that scattered and scarce monitoring data of ATES-induced temperatures can be interpreted in a useful way by groundwater and heat transport modeling, resulting in a realistic assessment of the thermal impact.

  3. Thermal solar energy, towards a sunny interval?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    2017-01-01

    While its market results are continuously decreasing, the thermal solar sector regains confidence with the perspectives of a new thermal legislation in France, a higher carbon tax and the growing volume of installed equipment. This document contains 5 articles, which themes are: The renewal of the thermal solar energy sector in France, notably for the building market, due to a new regulation and a reduction in costs; Several companies are developing large capacity thermal solar plant for industrial facilities (one of them covers 10000 m 2 ) while another company is developing an all-in-one containerised system (less than 1 MW); Another example is given with a Caribbean chemical company which use thermal solar energy for its processes, with a reduction of the fuel consumption by a 2.5 factor; The return of experience show that hybrid solar panels present some limitations, especially in terms of performances and sizing; A collective building (35 apartments) in the West of France has 100 pc of its heating needs (hot water production and space heating) satisfied with solar energy

  4. Environmental assessment of the potential effects of aquifer thermal energy storage systems on microorganisms in groundwater

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hicks, R.J.; Stewart, D.L.

    1988-03-01

    The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the potential environmental effects (both adverse and beneficials) of aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) technology pertaining to microbial communities indigenous to subsurface environments (i.e., aquifers) and the propagation, movement, and potential release of pathogenic microorganisms (specifically, Legionella) within ATES systems. Seasonal storage of thermal energy in aquifers shows great promise to reduce peak demand; reduce electric utility load problems; contribute to establishing favorable economics for district heating and cooling systems; and reduce pollution from extraction, refining, and combustion of fossil fuels. However, concerns that the widespread implementation of this technology may have adverse effects on biological systems indigeneous to aquifers, as well as help to propagate and release pathogenic organisms that enter thee environments need to be resolved. 101 refs., 2 tabs.

  5. More with thermal energy storage. Report 5. Modelling systems. Effects of thermal energy storage systems on the environment. Modelling individual projects. Final report; Meer met bodemenergie. Rapport 5. Modellering systemen. Effecten van bodemenergiesystemen op hun omgeving. Modellering individuele projecten. Eindrapport

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Drijver, B.; De Jonge, H. [IF Technology, Arnhem (Netherlands)

    2012-03-30

    The project More With Thermal Energy Storage (MMB, abbreviated in Dutch) focuses on knowledge gaps and potential opportunities regarding open systems. The main questions to be answered are: (1) What effects (hydrological, thermal, microbiological and chemical) occur in the soil system by application of thermal energy storage; (2) Which technical options are available for a sustainable integration of thermal energy storage in the water and energy chain?; (3) Is it possible to achieve multiple objectives by using smart combinations? The project is organized in different work packages. In work package 2, the effects of individual and collective thermal energy storage storage systems on subsoils and the environment are determined. In work package 3 the opportunities for thermal energy storage and soil remediation are examined, while in work package 4 the focus is on new sustainable combinations of heat and cold storage. Work package 1 is the umbrella part where communication and policy of and participation in MMB are the main subjects. This report describes the results of the modeling of three existing thermal energy storage projects in the framework of the MMB project. The aim of the modeling of these projects is to gain insight in the reliability of the predicted hydrological and thermal effects, the causes of any deviations and improvements that are possible to improve the reliability of the predictions [Dutch] Het project Meer Met Bodemenergie (MMB) richt zich op het invullen van kennisleemtes en mogelijke kansen ten aanzien van open systemen. De belangrijkste vragen waarop het onderzoeksprogramma MMB antwoord geeft zijn: (1) Welke effecten (hydrologisch, thermisch, microbiologisch en chemisch) treden op in het bodemsysteem bij toepassing van bodemenergie?; (2) Welke technische mogelijkheden zijn er voor het duurzaam inpassen van bodem-energie in de water- en energieketen?; (3) Is het mogelijk om meerdere doelstellingen tegelijk te verwezenlijken door slimme

  6. Modeling and optimization of energy generation and storage systems for thermal conditioning of buildings targeting conceptual building design

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grahovac, Milica

    2012-11-29

    The thermal conditioning systems are responsible for almost half of the energy consump-tion by commercial buildings. In many European countries and in the USA, buildings account for around 40% of primary energy consumption and it is therefore vital to explore further ways to reduce the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) system energy consumption. This thesis investigates the relationship between the energy genera-tion and storage systems for thermal conditioning of buildings (shorter: primary HVAC systems) and the conceptual building design. Certain building design decisions irreversibly influence a building's energy performance and, conversely, many generation and storage components impose restrictions on building design and, by their nature, cannot be introduced at a later design stage. The objective is, firstly, to develop a method to quantify this influence, in terms of primary HVAC system dimensions, its cost, emissions and energy consumption and, secondly, to enable the use of the developed method by architects during the conceptual design. In order to account for the non-stationary effects of the intermittent renewable energy sources (RES), thermal storage and for the component part load efficiencies, a time domain system simulation is required. An abstract system simulation method is proposed based on seven pre-configured primary HVAC system models, including components such as boil-ers, chillers and cooling towers, thermal storage, solar thermal collectors, and photovoltaic modules. A control strategy is developed for each of the models and their annual quasi-stationary simulation is performed. The performance profiles obtained are then used to calculate the energy consumption, carbon emissions and costs. The annuity method has been employed to calculate the cost. Optimization is used to automatically size the HVAC systems, based on their simulation performance. Its purpose is to identify the system component dimensions that provide

  7. Modeling and optimization of energy generation and storage systems for thermal conditioning of buildings targeting conceptual building design

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grahovac, Milica

    2012-11-29

    The thermal conditioning systems are responsible for almost half of the energy consump-tion by commercial buildings. In many European countries and in the USA, buildings account for around 40% of primary energy consumption and it is therefore vital to explore further ways to reduce the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) system energy consumption. This thesis investigates the relationship between the energy genera-tion and storage systems for thermal conditioning of buildings (shorter: primary HVAC systems) and the conceptual building design. Certain building design decisions irreversibly influence a building's energy performance and, conversely, many generation and storage components impose restrictions on building design and, by their nature, cannot be introduced at a later design stage. The objective is, firstly, to develop a method to quantify this influence, in terms of primary HVAC system dimensions, its cost, emissions and energy consumption and, secondly, to enable the use of the developed method by architects during the conceptual design. In order to account for the non-stationary effects of the intermittent renewable energy sources (RES), thermal storage and for the component part load efficiencies, a time domain system simulation is required. An abstract system simulation method is proposed based on seven pre-configured primary HVAC system models, including components such as boil-ers, chillers and cooling towers, thermal storage, solar thermal collectors, and photovoltaic modules. A control strategy is developed for each of the models and their annual quasi-stationary simulation is performed. The performance profiles obtained are then used to calculate the energy consumption, carbon emissions and costs. The annuity method has been employed to calculate the cost. Optimization is used to automatically size the HVAC systems, based on their simulation performance. Its purpose is to identify the system component dimensions that provide minimal

  8. Optimizing Performance of a Thermal Energy Storage System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Subirats Soler, Monica

    In this thesis, the problem of electricity demand shifting for the cooling needs of a large institution using a thermal energy storage (TES) tank is considered. The system is formed by electric chillers, cooling towers and a TES tank that can store energy for the cooling demand of most days, but not for the hottest ones. The goal is to supply all the cooling needed while minimizing the cost. This is done by shifting the cooling demand to night and early morning hours, when electricity is cheaper and due to lower temperatures, the chillers work more efficiently. This is all done with the help of the TES tank, that acts as a buffer storing chilled water. After a series of assumptions and simplifications, the cost function becomes convex and thus a minimum solution exists. However, from previous work only the chillers were considered, omitting the negative effect that other components of the system, such as cooling towers, had on the overall cost of operation. Using data from the operation of the power plant under real conditions, a method to model the whole system is presented in this thesis. In addition, the algorithm relied on the knowledge of an accurate prediction of the cooling demand, which obviously is not known in advance. A method to predict it starting from a forecasting of the temperature is presented. Finally, the algorithm can be easily modified to allow the imposition constraints that limit the maximum power use of chillers, during specific periods, in response to the overall needs of the micro-grid.

  9. Materials compatibility issues related to thermal energy storage for a space solar dynamic power system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faget, N. M.

    1986-01-01

    Attention is given to results obtained to date in developmental investigations of a thermal energy storage (TES) system for the projected NASA Space Station's solar dynamic power system; these tests have concentrated on issues related to materials compatibility for phase change materials (PCMs) and their containment vessels' materials. The five PCMs tested have melting temperatures that correspond to the operating temperatures of either the Brayton or Rankine heat engines, which were independently chosen for their high energy densities.

  10. Aquifer thermal energy stores in Germany

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kabus, F.; Seibt, P.; Poppei, J.

    2000-01-01

    This paper describes the state of essential demonstration projects of heat and cold storage in aquifers in Germany. Into the energy supply system of the buildings of the German Parliament in Berlin, there are integrated both a deep brine-bearing aquifer for the seasonal storage of waste heat from power and heat cogeneration and a shallow-freshwater bearing aquifer for cold storage. In Neubrandenburg, a geothermal heating plant which uses a 1.200 m deep aquifer is being retrofitted into an aquifer heat storage system which can be charged with the waste heat from a gas and steam cogeneration plant. The first centralised solar heating plant including an aquifer thermal energy store in Germany was constructed in Rostock. Solar collectors with a total area of 1000m 2 serve for the heating of a complex of buildings with 108 flats. A shallow freshwater-bearing aquifer is used for thermal energy storage. (Authors)

  11. Dynamic thermal performance of alveolar brick construction system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gracia, A. de; Castell, A.; Medrano, M.; Cabeza, L.F.

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → Even though U-value does not measure thermal inertia, it is the commonly used parameter. → The thermal performance analysis of buildings must include the evaluation of transient parameters. → Transient parameters of alveolar brick constructive system show good agreement with its low energy consumption. -- Abstract: Alveolar bricks are being introduced in building sector due to the simplicity of their construction system and to the elimination of the insulation material. Nevertheless, it is not clear if this new system is energetically efficient and which is its thermal behaviour. This paper presents an experimental and theoretical study to evaluate the thermal behaviour of the alveolar brick construction system, compared with a traditional Mediterranean brick system with insulation. The experimental study consists of measuring the thermal performance of four real house-like cubicles. The thermal transmittance in steady-state, also known as U-value, is calculated theoretically and experimentally for each cubicle, presenting the insulated cubicles as the best construction system, with differences around 45% in comparison to the alveolar one. On the other hand, experimental results show significantly smaller differences on the energy consumption between the alveolar and insulated construction systems during summer period (around 13% higher for the alveolar cubicle). These values demonstrate the high thermal efficiency of the alveolar system. In addition, the lack of agreement between the measured energy consumption and the calculated U-values, guides the authors to analyze the thermal inertia of the different building components. Therefore, several transient parameters, extracted from the heat transfer matrix and from experimental data, are also evaluated. It can be concluded that the alveolar brick construction system presents higher thermal inertia than the insulated one, justifying the low measured energy consumption.

  12. Demonstration of EnergyNest thermal energy storage (TES) technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoivik, Nils; Greiner, Christopher; Tirado, Eva Bellido; Barragan, Juan; Bergan, Pâl; Skeie, Geir; Blanco, Pablo; Calvet, Nicolas

    2017-06-01

    This paper presents the experimental results from the EnergyNest 2 × 500 kWhth thermal energy storage (TES) pilot system installed at Masdar Institute of Science & Technology Solar Platform. Measured data are shown and compared to simulations using a specially developed computer program to verify the stability and performance of the TES. The TES is based on a solid-state concrete storage medium (HEATCRETE®) with integrated steel tube heat exchangers cast into the concrete. The unique concrete recipe used in the TES has been developed in collaboration with Heidelberg Cement; this material has significantly higher thermal conductivity compared to regular concrete implying very effective heat transfer, at the same time being chemically stable up to 450 °C. The demonstrated and measured performance of the TES matches the predictions based on simulations, and proves the operational feasibility of the EnergyNest concrete-based TES. A further case study is analyzed where a large-scale TES system presented in this article is compared to two-tank indirect molten salt technology.

  13. Economic feasibility of thermal energy storage systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Habeebullah, B.A. [Faculty of Engineering, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah (Saudi Arabia)

    2007-07-01

    This paper investigates the economic feasibility of both building an ice thermal storage and structure a time of rate tariff for the unique air conditioning (A/C) plant of the Grand Holy Mosque of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. The features of the building are unique where the air-conditioned 39,300 m{sup 2} zone is open to the atmosphere and the worshippers fully occupy the building five times a day, in addition hundreds of thousands of worshippers attend the blessed weekend's prayer at noontime, which escalates the peak electricity load. For economic analysis, the objective function is the daily electricity bill that includes the operation cost and the capital investment of the ice storage system. The operation cost is function of the energy imported for operating the plant in which the tariff structure, number of operating hours and the ambient temperature are parameters. The capital recovery factor is calculated for 10% interest rate and payback period of 10 years. Full and partial load storage scenarios are considered. The results showed that with the current fixed electricity rate (0.07 $/kWh), there is no gain in introducing ice storage systems for both storage schemes. Combining energy storage and an incentive time structured rate showed reasonable daily bill savings. For base tariff of 0.07 $/kWh during daytime operation and 0.016 $/kWh for off-peak period, savings were achieved for full load storage scenario. Different tariff structure is discussed and the break-even nighttime rate was determined (varies between 0.008 and 0.03 $/kWh). Partial load storage scenario showed to be unattractive where the savings for the base structured tariff was insignificant. (author)

  14. Thermal analysis and modeling of a swimming pool heating system by utilizing waste energy rejected from a chiller unit of an ice rink

    OpenAIRE

    Kuyumcu Muhammed Enes; Yumrutaş Recep

    2017-01-01

    This study deals with the thermal analysis and modeling of a swimming pool heating system in which the waste energy rejected from the chiller unit of an ice rink is used as an energy source. The system consists of a swimming pool and an ice rink coupled by a chiller unit. The swimming pool and the ice rink both indoor types and were constructed in city of Gaziantep, Turkey. The thermal energy requirement for each section is determined by thermal analysis of each component of the system. Effec...

  15. Low-Cost Metal Hydride Thermal Energy Storage System for Concentrating Solar Power Systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zidan, Ragaiy [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Hardy, B. J. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Corgnale, C. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Teprovich, J. A. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Ward, P. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Motyka, Ted [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

    2016-01-31

    The objective of this research was to evaluate and demonstrate a metal hydride-based TES system for use with a CSP system. A unique approach has been applied to this project that combines our modeling experience with the extensive material knowledge and expertise at both SRNL and Curtin University (CU). Because of their high energy capacity and reasonable kinetics many metal hydride systems can be charged rapidly. Metal hydrides for vehicle applications have demonstrated charging rates in minutes and tens of minutes as opposed to hours. This coupled with high heat of reaction allows metal hydride TES systems to produce very high thermal power rates (approx. 1kW per 6-8 kg of material). A major objective of this work is to evaluate some of the new metal hydride materials that have recently become available. A problem with metal hydride TES systems in the past has been selecting a suitable high capacity low temperature metal hydride material to pair with the high temperature material. A unique aspect of metal hydride TES systems is that many of these systems can be located on or near dish/engine collectors due to their high thermal capacity and small size. The primary objective of this work is to develop a high enthalpy metal hydride that is capable of reversibly storing hydrogen at high temperatures (> 650 °C) and that can be paired with a suitable low enthalpy metal hydride with low cost materials. Furthermore, a demonstration of hydrogen cycling between the two hydride beds is desired.

  16. Thermal analysis and modeling of a swimming pool heating system by utilizing waste energy rejected from a chiller unit of an ice rink

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kuyumcu Muhammed Enes

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This study deals with the thermal analysis and modeling of a swimming pool heating system in which the waste energy rejected from the chiller unit of an ice rink is used as an energy source. The system consists of a swimming pool and an ice rink coupled by a chiller unit. The swimming pool and the ice rink both indoor types and were constructed in city of Gaziantep, Turkey. The thermal energy requirement for each section is determined by thermal analysis of each component of the system. Effects of different design parameters such as ceiling insulation thickness, ceiling emissivity, Carnot efficiency factor and size of the ice rink on the thermal energy requirements and coefficient of performance of the chiller unit are investigated. As a result of analyses of the system, the minimum ice rink area is determined in order to meet annual total heat energy demand of the olympic-sized swimming pool.

  17. Fluctuation and thermal energy balance for drift-wave turbulence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Chang-Bae; Horton, W.

    1990-05-01

    Energy conservation for the drift-wave system is shown to be separated into the wave-energy power balance equation and an ambient thermal-energy transport equation containing the anomalous transport fluxes produced by the fluctuations. The wave energy equation relates the wave energy density and wave energy flux to the anomalous transport flux and the dissipation of the fluctuations. The thermal balance equation determines the evolution of the temperature profiles from the divergence of the anomalous heat flux, the collisional heating and cooling mechanisms and the toroidal pumping effect. 16 refs., 1 tab

  18. Fluctuation and thermal energy balance for drift-wave turbulence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Changbae Kim; Horton, W.

    1991-01-01

    Energy conservation for the drift-wave system is shown to be separated into the wave-energy power balance equation and an ambient thermal-energy transport equation containing the anomalous transport fluxes produced by the fluctuations. The wave energy equation relates the wave energy density and wave energy flux to the anomalous transport flux and the dissipation of the fluctuations. The thermal balance equation determines the evolution of the temperature profiles from the divergence of the anomalous heat flux, the collisional heating and cooling mechanisms and the toroidal pumping effect. (author)

  19. A contribution for the problematic of measurements of fast-neutron-energy spectrum in thermal reactor-systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dederichs, H.

    1978-06-01

    The aims of this work are to check the experimental conditions for using of a 6 Li-semiconductor-spectrometer at thermal reactor-systems and to measure the neutron-energy-spectra at the critical experiment KAHTER comparing with the theory. Using the spectrometer at thermal-neutraon-experiments questions will be attended as resolution, statistic and selection of usable nuclear data. The nuclear data will be gauged by qualified measurements, the statistic will be estimated by simulated calculations and the resolution will be improved by using the Fredholm-equation in the calculations. The calculated spectra show a good agreement with the measured spectra. Only in the energy region of maximum distribution of fission-neutrons there are little difference. The measurements show the using of the spectrometer is recommended at systems with preponderant thermal neutron-spectra, although the resolution and statistic are optimized for the spectrometer by measurements at experiments with fast neutron-spectra. (orig.) 891 RW [de

  20. Multicriteria analysis of thermal and energy systems for tourist facilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Raguzin, I.

    1999-01-01

    The introductory part of the paper briefly presents the technological, economic and environmental optimisation procedure of thermal and energy systems for tourist facilities with the multicriteria ranging method when choosing an optimum solution. The procedure described includes a systematic analysis of the system's structure, energy-mass balance, balance of costs, environmental impact analysis and the choice of an optimum solution. Special attention was paid to criteria quantification for the choice of solution and the most appropriate ranging method.The procedure's application has been illustrated on an example of a potential tourist facility on the Island of Loinj, i.e. the locality with a potential highest category tourist development. This example includes (a) consumers (heating of rooms, preparation of hot water, heating of swimming pool water and cooling of rooms), and (b) producers (boiler room, cooling engine-rooms, a cogeneration plant and heat pumps). The data have been supplied from the project documentation for the reconstruction of the existing facilities mainly preliminary designs. The multicriteria ranging was conducted based on an appropriate computer programme for problem solution. (author)

  1. Total energy system in the future

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hijikata, K.

    1994-01-01

    The possibility of improving the thermal efficiency of energy systems from an exergy point of view is discussed. In total energy systems, we should employ multi-pass recycling consisting of thermal and chemical energies. The recycling system is supported by electrical energy, which is provided by a renewable energy source or by excess commercial electric power. This total energy system should be considered not only in one country, but all around the globe. (author). 6 figs., 4 tabs., 8 refs

  2. Romania needs a strategy for thermal energy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leca Aureliu

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The energy sector in Romania consists of three sub-sectors: electricity, natural gas and heat. Among these, the sub-sector of thermal energy is in the most precarious situation because it has been neglected for a long time. This sub-sector is particularly important both due to the amount of final heat consumption (of over 50% of final energy consumption, and to the fact that it has a direct negative effect on the population, industry and services. This paper presents the main directions for developing a modern strategy of the thermal energy sub-sector, which would fit into Romania’s Energy Strategy that is still in preparation This is based on the author’s 50 years of experience in this field that includes knowledge about the processes and the equipment of thermal energy, expertise in the management and restructuring of energy companies and also knowledge of the specific legislation. It is therefore recommended, following the European regulations and practices, the promotion and upgrading of district heating systems using efficient cogeneration, using trigeneration in Romania, modernizing buildings in terms of energy use, using of renewable energy sources for heating, especially biomass, and modernizing the energy consumption of rural settlements.

  3. A miniature concentrating photovoltaic and thermal system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kribus, Abraham; Kaftori, Daniel; Mittelman, Gur; Hirshfeld, Amir; Flitsanov, Yuri; Dayan, Abraham

    2006-01-01

    A novel miniature concentrating PV (MCPV) system is presented and analyzed. The system is producing both electrical and thermal energy, which is supplied to a nearby consumer. In contrast to PV/thermal (PV/T) flat collectors, the heat from an MCPV collector is not limited to low-temperature applications. The work reported here refers to the evaluation and preliminary design of the MCPV approach. The heat transport system, the electric and thermal performance, the manufacturing cost, and the resulting cost of energy in case of domestic water heating have been analyzed. The results show that the new approach has promising prospects

  4. FY 1977 Annual report on Sunshine Project results. Survey and research on systems utilizing solar energy (Solar thermal power generation systems); 1977 nendo taiyo energy riyo system chosa kenkyu seika hokokusho. Taiyo netsu hatsuden system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1978-03-31

    This project is aimed at surveys and researches on operation, economic efficiency and performance evaluation of solar thermal power generation systems, and test methods, e.g., for aging the materials for their devices, in order to establish the methods for evaluating their performance. For operation of solar thermal power generation systems, a feasible system is a hybrid with another system, e.g., thermal power or nuclear system. For economic efficiency, heat-storage capacity will be based on power generation for around 4 hours a day for a solar system to be installed in Japan. The construction and light/heat-collecting costs should be reduced to around 300,000 yen/kW and 13,000 to 21,000 yen/m{sup 2}, respectively, in order to keep the power generation cost at around 23 yen/kWH. The energy analysis of solar thermal power generation, based on the data given by the industrial correlation tables, indicates that the total energy required for construction of the system can be recovered in 2 to 3 years. Also outlined are construction of a 1MW pilot plant and its facilities, and designs of the pilot plants with a curved surface or tower type light collector. A total of 12 types of reflection mirrors are screened for establishing the air-exposure testing methods. Methods for treating back surface edges of the reflection mirrors are also investigated. (NEDO)

  5. Thermal dynamic simulation of wall for building energy efficiency under varied climate environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xuejin; Zhang, Yujin; Hong, Jing

    2017-08-01

    Aiming at different kind of walls in five cities of different zoning for thermal design, using thermal instantaneous response factors method, the author develops software to calculation air conditioning cooling load temperature, thermal response factors, and periodic response factors. On the basis of the data, the author gives the net work analysis about the influence of dynamic thermal of wall on air-conditioning load and thermal environment in building of different zoning for thermal design regional, and put forward the strategy how to design thermal insulation and heat preservation wall base on dynamic thermal characteristic of wall under different zoning for thermal design regional. And then provide the theory basis and the technical references for the further study on the heat preservation with the insulation are in the service of energy saving wall design. All-year thermal dynamic load simulating and energy consumption analysis for new energy-saving building is very important in building environment. This software will provide the referable scientific foundation for all-year new thermal dynamic load simulation, energy consumption analysis, building environment systems control, carrying through farther research on thermal particularity and general particularity evaluation for new energy -saving walls building. Based on which, we will not only expediently design system of building energy, but also analyze building energy consumption and carry through scientific energy management. The study will provide the referable scientific foundation for carrying through farther research on thermal particularity and general particularity evaluation for new energy saving walls building.

  6. The Effects of Set-Points and Dead-Bands of the HVAC System on the Energy Consumption and Occupant Thermal Comfort

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kazanci, Ongun Berk; Olesen, Bjarne W.

    2013-01-01

    A building is a complex system where many components interact with each other therefore the control system plays a key role regarding the energy consumption and the occupant thermal comfort. This study is concerned with a detached, one-storey, single family, energy-plus house. It is equipped...... on the effects of the set-points and dead-bands of different components on the energy consumption together with the occupant thermal comfort. Evaluations are carried out with TRNSYS for Copenhagen and Madrid in order to compare climatic effects....... with a ground heat exchanger, a ground coupled heat pump, embedded pipes in the floor and in the ceiling, a ventilation system (mechanical and natural), a domestic hot water tank and photovoltaic/thermal panels on the roof. Preliminary evaluations showed that for Madrid, change of indoor set-point in cooling...

  7. Local thermal energy as a structural indicator in glasses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zylberg, Jacques; Lerner, Edan; Bar-Sinai, Yohai; Bouchbinder, Eran

    2017-07-01

    Identifying heterogeneous structures in glasses—such as localized soft spots—and understanding structure-dynamics relations in these systems remain major scientific challenges. Here, we derive an exact expression for the local thermal energy of interacting particles (the mean local potential energy change caused by thermal fluctuations) in glassy systems by a systematic low-temperature expansion. We show that the local thermal energy can attain anomalously large values, inversely related to the degree of softness of localized structures in a glass, determined by a coupling between internal stresses—an intrinsic signature of glassy frustration—anharmonicity and low-frequency vibrational modes. These anomalously large values follow a fat-tailed distribution, with a universal exponent related to the recently observed universal ω4ω4 density of states of quasilocalized low-frequency vibrational modes. When the spatial thermal energy field—a “softness field”—is considered, this power law tail manifests itself by highly localized spots, which are significantly softer than their surroundings. These soft spots are shown to be susceptible to plastic rearrangements under external driving forces, having predictive powers that surpass those of the normal modes-based approach. These results offer a general, system/model-independent, physical/observable-based approach to identify structural properties of quiescent glasses and relate them to glassy dynamics.

  8. Solar Thermal Energy Storage in a Photochromic Macrocycle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vlasceanu, Alexandru; Broman, Søren L; Hansen, Anne S; Skov, Anders B; Cacciarini, Martina; Kadziola, Anders; Kjaergaard, Henrik G; Mikkelsen, Kurt V; Nielsen, Mogens Brøndsted

    2016-07-25

    The conversion and efficient storage of solar energy is recognized to hold significant potential with regard to future energy solutions. Molecular solar thermal batteries based on photochromic systems exemplify one possible technology able to harness and apply this potential. Herein is described the synthesis of a macrocycle based on a dimer of the dihydroazulene/vinylheptafulvene (DHA/VHF) photo/thermal couple. By taking advantage of conformational strain, this DHA-DHA macrocycle presents an improved ability to absorb and store incident light energy in chemical bonds (VHF-VHF). A stepwise energy release over two sequential ring-closing reactions (VHF→DHA) combines the advantages of an initially fast discharge, hypothetically addressing immediate energy consumption needs, followed by a slow process for consistent, long-term use. This exemplifies another step forward in the molecular engineering and design of functional organic materials towards solar thermal energy storage and release. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  9. High-temperature molten salt thermal energy storage systems for solar applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petri, R. J.; Claar, T. D.; Ong, E.

    1983-01-01

    Experimental results of compatibility screening studies of 100 salt/containment/thermal conductivity enhancement (TCE) combinations for the high temperature solar thermal application range of 704 deg to 871 C (1300 to 1600 F) are presented. Nine candidate containment/HX alloy materials and two TCE materials were tested with six candidate solar thermal alkali and alkaline earth carbonate storage salts (both reagent and technical grade of each). Compatibility tests were conducted with salt encapsulated in approx. 6.0 inch x 1 inch welded containers of test material from 300 to 3000 hours. Compatibility evaluations were end application oriented, considering the potential 30 year lifetime requirement of solar thermal power plant components. Analyses were based on depth and nature of salt side corrosion of materials, containment alloy thermal aging effects, weld integrity in salt environment, air side containment oxidation, and chemical and physical analyses of the salt. A need for more reliable, and in some cases first time determined thermophysical and transport property data was also identified for molten carbonates in the 704 to 871 C temperature range. In particular, accurate melting point (mp) measurements were performed for Li2CO3 and Na2CO3 while melting point, heat of fusion, and specific heat determinations were conducted on 81.3 weight percent Na2CO3-18.7 weight percent K2CO3 and 52.2 weight percent BaCO3-47.8 weight percent Na2CO3 to support future TES system design and ultimate scale up of solar thermal energy storage (TES) subsystems.

  10. Myo-inositol based nano-PCM for solar thermal energy storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, D.K.; Suresh, S.; Singh, H.; Rose, B.A.J.; Tassou, S.; Anantharaman, N.

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Properties of Myo-Inositol laden with Al_2O_3 and CuO nanoparticles was studied. • The melting point was found to increase for MI-A and decrease for MI-C. • MI interacted only physically on addition of NPs. • Mass changes were <3% after thermal cycling of MI-A and MI-C. • MI-A is more suited for thermal energy storage than MI-C. - Abstract: The thermo-physical behavior of Myo-Inositol (MI), (a sugar alcohol), was investigated as a potential material for developing more compact solar thermal energy storage systems than those currently available. This latent heat storage medium could be utilized for commercial and industrial applications using solar thermal energy storage in the temperature range of 160–260 °C, if its thermal performance was modified. The objective of this investigation was to determine via experimentation, if Al_2O_3 and CuO nanoparticles dispersed in pure MI for mixtures of 1, 2 and 3% (by weight) improved the thermal performance of MI for solar thermal energy systems. Nanoparticles only physically interacted with MI, and not chemically, even after 50 thermal cycles. The distribution of CuO nanoparticles in the nano-PCM was found to be more uniform than alumina nanoparticles. After cycling, nano-MIs studied here suffered a lower decrease in heat of fusion than pure MI, which makes nano-MIs more suitable for solar thermal storage applications at 160–260 °C. Between CuO and Al_2O_3 nanoparticles, latter was found to be more suitable for compact solar thermal energy storage owing to an increase in melting point observed.

  11. Adsorption thermal energy storage for cogeneration in industrial batch processes: Experiment, dynamic modeling and system analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schreiber, Heike; Graf, Stefan; Lanzerath, Franz; Bardow, André

    2015-01-01

    Adsorption thermal energy storage is investigated for heat supply with cogeneration in industrial batch processes. The feasibility of adsorption thermal energy storage is demonstrated with a lab-scale prototype. Based on these experiments, a dynamic model is developed and successfully calibrated to measurement data. Thereby, a reliable description of the dynamic behavior of the adsorption thermal energy storage unit is achieved. The model is used to study and benchmark the performance of adsorption thermal energy storage combined with cogeneration for batch process energy supply. As benchmark, we consider both a peak boiler and latent thermal energy storage based on a phase change material. Beer brewing is considered as an example of an industrial batch process. The study shows that adsorption thermal energy storage has the potential to increase energy efficiency significantly; primary energy consumption can be reduced by up to 25%. However, successful integration of adsorption thermal storage requires appropriate integration of low grade heat: Preferentially, low grade heat is available at times of discharging and in demand when charging the storage unit. Thus, adsorption thermal energy storage is most beneficial if applied to a batch process with heat demands on several temperature levels. - Highlights: • A highly efficient energy supply for industrial batch processes is presented. • Adsorption thermal energy storage (TES) is analyzed in experiment and simulation. • Adsorption TES can outperform both peak boilers and latent TES. • Performance of adsorption TES strongly depends on low grade heat temperature.

  12. Value and cost analyses for solar thermal-storage systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Luft, W.; Copeland, R.J.

    1983-04-01

    Value and cost data for thermal energy storage are presented for solar thermal central receiver systems for which thermal energy storage appears to be attractive. Both solar thermal electric power and industrial process heat applications are evaluated. The value of storage is based on the cost for fossil fuel and solar thermal collector systems in 1990. The costing uses a standard lifetime methodology with the storage capacity as a parameter. Both value and costs are functions of storage capacity. However, the value function depends on the application. Value/cost analyses for first-generation storage concepts for five central receiver systems (molten salt, water/steam, organic fluid, air, and liquid metal) established the reference against which new systems were compared. Some promising second-generation energy storage concepts have been identified, and some more advanced concepts have also been evaluated.

  13. Performance Optimization of Unglazed Nanofluid Photovoltaic/Thermal System: Energy and Exergy Analyses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Imtiaz Hussain

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The focus of this paper is to predict the transient response of a nanoengineered photovoltaic thermal (PV/T system in view of energy and exergy analyses. Instead of a circular-shaped receiver, a trapezoidal-shaped receiver is employed to increase heat transfer surface area with photovoltaic (PV cells for improvement of heat extraction and thus achievement of a higher PV/T system efficiency. The dynamic mathematical model is developed using MATLAB® software by considering real-time heat transfer coefficients. The proposed model is validated with experimental data from a previous study. Negligible discrepancies were found between measured and predicted data. The validated model was further investigated in detail using different nanofluids by dispersing copper oxide (CuO and aluminum oxide (Al2O3 in pure water. The overall performance of the nanoengineered PV/T system was compared to that of a PV/T system using water only, and optimal operating conditions were determined for maximum useful energy and exergy rates. The results indicated that the CuO/water nanofluid has a notable impact on the energy and exergy efficiencies of the PV/T system compared to that of Al2O3/water nanofluid and water only cases.

  14. Performance of a combined cooling heating and power system with mid-and-low temperature solar thermal energy and methanol decomposition integration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, Da; Liu, Qibin; Lei, Jing; Jin, Hongguang

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • A new middle-and-low temperature solar thermochemical CCHP system is proposed. • The thermodynamic performances of the new system are numerically evaluated. • The superiorities of the new system are demonstrated. - Abstract: In this paper, a new distributed energy system that integrates the mid-and-low temperature solar energy thermochemical process and the methanol decomposition is proposed. Through the solar energy receiver/reactor, the energy collected by a parabolic trough concentrator, at 200–300 °C, is used to drive the decomposition reaction of the methanol into the synthesis gas, and thus the solar thermal energy is converted to the chemical energy. The chemical energy of the synthesis gas released in the combustion chamber of a micro gas turbine is used to drive the combined cooling heating and power systems. Energy analysis and exergy analysis of the system are implemented to evaluate the feasibility of the proposed system. Under the considerations of the changes of the solar irradiation intensity, the off-design performances of the micro turbine and the variations of the load, the design and off-design thermodynamic performances of the system and the characteristics of the chemical energy storage are numerically studied. Numerical results indicate that the primary energy ratio of the system is 76.40%, and the net solar-electricity conversion rate reaches 22.56%, which is higher than exiting large-scale solar thermal power plants. Owing to the introduction of a the solar thermochemical energy storage in the proposed system, the power generation efficiency is insensitive to the variations of the solar radiation, and thus an efficient and stable utilization approach of the solar thermal energy is achieved at all work condition

  15. Study of thermal energy storage using fluidized bed heat exchangers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weast, T. E.; Shannon, L. J.; Ananth, K. P.

    1980-01-01

    The technical and economic feasibility of fluid bed heat exchangers (FBHX) for thermal energy storage (TES) in waste heat recovery applications is assessed by analysis of two selected conceptual systems, the rotary cement kiln and the electric arc furnace. It is shown that the inclusion of TES in the energy recovery system requires that the difference in off-peak and on-peak energy rates be large enough so that the value of the recovered energy exceeds the value of the stored energy by a wide enough margin to offset parasitic power and thermal losses. Escalation of on-peak energy rates due to fuel shortages could make the FBHX/TES applications economically attractive in the future.

  16. Solar thermal energy receiver

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baker, Karl W. (Inventor); Dustin, Miles O. (Inventor)

    1992-01-01

    A plurality of heat pipes in a shell receive concentrated solar energy and transfer the energy to a heat activated system. To provide for even distribution of the energy despite uneven impingement of solar energy on the heat pipes, absence of solar energy at times, or failure of one or more of the heat pipes, energy storage means are disposed on the heat pipes which extend through a heat pipe thermal coupling means into the heat activated device. To enhance energy transfer to the heat activated device, the heat pipe coupling cavity means may be provided with extensions into the device. For use with a Stirling engine having passages for working gas, heat transfer members may be positioned to contact the gas and the heat pipes. The shell may be divided into sections by transverse walls. To prevent cavity working fluid from collecting in the extensions, a porous body is positioned in the cavity.

  17. Effects of regional groundwater flow on the performance of an aquifer thermal energy storage system under continuous operation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Kun Sang

    2014-01-01

    Numerical investigations and a thermohydraulic evaluation are presented for two-well models of an aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) system operating under a continuous flow regime. A three-dimensional numerical model for groundwater flow and heat transport is used to analyze the thermal energy storage in the aquifer. This study emphasizes the influence of regional groundwater flow on the heat transfer and storage of the system under various operation scenarios. For different parameters of the system, performances were compared in terms of the temperature of recovered water and the temperature field in the aquifer. The calculated temperature at the producing well varies within a certain range throughout the year, reflecting the seasonal (quarterly) temperature variation of the injected water. The pressure gradient across the system, which determines the direction and velocity of regional groundwater flow, has a substantial influence on the convective heat transport and performance of aquifer thermal storage. Injection/production rate and geometrical size of the aquifer used in the model also impact the predicted temperature distribution at each stage and the recovery water temperature. The hydrogeological-thermal simulation is shown to play an integral part in the prediction of performance of processes as complicated as those in ATES systems.

  18. Load following generation in nuclear power plants by latent thermal energy storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abe, Yoshiyuki; Takahashi, Yoshio; Kamimoto, Masayuki; Sakamoto, Ryuji; Kanari, Katsuhiko; Ozawa, Takeo

    1985-01-01

    The recent increase in nuclear power plants and the growing difference between peak and off-peak demands imperatively need load following generation in nuclear power plants to meet the time-variant demands. One possible way to resolve the problem is, obviously, a prompt reaction conrol in the reactors. Alternatively, energy storage gives another sophisticated path to make load following generation in more effective manner. Latent thermal energy storage enjoys high storage density and allows thermal extraction at nearly constant temperature, i.e. phase change temperature. The present report is an attempt to evaluate the feasibility of load following electric power generation in nuclear plants (actually Pressurized Water Reactors) by latent thermal energy storage. In this concept, the excess thermal energy in the off-peak period is stored in molten salt latent thermal energy storage unit, and additional power output is generated in auxiliary generator in the peak demand duration using the stored thermal energy. The present evaluation gives encouraging results and shows the primary subject to be taken up at first is the compatibility of candidate storage materials with inexpensive structural metal materials. Chapter 1 denotes the background of the present report, and Chapter 2 reviews the previous studies on the peak load coverage by thermal energy storage. To figure out the concept of the storage systems, present power plant systems and possible constitution of storage systems are briefly shown in Chapter 3. The details of the evaluation of the candidate storage media, and the compilation of the materials' properties are presented in Chapter 4. In Chapter 5, the concept of the storage systems is depicted, and the economical feasibility of the systems is evaluated. The concluding remarks are summarized in Chapter 6. (author)

  19. Energy efficient residential house wall system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aldawi, Fayez; Date, Abhijit; Alam, Firoz; Khan, Iftekhar; Alghamdi, Mohammed

    2013-01-01

    The energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission by the residential housing sector are considered to be one of the largest in economically developed countries. The larger energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission not only put additional pressure on finite fossil fuel resources but also cause global warming and climate change. Additionally, the residential housing sector will be consuming more energy as the house demand and average house floor area are progressively increasing. With currently used residential house wall systems, it is hard to reduce energy consumption for ongoing house space heating and cooling. A smart house wall envelope with optimal thermal masses and insulation materials is vital for reducing our increasing energy consumption. The major aim of this study is to investigate thermal performance and energy saving potential of a new house wall system for variable climate conditions. The thermal performance modelling was carried out using commercially developed software AccuRate ® . The findings indicate that a notable energy savings can be accomplished if a smart house wall system is used. -- Highlights: • Smart house wall system. • Thermal performance modelling and star energy rating. • Energy savings and greenhouse gas reduction

  20. Thermoelectric cooling in combination with photovoltaics and thermal energy storage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Skovajsa Jan

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The article deals with the use of modern technologies that can improve the thermal comfort in buildings. The article describes the usage of thermal energy storage device based on the phase change material (PCM. The technology improves the thermal capacity of the building and it is possible to use it for active heating and cooling. It is designed as a “green technology” so it is able to use renewable energy sources, e.g., photovoltaic panels, solar thermal collectors, and heat pump. Moreover, an interesting possibility is the ability to use thermal energy storage in combination with a photovoltaic system and thermoelectric coolers. In the research, there were made measurements of the different operating modes and the results are presented in the text.

  1. Building automation: Photovoltaic assisted thermal comfort management system for energy saving

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khan, M Reyasudin Basir; Jidin, Razali; Shaaya, Sharifah Azwa; Pasupuleti, Jagadeesh

    2013-01-01

    Building automation plays an important key role in the means to reduce building energy consumption and to provide comfort for building occupants. It is often that air conditioning system operating features ignored in building automation which can result in thermal discomfort among building occupants. Most automation system for building is expensive and incurs high maintenance cost. Such system also does not support electricity demand side management system such as load shifting. This paper discusses on centralized monitoring system for room temperature and photovoltaic (PV) output for feasibility study of PV assisted air conditioning system in small office buildings. The architecture of the system consists of PV modules and sensor nodes located at each room. Wireless sensor network technology (WSN) been used for data transmission. The data from temperature sensors and PV modules transmitted to the host personal computer (PC) wirelessly using Zigbee modules. Microcontroller based USB data acquisition device used to receive data from sensor nodes and displays the data on PC.

  2. Building automation: Photovoltaic assisted thermal comfort management system for energy saving

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reyasudin Basir Khan, M.; Jidin, Razali; Pasupuleti, Jagadeesh; Azwa Shaaya, Sharifah

    2013-06-01

    Building automation plays an important key role in the means to reduce building energy consumption and to provide comfort for building occupants. It is often that air conditioning system operating features ignored in building automation which can result in thermal discomfort among building occupants. Most automation system for building is expensive and incurs high maintenance cost. Such system also does not support electricity demand side management system such as load shifting. This paper discusses on centralized monitoring system for room temperature and photovoltaic (PV) output for feasibility study of PV assisted air conditioning system in small office buildings. The architecture of the system consists of PV modules and sensor nodes located at each room. Wireless sensor network technology (WSN) been used for data transmission. The data from temperature sensors and PV modules transmitted to the host personal computer (PC) wirelessly using Zigbee modules. Microcontroller based USB data acquisition device used to receive data from sensor nodes and displays the data on PC.

  3. Modeling and simulation to determine the potential energy savings by implementing cold thermal energy storage system in office buildings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rismanchi, B.; Saidur, R.; Masjuki, H.H.; Mahlia, T.M.I.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • Simulating the CTES system behavior based on Malaysian climate. • Almost 65% of power is used for cooling for cooling the office buildings, every day. • The baseline shows an acceptable match with real data from the fieldwork. • Overall, the energy used for full load storage is much than the conventional system. • The load levelling storage strategy has 3.7% lower energy demand. - Abstract: In Malaysia, air conditioning (AC) systems are considered as the major energy consumers in office buildings with almost 57% share. During the past decade, cold thermal energy storage (CTES) systems have been widely used for their significant economic benefits. However, there were always doubts about their energy saving possibilities. The main objective of the present work is to develop a computer model to determine the potential energy savings of implementing CTES systems in Malaysia. A case study building has been selected to determine the energy consumption pattern of an office building. In the first step the building baseline model was developed and validated with the recorded data from the fieldwork. Once the simulation results reach an acceptable accuracy, different CTES system configuration was added to the model to predict their energy consumption pattern. It was found that the overall energy used by the full load storage strategy is considerably more than the conventional system. However, by applying the load leveling storage strategy, and considering its benefits to reduce the air handling unit size and reducing the pumping power, the overall energy usage was almost 4% lower than the non-storage system. Although utilizing CTES systems cannot reduce the total energy consumption considerably, but it has several outstanding benefits such as cost saving, bringing balance in the grid system, reducing the overall fuel consumption in the power plants and consequently reducing to total carbon footprint

  4. Thermal solar energy. Collective domestic hot water installations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garnier, Cedric; Chauvet, Chrystele; Fourrier, Pascal

    2016-01-01

    This brochure, edited by ADEME, the French office for energy management and sustainable development, gives a basic outlook on the way to complete the installation of a collective domestic water solar heating system. After some recall of what is solar energy, the thermal solar technology and the energy savings it may induce, this document presents the main hydraulic configurations of a solar heating system with water storage, the dimensioning of a solar water heating system and its cost estimation, the installation and the commissioning of the system, the monitoring and maintenance operations

  5. Model of a thermal energy storage device integrated into a solar assisted heat pump system for space heating

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Badescu, Viorel

    2003-01-01

    Details about modelling a sensible heat thermal energy storage (TES) device integrated into a space heating system are given. The two main operating modes are described. Solar air heaters provide thermal energy for driving a vapor compression heat pump. The TES unit ensures a more efficient usage of the collected solar energy. The TES operation is modeled by using two non-linear coupled partial differential equations for the temperature of the storage medium and heat transfer fluid, respectively. Preliminary results show that smaller TES units provide a higher heat flux to the heat pump vaporiser. This makes the small TES unit discharge more rapidly during time periods with higher thermal loads. The larger TES units provide heat during longer time periods, even if the heat flux they supply is generally smaller. The maximum heat flux is extracted from the TES unit during the morning. Both the heat pump COP and exergy efficiency decrease when the TES unit length increases. Also, the monthly thermal energy stored by the TES unit and the monthly energy necessary to drive the heat pump compressor are increased by increasing the TES unit length

  6. Assessing the sustainable application of Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jaxa-Rozen, M.; Bloemendal, J.M.; Rostampour Samarin, Vahab; Kwakkel, J.H.

    2016-01-01

    Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) can yield significant reductions in the energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of larger buildings, and the use of these systems has been rapidly growing in Europe – especially in the Netherlands, where over 3000 systems are currently active in urban

  7. Thermal power plant efficiency enhancement with Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Soto, Rodrigo; Vergara, Julio

    2014-01-01

    In addition to greenhouse gas emissions, coastal thermal power plants would gain further opposition due to their heat rejection distressing the local ecosystem. Therefore, these plants need to enhance their thermal efficiency while reducing their environmental offense. In this study, a hybrid plant based on the principle of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion was coupled to a 740 MW coal-fired power plant project located at latitude 28°S where the surface to deepwater temperature difference would not suffice for regular OTEC plants. This paper presents the thermodynamical model to assess the overall efficiency gained by adopting an ammonia Rankine cycle plus a desalinating unit, heated by the power plant condenser discharge and refrigerated by cold deep seawater. The simulation allowed us to optimize a system that would finally enhance the plant power output by 25–37 MW, depending on the season, without added emissions while reducing dramatically the water temperature at discharge and also desalinating up to 5.8 million tons per year. The supplemental equipment was sized and the specific emissions reduction was estimated. We believe that this approach would improve the acceptability of thermal and nuclear power plant projects regardless of the plant location. -- Highlights: • An Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion hybrid plant was designed. • The waste heat of a power plant was delivered as an OTEC heat source. • The effect of size and operating conditions on plant efficiency were studied. • The OTEC implementation in a Chilean thermal power plant was evaluated. • The net efficiency of the thermal power plant was increased by 1.3%

  8. Survey of EPA facilities for solar thermal energy applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nelson, E. V.; Overly, P. T.; Bell, D. M.

    1980-01-01

    A study was done to assess the feasibility of applying solar thermal energy systems to EPA facilities. A survey was conducted to determine those EPA facilities where solar energy could best be used. These systems were optimized for each specific application and the system/facility combinations were ranked on the basis of greatest cost effectiveness.

  9. Scenarios for solar thermal energy applications in Brazil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martins, F.R.; Abreu, S.L.; Pereira, E.B.

    2012-01-01

    The Solar and Wind Energy Resource Assessment (SWERA) database is used to prepare and discuss scenarios for solar thermal applications in Brazil. The paper discusses low temperature applications (small and large scale water heating) and solar power plants for electricity production (concentrated solar power plants and solar chimney plants) in Brazil. The results demonstrate the feasibility of large-scale application of solar energy for water heating and electricity generation in Brazil. Payback periods for water heating systems are typically below 4 years if they were used to replace residential electric showerheads in low-income families. Large-scale water heating systems also present high feasibility and many commercial companies are adopting this technology to reduce operational costs. The best sites to set up CSP plants are in the Brazilian semi-arid region where the annual energy achieves 2.2 MW h/m 2 and averages of daily solar irradiation are larger than 5.0 kW h/m 2 /day. The western area of Brazilian Northeastern region meets all technical requirements to exploit solar thermal energy for electricity generation based on solar chimney technology. Highlights: ► Scenarios for solar thermal applications are presented. ► Payback is typically below 4 years for small scale water heating systems. ► Large-scale water heating systems also present high feasibility. ► The Brazilian semi-arid region is the best sites for CSP and chimney tower plants.

  10. Advances in solar thermal energy in Uruguay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Franco Noceto, P.

    2012-01-01

    This article is about the law 18585 which declared de solar thermal energy as national interest. This law establishes the obligation to incorporate solar heating systems in health care centers, hotels and sports clubs.

  11. The performance of a novel flat heat pipe based thermal and PV/T (photovoltaic and thermal systems) solar collector that can be used as an energy-active building envelope material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jouhara, H.; Milko, J.; Danielewicz, J.; Sayegh, M.A.; Szulgowska-Zgrzywa, M.; Ramos, J.B.; Lester, S.P.

    2016-01-01

    A novel flat heat pipe design has been developed and utilised as a building envelope and thermal solar collector with and without (PV) bonded directly to its surface. The design of the new solar collector has been validated through full scale testing in Cardiff, UK where solar/thermal, uncooled PV and PV/T tests were carried out on three identical systems, simultaneously. The tests showed a solar/thermal energy conversion efficiency of around 64% for the collector with no PV and 50% for the system with the PV layer on it. The effect of cooling on the solar/electrical energy conversion efficiency was also investigated and an efficiency increase of about 15% was recorded for the cooled PV system due to the provided homogenous cooling. The new flat heat pipe solar collector is given the name “heat mat” and, in addition to being an efficient solar collector type, it is also designed to convert a building envelope materials to become energy-active. A full size roof that utilise this new building envelope material is reported in this paper to demonstrate the way this new collector is integrated as a building envelope material to form a roof. A thermal absorption test, in a controlled environment, from the ambient to the heat mat with no solar radiation is also reported. The test has proved the heat mat as an efficient thermal absorber from the ambient to the intermediate fluid that deliver the heat energy to the heat pump system. - Highlights: • A new flat heat pipe PV/T system that can be used as building materials is reported. • The new solar collector enhanced the performance of the PV by about 15%. • The new solar collector is capable of absorbing heat from ambient efficiently. • The new system is efficient from the solar/thermal conversion point of view.

  12. Research on Power System Scheduling Improving Wind Power Accommodation Considering Thermal Energy Storage and Flexible Load

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zou, Chenlu; Cui, Xue; Wang, Heng; Zhou, Bin; Liu, Yang

    2018-01-01

    In the case of rapid development of wind power and heavy wind curtailment, the study of wind power accommodation of combined heat and power system has become the focus of attention. A two-stage scheduling model contains of wind power, thermal energy storage, CHP unit and flexible load were constructed. This model with the objective function of minimizing wind curtailment and the operation cost of units while taking into account of the total coal consumption of units, constraint of thermal energy storage and electricity-heat characteristic of CHP. This paper uses MICA to solve the problem of too many constraints and make the solution more feasible. A numerical example showed that the two stage decision scheduling model can consume more wind power, and it could provide a reference for combined heat and power system short-term operation

  13. Temperature distribution by the effect of groundwater flow in an aquifer thermal energy storage system model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shim, B.

    2005-12-01

    Aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) can be a cost-effective and renewable energy source, depending on site-specific thermohydraulic conditions. To design an effective ATES system, the understanding of thermohydraulic processes is necessary. The heat transfer phenomena of an aquifer heat storage system are simulated with the scenario of heat pump operation of pumping and waste water reinjection in a two layered confined aquifer model having the effect of groundwater movement. Temperature distribution of the aquifer model is generated, and hydraulic heads and temperature variations are monitored at both wells during simulation days. The average groundwater velocities are determined with two assumed hydraulic gradients set by boundary conditions, and the effect of groundwater flow are shown at the generated thermal distributions at three different depth slices. The generated temperature contour lines at the hydraulic gradient of 0.001 are shaped circular, and the center is moved less than 5 m to the east in 365 days. However at the hydraulic gradient of 0.01, the contour centers of the east well at each depth slice are moved near the east boundary and the movement of temperature distribution is increased at the lower aquifer. By the analysis of thermal interference data between two wells the efficiency of a heat pump operation model is validated, and the variation of heads is monitored at injection, pumping and stabilized state. The thermal efficiency of the ATES system model is represented as highly depended on groundwater flow velocity and direction. Therefore the hydrogeologic condition for the system site should be carefully surveyed.

  14. Membrane heat exchanger in HVAC energy recovery systems, systems energy analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nasif, M. [School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 (Australia); Opus International Consultants (New Zealand); AL-Waked, R. [Mechanical Engineering Department, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University (PMU), P.O. Box 1614, AlKhobar 31952 (Saudi Arabia); Morrison, G. [School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 (Australia); Behnia, M. [School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, University of Sydney, NSW 2006 (Australia)

    2010-10-15

    The thermal performance of an enthalpy/membrane heat exchanger is experimentally investigated. The heat exchanger utilizes a 60gsm Kraft paper as the heat and moisture transfer surface for HVAC energy recovery. The heat exchanger sensible, latent and total effectiveness have been determined through temperature and moisture content measurements. The annual energy consumption of an air conditioner coupled with an enthalpy/membrane heat exchanger is also studied and compared with a conventional air conditioning cycle using in-house modified HPRate software. The heat exchanger effectiveness are used as thermal performance indicators and incorporated in the modified software. Energy analysis showed that an air conditioning system coupled with a membrane heat exchanger consumes less energy than a conventional air conditioning system in hot and humid climates where the latent load is high. It has been shown that in humid climate a saving of up to 8% in annual energy consumption can be achieved when membrane heat exchanger is used instead of a conventional HVAC system. (author)

  15. Residential Solar-Based Seasonal Thermal Storage Systems in Cold Climates: Building Envelope and Thermal Storage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandre Hugo

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available The reduction of electricity use for heating and domestic hot water in cold climates can be achieved by: (1 reducing the heating loads through the improvement of the thermal performance of house envelopes, and (2 using solar energy through a residential solar-based thermal storage system. First, this paper presents the life cycle energy and cost analysis of a typical one-storey detached house, located in Montreal, Canada. Simulation of annual energy use is performed using the TRNSYS software. Second, several design alternatives with improved thermal resistance for walls, ceiling and windows, increased overall air tightness, and increased window-to-wall ratio of South facing windows are evaluated with respect to the life cycle energy use, life cycle emissions and life cycle cost. The solution that minimizes the energy demand is chosen as a reference house for the study of long-term thermal storage. Third, the computer simulation of a solar heating system with solar thermal collectors and long-term thermal storage capacity is presented. Finally, the life cycle cost and life cycle energy use of the solar combisystem are estimated for flat-plate solar collectors and evacuated tube solar collectors, respectively, for the economic and climatic conditions of this study.

  16. Passive residual energy utilization system in thermal cycles on water-cooled power reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Placco, Guilherme M.; Guimaraes, Lamartine N.F.; Santos, Rubens S. dos

    2013-01-01

    This work presents a concept of a residual energy utilization in nuclear plants thermal cycles. After taking notice of the causes of the Fukushima nuclear plant accident, an idea arose to adapt a passive thermal circuit as part of the ECCS (Emergency Core Cooling System). One of the research topics of IEAv (Institute for Advanced Studies), as part of the heat conversion of a space nuclear power system is a passive multi fluid turbine. One of the main characteristics of this device is its passive capability of staying inert and be brought to power at moments notice. During the first experiments and testing of this passive device, it became clear that any small amount of gas flow would generate power. Given that in the first stages of the Fukushima accident and even during the whole event there was plenty availability of steam flow that would be the proper condition to make the proposed system to work. This system starts in case of failure of the ECCS, including loss of site power, loss of diesel generators and loss of the battery power. This system does not requires electricity to run and will work with bleed steam. It will generate enough power to supply the plant safety system avoiding overheating of the reactor core produced by the decay heat. This passive system uses a modified Tesla type turbine. With the tests conducted until now, it is possible to ensure that the operation of this new turbine in a thermal cycle is very satisfactory and it performs as expected. (author)

  17. An optimisation framework for thermal energy storage integration in a residential heat pump heating system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Renaldi, R.; Kiprakis, A.; Friedrich, D.

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • An integrated framework for the optimal design of low carbon heating systems. • Development of a synthetic heat demand model with occupancy profiles. • Linear model of a heat pump with thermal energy storage heating system. • Evaluation of domestic heating system from generally available input parameters. • The lower carbon heating system can be cost competitive with conventional systems. - Abstract: Domestic heating has a large share in the UK total energy consumption and significant contribution to the greenhouse gas emissions since it is mainly fulfilled by fossil fuels. Therefore, decarbonising the heating system is essential and an option to achieve this is by heating system electrification through heat pumps (HP) installation in combination with renewable power generation. A potential increase in performance and flexibility can be achieved by pairing HP with thermal energy storage (TES), which allows the shifting of heat demand to off peak periods or periods with surplus renewable electricity. We present a design and operational optimisation model which is able to assess the performance of HP–TES relative to conventional heating systems. The optimisation is performed on a synthetic heat demand model which requires only the annual heat demand, temperature and occupancy profiles. The results show that the equipment and operational cost of a HP system without TES are significantly higher than for a conventional system. However, the integration of TES and time-of-use tariffs reduce the operational cost of the HP systems and in combination with the Renewable Heating Incentive make the HP systems cost competitive with conventional systems. The presented demand model and optimisation procedure will enable the design of low carbon district heating systems which integrate the heating system with the variable renewable electricity supply.

  18. Thermal energy harvesting for application at MEMS scale

    CERN Document Server

    Percy, Steven; McGarry, Scott; Post, Alex; Moore, Tim; Cavanagh, Kate

    2014-01-01

    This book discusses the history of thermal heat generators and focuses on the potential for these processes using micro-electrical mechanical systems (MEMS) technology for this application. The main focus is on the capture of waste thermal energy for example from industrial processes, transport systems or the human body to generate useable electrical power.  A wide range of technologies is discussed, including external combustion heat cycles at MEMS ( Brayton, Stirling and Rankine), Thermoacoustic, Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs), Multiferroics, Thermionics, Pyroelectric, Seebeck, Alkali Metal Thermal, Hydride Heat Engine, Johnson Thermo Electrochemical Converters, and the Johnson Electric Heat Pipe.

  19. On-line energy and battery thermal management for hybrid electric heavy-duty truck

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pham, H.T.; Kessels, J.T.B.A.; Bosch, van den P.P.J.; Huisman, R.G.M.; Nevels, R.M.P.A.

    2013-01-01

    This paper discusses an integrated approach for energy and thermal management to minimize the fuel consumption of a hybrid electric heavy-duty truck. Conventional Energy Management Systems (EMS) operate separately from the Battery Thermal Management System (BTMS) in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs).

  20. A comparative study on three types of solar utilization technologies for buildings: Photovoltaic, solar thermal and hybrid photovoltaic/thermal systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huide, Fu; Xuxin, Zhao; Lei, Ma; Tao, Zhang; Qixing, Wu; Hongyuan, Sun

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Models of Solar thermal, Photovoltaic and Photovoltaic/thermal systems are developed. • Experiments are performed to validate the simulation results. • Annual performances of the three solar systems used in china are predicted. • Energy comparison between the three solar systems is analyzed. - Abstract: Buildings need energy including heat and electricity, and both of them can be provided by the solar systems. Solar thermal and photovoltaic systems absorb the solar energy and can supply the heat and electricity for buildings, respectively. However, for the urban residential buildings, the limited available area makes installation of the solar thermal collectors and photovoltaic modules together impossible. A hybrid photovoltaic/thermal system can simultaneously generate heat and electricity, which is deemed to be quite suitable for the urban residential buildings application. And yet, for a rural house of China, the available area for installation of the solar collectors is large but daily domestic hot water demand of a rural family is generally not exceeded 300 L. If only the hybrid photovoltaic/thermal collectors are installed on the whole available area, this will lead to an overproduction of the thermal energy, especially in summer. Moreover, buildings requiring for the heat and electricity are different in different regions and different seasons. In this paper, simulation models of the solar thermal, photovoltaic and hybrid photovoltaic/thermal systems are presented, and experiments are also performed to validate the simulation results. Using the validated models, performances of the three solar systems for residential applications were predicted. And energy comparison between the three solar systems used in Hongkong, Lhasa, Shanghai and Beijing of China, respectively, were also studied. Results show that, for the urban residential building with limited available installation space, a hybrid photovoltaic/thermal system may have the

  1. Energy Performance of a Novel System Combining Natural Ventilation with Diffuse Ceiling Inlet and Thermally Activated Building Systems (TABS)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yu, Tao

    and thermally activated building systems (TABS) for cooling and ventilation in future Danish office buildings. The new solution would have the special potential of using natural ventilation all year round even in the extremely cold seasons without any draught risk. The main focuses of this study are the energy...

  2. Thermal comfort and building energy consumption implications – A review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Liu; Yan, Haiyan; Lam, Joseph C.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • We review studies of thermal comfort and discuss building energy use implications. • Adaptive comfort models tend to have a wider comfort temperature range. • Higher indoor temperatures would lead to fewer cooling systems and less energy use. • Socio-economic study and post-occupancy evaluation of built environment is desirable. • Important to consider future climate scenarios in heating, cooling and power schemes. - Abstract: Buildings account for about 40% of the global energy consumption and contribute over 30% of the CO 2 emissions. A large proportion of this energy is used for thermal comfort in buildings. This paper reviews thermal comfort research work and discusses the implications for building energy efficiency. Predicted mean vote works well in air-conditioned spaces but not naturally ventilated buildings, whereas adaptive models tend to have a broader comfort temperature ranges. Higher indoor temperatures in summertime conditions would lead to less prevalence of cooling systems as well as less cooling requirements. Raising summer set point temperature has good energy saving potential, in that it can be applied to both new and existing buildings. Further research and development work conducive to a better understanding of thermal comfort and energy conservation in buildings have been identified and discussed. These include (i) social-economic and cultural studies in general and post-occupancy evaluation of the built environment and the corresponding energy use in particular, and (ii) consideration of future climate scenarios in the analysis of co- and tri-generation schemes for HVAC applications, fuel mix and the associated energy planning/distribution systems in response to the expected changes in heating and cooling requirements due to climate change

  3. Survey of solar thermal energy storage subsystems for thermal/electric applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Segaser, C. L.

    1978-08-01

    A survey of the current technology and estimated costs of subsystems for storing the thermal energy produced by solar collectors is presented. The systems considered were capable of producing both electricity and space conditioning for three types of loads: a single-family detached residence, an apartment complex of 100 units, and a city of 30,000 residents, containing both single-family residences and apartments. Collector temperatures will be in four ranges: (1) 100 to 250/sup 0/F (used for space heating and single-cycle air conditioners and organic Rankine low-temperature turbines); (2) 300 to 400/sup 0/F (used for dual-cycle air conditioners and low-temperature turbines); (3) 400 to 600/sup 0/F (using fluids from parabolic trough collectors to run Rankine turbines); (4) 800 to 1000/sup 0/F (using fluids from heliostats to run closed-cycle gas turbines and steam Rankine turbines). The solar thermal energy subsystems will require from 60 to 36 x 10/sup 5/ kWhr (2.05 x 10/sup 5/ to 1.23 x 10/sup 10/ Btu) of thermal storage capacity. In addition to sensible heat and latent heat storage materials, several other media were investigated as potential thermal energy storage materials, including the clathrate and semiclathrate hydrates, various metal hydrides, and heat storage based on inorganic chemical reactions.

  4. Solar-thermal conversion and thermal energy storage of graphene foam-based composite

    KAUST Repository

    Zhang, Lianbin

    2016-07-11

    Among various utilizations of solar energy, solar-thermal conversion has recently gained renewed research interest due to its extremely high energy efficiency. However, one limiting factor common to all solar-based energy conversion technologies is the intermittent nature of solar irradiation, which makes them unable to stand-alone to satisfy continuous energy need. Herein, we report a three-dimensional (3D) graphene foam and phase change material (PCM) composite for the seamlessly combined solar-thermal conversion and thermal storage for sustained energy release. The composite is obtained by infiltrating the 3D graphene foam with a commonly used PCM, paraffin wax. The high macroporosity and low density of the graphene foam allow for high weight fraction of the PCM to be incorporated, which enhances heat storage capacity of the composite. The interconnected graphene sheets in the composite provide (1) the solar-thermal conversion capability, (2) high thermal conductivity and (3) form stability of the composite. Under light irradiation, the composite effectively collects and converts the light energy into thermal energy, and the converted thermal energy is stored in the PCM and released in an elongated period of time for sustained utilization. This study provides a promising route for sustainable utilization of solar energy.

  5. Solar-thermal conversion and thermal energy storage of graphene foam-based composites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Lianbin; Li, Renyuan; Tang, Bo; Wang, Peng

    2016-08-14

    Among various utilizations of solar energy, solar-thermal conversion has recently gained renewed research interest due to its extremely high energy efficiency. However, one limiting factor common to all solar-based energy conversion technologies is the intermittent nature of solar irradiation, which makes them unable to stand-alone to satisfy the continuous energy need. Herein, we report a three-dimensional (3D) graphene foam and phase change material (PCM) composite for the seamlessly combined solar-thermal conversion and thermal storage for sustained energy release. The composite is obtained by infiltrating the 3D graphene foam with a commonly used PCM, paraffin wax. The high macroporosity and low density of the graphene foam allow for high weight fraction of the PCM to be incorporated, which enhances the heat storage capacity of the composite. The interconnected graphene sheets in the composite provide (1) the solar-thermal conversion capability, (2) high thermal conductivity and (3) form stability of the composite. Under light irradiation, the composite effectively collects and converts the light energy into thermal energy, and the converted thermal energy is stored in the PCM and released in an elongated period of time for sustained utilization. This study provides a promising route for sustainable utilization of solar energy.

  6. Enhancing Low-Grade Thermal Energy Recovery in a Thermally Regenerative Ammonia Battery Using Elevated Temperatures

    KAUST Repository

    Zhang, Fang

    2015-02-13

    © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA. A thermally regenerative ammonia battery (TRAB) is a new approach for converting low-grade thermal energy into electricity by using an ammonia electrolyte and copper electrodes. TRAB operation at 72°C produced a power density of 236±8 Wm-2, with a linear decrease in power to 95±5 Wm-2 at 23°C. The improved power at higher temperatures was due to reduced electrode overpotentials and more favorable thermodynamics for the anode reaction (copper oxidation). The energy density varied with temperature and discharge rates, with a maximum of 650 Whm-3 at a discharge energy efficiency of 54% and a temperature of 37°C. The energy efficiency calculated with chemical process simulation software indicated a Carnot-based efficiency of up to 13% and an overall thermal energy recovery of 0.5%. It should be possible to substantially improve these energy recoveries through optimization of electrolyte concentrations and by using improved ion-selective membranes and energy recovery systems such as heat exchangers.

  7. Economics of compressed air energy storage employing thermal energy storage

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schulte, S.C.; Reilly, R.W.

    1979-11-01

    The approach taken in this study is to adopt system design and capital cost estimates from three independent CAES studies (eight total designs) and, by supplying a common set of fuel/energy costs and economic assumptions in conjunction with a common methodology, to arrive at a series of levelized energy costs over the system's lifetime. In addition, some analyses are provided to gauge the sensitivity of these levelized energy costs to fuel and compression energy costs and to system capacity factors. The systems chosen for comparison are of four generic types: conventional CAES, hybrid CAES, adiabatic CAES, and an advanced-design gas turbine (GT). In conventional CAES systems the heat of compression generated during the storage operation is rejected to the environment, and later, during the energy-generation phase, turbine fuel must be burned to reheat the compressed air. In the hybrid systems some of the heat of compression is stored and reapplied later during the generation phase, thereby reducing turbine fuel requirements. The adiabatic systems store adequate thermal energy to eliminate the need for turbine fuel entirely. The gas turbine is included within the report for comparison purposes; it is an advanced-design turbine, one that is expected to be available by 1985.

  8. Energy saving and consumption reducing evaluation of thermal power plant

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Xiu; Han, Miaomiao

    2018-03-01

    At present, energy saving and consumption reduction require energy saving and consumption reduction measures for thermal power plant, establishing an evaluation system for energy conservation and consumption reduction is instructive for the whole energy saving work of thermal power plant. By analysing the existing evaluation system of energy conservation and consumption reduction, this paper points out that in addition to the technical indicators of power plant, market activities should also be introduced in the evaluation of energy saving and consumption reduction in power plant. Ttherefore, a new evaluation index of energy saving and consumption reduction is set up and the example power plant is calculated in this paper. Rresults show that after introducing the new evaluation index of energy saving and consumption reduction, the energy saving effect of the power plant can be judged more comprehensively, so as to better guide the work of energy saving and consumption reduction in power plant.

  9. Characterisation of Ground Thermal and Thermo-Mechanical Behaviour for Shallow Geothermal Energy Applications

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vieira, Ana; Alberdi-Pagola, Maria; Christodoulides, Paul

    2017-01-01

    Increasing use of the ground as a thermal reservoir is expected in the near future. Shallow geothermal energy (SGE) systems have proved to be sustainable alternative solutions for buildings and infrastructure conditioning in many areas across the globe in the past decades. Recently novel solutions......-hydro-mechanical behaviour of soil is introduced and discussed. These coupled processes are important for confirming the structural integrity of energy geostructures, but routine methods for parameter determination are still lacking (Energies). Keywords: shallow geothermal systems; soil thermal behaviour; laboratory testing......, including energy geostructures, where SGE systems are coupled with foundation heat exchangers, have also been developed. The performance of these systems is dependent on a series of factors, among which the thermal properties of the soil play a major role. The purpose of this paper is to present...

  10. Investigation of solar parabolic trough power plants with and without integrated TES (thermal energy storage) and FBS (fuel backup system) using thermic oil and solar salt

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boukelia, T.E.; Mecibah, M.S.; Kumar, B.N.; Reddy, K.S.

    2015-01-01

    Thermodynamic, economic and environmental analyses of concentrating solar power plants assist in identifying an effective and viable configuration. In this paper, a 4E (energy-exergy-environmental-economic) comparative study of 8 different configurations of parabolic trough solar thermal power plants with two different working fluids (Therminol VP-1 -oil and molten solar salt), with and without integrated thermal energy storage or/and backup fuel system is presented. The results of the comparative study indicate relevant differences among the 8 configurations. The molten solar salt configuration with integrated thermal energy storage and fossil fuel backup system exhibits the highest overall energy efficiency (18.48%) compared to other configurations. Whereas, the highest overall exergy efficiency (21.77%), capacity factor (38.20%) and annual energy generation (114 GWh) are found for the oil based configuration with integrated thermal energy storage and fossil fuel backup system. The results indicate that the configurations based on molten salt are better in terms of environmental and economical parameters. The configurations with integrated thermal energy storage and fossil fuel backup system are found to be techno-economical, but on the other hand are less environment friendly. A detailed comparison of these plants after optimization must be performed before drawing a final conclusion about the best configuration to be adopted in parabolic trough solar thermal power plant. - Highlights: • 4E comparative study of 8 configurations of PTSTPP with two different fluids. • Comparison of the configurations with and without integrated TES (thermal energy storage) and FBS (fuel backup system). • The overall energy efficiency of the salt plant with TES and FBS is the highest. • The overall exergy efficiency of the oil plant with TES and FBS is the highest. • The salt plants are the best configurations in terms of environ–eco parameters

  11. Thermal energy at the nanoscale

    CERN Document Server

    Fisher, Timothy S

    2014-01-01

    These lecture notes provide a detailed treatment of the thermal energy storage and transport by conduction in natural and fabricated structures. Thermal energy in two carriers, i.e. phonons and electrons -- are explored from first principles. For solid-state transport, a common Landauer framework is used for heat flow. Issues including the quantum of thermal conductance, ballistic interface resistance, and carrier scattering are elucidated. Bulk material properties, such as thermal and electrical conductivity, are derived from particle transport theories, and the effects of spatial confinement on these properties are established. Readership: Students and professionals in physics and engineering.

  12. Design Considerations of a Solid State Thermal Energy Storage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Janbozorgi, Mohammad; Houssainy, Sammy; Thacker, Ariana; Ip, Peggy; Ismail, Walid; Kavehpour, Pirouz

    2016-11-01

    With the growing governmental restrictions on carbon emission, renewable energies are becoming more prevalent. A reliable use of a renewable source however requires a built-in storage to overcome the inherent intermittent nature of the available energy. Thermal design of a solid state energy storage has been investigated for optimal performance. The impact of flow regime, laminar vs. turbulent, on the design and sizing of the system is also studied. The implications of low thermal conductivity of the storage material are discussed and a design that maximizes the round trip efficiency is presented. This study was supported by Award No. EPC-14-027 Granted by California Energy Commission (CEC).

  13. Biogeochemical aspects of aquifer thermal energy storage

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Brons, H.J.

    1992-01-01

    During the process of aquifer thermal energy storage the in situ temperature of the groundwater- sediment system may fluctuate significantly. As a result the groundwater characteristics can be considerably affected by a variety of chemical, biogeochemical and microbiological

  14. Modeling electric load and water consumption impacts from an integrated thermal energy and rainwater storage system for residential buildings in Texas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Upshaw, Charles R.; Rhodes, Joshua D.; Webber, Michael E.

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Hydronic integrated rainwater thermal storage (ITHERST) system concept presented. • ITHERST system modeled to assess peak electric load shifting and water savings. • Case study shows 75% peak load reduction and 9% increase in energy consumption. • Potable rainwater collection could provide ∼50–90% of water used for case study. - Abstract: The United States’ built environment is a significant direct and indirect consumer of energy and water. In Texas, and other parts of the Southern and Western US, air conditioning loads, particularly from residential buildings, contribute significantly to the peak electricity load on the grid, straining transmission. In parallel, water resources in these regions are strained by growing populations and shrinking supplies. One potential method to address both of these issues is to develop integrated thermal energy and auxiliary water (e.g. rainwater, greywater, etc.) storage and management systems that reduce peak load and freshwater consumption. This analysis focuses on a proposed integrated thermal energy and rainwater storage (ITHERST) system that is incorporated into a residential air-source chiller/heat pump with hydronic distribution. This paper describes a step-wise hourly thermodynamic model of the thermal storage system to assess on-peak performance, and a daily volume-balance model of auxiliary water collection and consumption to assess water savings potential. While the model is generalized, this analysis uses a case study of a single family home in Austin, Texas to illustrate its capabilities. The results indicate this ITHERST system could reduce on-peak air conditioning electric power demand by over 75%, with increased overall electric energy consumption of approximately 7–9%, when optimally sized. Additionally, the modeled rainwater collection reduced municipal water consumption by approximately 53–89%, depending on the system size.

  15. Advanced high-temperature thermal energy storage media for industrial applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Claar, T. D.; Waibel, R. T.

    1982-02-01

    An advanced thermal energy storage media concept based on use of carbonate salt/ceramic composite materials is being developed for industrial process and reject heat applications. The composite latent/sensible media concept and its potential advantages over state of the art latent heat systems is described. Media stability requirements, on-going materials development efforts, and planned thermal energy storage (TES) performance evaluation tests are discussed.

  16. Thermal energy storage - A review of concepts and systems for heating and cooling applications in buildings

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pavlov, Georgi Krasimiroy; Olesen, Bjarne W.

    2012-01-01

    period required, economic viability, and operating conditions. One of the main issues impeding the utilization of the full potential of natural and renewable energy sources, e.g., solar and geothermal, for space heating and space cooling applications is the development of economically competitive......The use of thermal energy storage (TES) in buildings in combination with space heating and/or space cooling has recently received much attention. A variety of TES techniques have developed over the past decades. TES systems can provide short-term storage for peak-load shaving as well as long......-term (seasonal) storage for the introduction of natural and renewable energy sources. TES systems for heating or cooling are utilized in applications where there is a time mismatch between the demand and the most economically favorable supply of energy. The selection of a TES system mainly depends on the storage...

  17. Analysis of a Concentrated Solar Thermophotovoltaic System with Thermal Energy Storage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seyf, Hamid Reza; Henry, Asegun

    2017-01-01

    We analyzed a high temperature concentrated solar thermophotovoltaic (TPV) system with thermal energy storage (TES), which is enabled by the potential usage of liquid metal as a high temperature heat transfer fluid. The system concept combines the great advantages of TES with the potential for low cost and high performance derived from photovoltaic cells fabricated on reusable substrates, with a high reflectivity back reflector for photon recycling. The TES makes the electricity produced dispatchable, and thus the system studied should be compared to technologies such as concentrated solar power (CSP) with TES (e.g., using a turbine) or PV with electrochemical batteries, instead of direct and intermittent electricity generation from flat plate PV alone. Thus, the addition of TES places the system in a different class than has previously been considered and based on the model results, appears worthy of increased attention. The system level analysis presented identifies important cell level parameters that have the greatest impact on the overall system performance, and as a result can help to set the priorities for future TPV cell development.

  18. A thermal engine for underwater glider driven by ocean thermal energy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Yanan; Wang, Yanhui; Ma, Zhesong; Wang, Shuxin

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Thermal engine with a double-tube structure is developed for underwater glider. • Isostatic pressing technology is effective to increase volumetric change rate. • Actual volumetric change rate reaches 89.2% of the theoretical value. • Long term sailing of 677 km and 27 days is achieved by thermal underwater glider. - Graphical Abstract: - Abstract: Underwater glider is one of the most popular platforms for long term ocean observation. Underwater glider driven by ocean thermal energy extends the duration and range of underwater glider powered by battery. Thermal engine is the core device of underwater glider to harvest ocean thermal energy. In this paper, (1) model of thermal engine was raised by thermodynamics method and the performance of thermal engine was investigated, (2) thermal engine with a double-tube structure was developed and isostatic pressing technology was applied to improve the performance for buoyancy driven, referencing powder pressing theory, (3) wall thickness of thermal engine was optimized to reduce the overall weight of thermal engine, (4) material selection and dimension determination were discussed for a faster heat transfer design, by thermal resistance analysis, (5) laboratory test and long term sea trail were carried out to test the performance of thermal engine. The study shows that volumetric change rate is the most important indicator to evaluating buoyancy-driven performance of a thermal engine, isostatic pressing technology is effective to improve volumetric change rate, actual volumetric change rate can reach 89.2% of the theoretical value and the average power is about 124 W in a typical diving profile. Thermal engine developed by Tianjin University is a superior thermal energy conversion device for underwater glider. Additionally, application of thermal engine provides a new solution for miniaturization of ocean thermal energy conversion.

  19. Thermodynamic analyses and assessments of various thermal energy storage systems for buildings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Caliskan, Hakan; Dincer, Ibrahim; Hepbasli, Arif

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Proposing a novel latent (PCM), thermochemical and sensible (aquifer) TES combination for building heating. ► Performing comprehensive environmental, energy, exergy and sustainability analyses. ► Investigating the effect of varying dead state temperatures on the TESs. - Abstract: In this study, energetic, exergetic, environmental and sustainability analyses and their assessments are carried out for latent, thermochemical and sensible thermal energy storage (TES) systems for phase change material (PCM) supported building applications under varying environment (surrounding) temperatures. The present system consists of a floor heating system, System-I, System-II and System-III. The floor heating system stays at the building floor supported with a floor heating unit and pump. The System-I includes a latent TES system and a fan. The latent TES system is comprised of a PCM supported building envelope, in which from outside to inside; glass, transparent insulation material, PCM, air channel and insulation material are placed, respectively. Furthermore, System-II mainly has a solar-thermochemical TES while there are an aquifer TES and a heat pump in System-III. Among the TESs, the hot and cold wells of the aquifer TES have maximum exergetic efficiency values of 88.782% and 69.607% at 8 °C dead state temperature, respectively. According to the energy efficiency aspects of TESs, the discharging processes of the latent TES and the hot well of the aquifer TES possess the minimum and maximum values of 5.782% and 94.118% at 8 °C dead state temperature, respectively. Also, the fan used with the latent TES is the most environmentally-benign system component among the devices. Furthermore, the most sustainable TES is found for the aquifer TES while the worst sustainable system is the latent TES.

  20. The use of salinity contrast for density difference compensation to improve the thermal recovery efficiency in high-temperature aquifer thermal energy storage systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Lopik, J.H.; Hartog, N.; Zaadnoordijk, Willem Jan

    The efficiency of heat recovery in high-temperature (>60 °C) aquifer thermal energy storage (HT-ATES) systems is limited due to the buoyancy of the injected hot water. This study investigates the potential to improve the efficiency through compensation of the density difference by increased salinity

  1. Solar energy thermalization and storage device

    Science.gov (United States)

    McClelland, J.F.

    A passive solar thermalization and thermal energy storage assembly which is visually transparent is described. The assembly consists of two substantial parallel, transparent wall members mounted in a rectangular support frame to form a liquid-tight chamber. A semitransparent thermalization plate is located in the chamber, substantially paralled to and about equidistant from the transparent wall members to thermalize solar radiation which is stored in a transparent thermal energy storage liquid which fills the chamber. A number of the devices, as modules, can be stacked together to construct a visually transparent, thermal storage wall for passive solar-heated buildings.

  2. Inventory of thermal solar energy systems in the Netherlands: Period 1975-1992

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Warmerdam, J.M.; Stap, C.A.M.

    1993-10-01

    An overview is given of the number of active thermal solar energy systems that have been installed in the Netherlands during the period 1975-1992. By the end of 1992, 8,300 systems have been installed, of which 6,000 were domestic solar hot water systems. The uncertainty in these figures is 10%. Several sources were used to determine the number of systems installed. The two main sources were the files of the solar industry association 'Holland Solar' (data until 1988), and the Dutch subsidy administrator 'Senter' for data from 1988 up to and including 1992. At the end of 1992 preparations were made for the installation of approximately 3,000 domestic solar water heaters in 1993. It is recommended to carry out an inventory every three months and to compile data on investment costs. 17 figs., 7 appendices

  3. Joint energy demand and thermal comfort optimization in photovoltaic-equipped interconnected microgrids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baldi, Simone; Karagevrekis, Athanasios; Michailidis, Iakovos T.; Kosmatopoulos, Elias B.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Energy efficient operation of photovoltaic-equipped interconnected microgrids. • Optimized energy demand for a block of heterogeneous buildings with different sizes. • Multiobjective optimization: matching demand and supply taking into account thermal comfort. • Intelligent control mechanism for heating, ventilating, and air conditioning units. • Optimization of energy consumption and thermal comfort at the aggregate microgrid level. - Abstract: Electrical smart microgrids equipped with small-scale renewable-energy generation systems are emerging progressively as an alternative or an enhancement to the central electrical grid: due to the intermittent nature of the renewable energy sources, appropriate algorithms are required to integrate these two typologies of grids and, in particular, to perform efficiently dynamic energy demand and distributed generation management, while guaranteeing satisfactory thermal comfort for the occupants. This paper presents a novel control algorithm for joint energy demand and thermal comfort optimization in photovoltaic-equipped interconnected microgrids. Energy demand shaping is achieved via an intelligent control mechanism for heating, ventilating, and air conditioning units. The intelligent control mechanism takes into account the available solar energy, the building dynamics and the thermal comfort of the buildings’ occupants. The control design is accomplished in a simulation-based fashion using an energy simulation model, developed in EnergyPlus, of an interconnected microgrid. Rather than focusing only on how each building behaves individually, the optimization algorithm employs a central controller that allows interaction among the buildings of the microgrid. The control objective is to optimize the aggregate microgrid performance. Simulation results demonstrate that the optimization algorithm efficiently integrates the microgrid with the photovoltaic system that provides free electric energy: in

  4. Ice thermal storage air conditioning system for electric load leveling; Denryoku heijunka to hyochikunetsu system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shigenaga, Y. [Daikin Industries Ltd., Osaka (Japan)

    1998-08-15

    Thermal storage air conditioning system is the one to use energy stored into thermal storing materials by using night electric power and to operate effective air conditioning. Therefore, as load can be treated by the stored energy, volume of the apparatus can be reduced. And, by reduction of the consumed power at day time, it can contribute to leveling of electric power demand. In general, there are two types in the thermal storage method: one is a method to store as thermal energy, and the other is that to store as chemical energy. For conditions required for the storing materials, important elements on their actual uses are not only physical properties such as large thermal storage per unit and easy thermal in- and out-puts, but also safety, long-term reliability, and easy receiving and economics containing future. The ice thermal storage air conditioning system is classified at the viewpoint of type of ice, kind of thermal storing medium, melting method on using cooling and heating, kinds of thermal medium on cooling and heating. 3 refs., 5 figs., 2 tabs.

  5. Influence of nanomaterials on properties of latent heat solar thermal energy storage materials – A review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Raam Dheep, G.; Sreekumar, A.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Classification of phase change materials. • Studies on phase change properties of various phase change materials. • Influence of nanomaterials on properties of phase change materials. - Abstract: Thermal energy storage system plays a critical role in developing an efficient solar energy device. As far as solar thermal devices are concerned, there is always a mismatch between supply and demand due to intermittent and unpredictable nature of solar radiation. A well designed thermal energy storage system is capable to alleviate this demerit by providing a constant energy delivery to the load. Many research works is being carried out to determine the suitability of thermal energy storage system to integrate with solar thermal gadgets. This review paper summarizes the numerous investigations on latent heat thermal energy storage using phase change materials (PCM) and its classification, properties, selection criteria, potential research areas and studies involved to analyze the thermal–physical properties of PCM

  6. PCM/wood composite to store thermal energy in passive building envelopes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barreneche, C.; Vecstaudza, J.; Bajare, D.; Fernandez, A. I.

    2017-10-01

    The development of new materials to store thermal energy in a passive building system is a must to improve the thermal efficiency by thermal-regulating the indoor temperatures. This fact will deal with the reduction of the gap between energy supply and energy demand to achieve thermal comfort in building indoors. The aim of this work was to test properties of novel PCM/wood composite materials developed at Riga Technical University. Impregnation of PCM (phase change material) in wood increases its thermal mass and regulates temperature fluctuations during day and night. The PCM used are paraffin waxes (RT-21 and RT-27 from Rubitherm) and the wood used was black alder, the most common wood in Latvia. The PCM distribution inside wood sample has been studied as well as its thermophysical, mechanical and fire reaction properties. Developed composite materials are promising in the field of energy saving in buildings.

  7. Evaluation of thermal energy storage materials for advanced compressed air energy storage systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zaloudek, F.R.; Wheeler, K.R.; Marksberry, L.

    1983-03-01

    Advanced Compressed-Air Energy Storage (ACAS) plants have the near-term potential to reduce the fuel consumption of compressed-air plants from 33 to 100%, depending upon their design. Fuel is saved by storing some or all of the heat of compression as sensible heat which is subsequently used to reheat the compressed air prior to expansion in the turbine generator. The thermal storage media required for this application must be low cost and durable. The objective of this project was to screen thermal store materials based on their thermal cycle durability, particulate formation and corrosion resistant characteristics. The materials investigated were iron oxide pellets, Denstone pebbles, cast-iron balls, and Dresser basalt rock. The study specifically addressed the problems of particle formation and thermal ratcheting of the materials during thermal cycling and the chemical attack on the materials by the high temperature and moist environment in an ACAS heat storage bed. The results indicate that from the durability standpoint Denstone, cast iron containing 27% or more chromium, and crushed Dresser basalt would possibly stand up to ACAS conditions. If costs are considered in addition to durability and performance, the crushed Dresser basalt would probably be the most desirable heat storage material for adiabatic and hybrid ACAS plants, and more in-depth longer term thermal cycling and materials testing of Dresser basalt is recommended. Also recommended is the redesign and costing analysis of both the hybrid and adiabatic ACAS facilities based upon the use of Dresser basalt as the thermal store material.

  8. Exact solution of thermal energy storage system using PCM flat slabs configuration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bechiri, Mohammed; Mansouri, Kacem

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • An exact solution of a latent heat storage unit (LHSU) consisting of several flat slabs was obtained. • The working fluid (HTF) circulating by forced convection between the slabs charges and discharges the storage unit. • The charging/discharging process is investigated for various HTF working conditions and different design parameters. - Abstract: An analytical investigation of thermal energy storage system (TESS) consisting of several flat slabs of phase change material (PCM) is presented. The working fluid (HTF) circulating on laminar forced convection between the slabs charges and discharges the storage unit. The melting and solidification of the PCM was treated as a radial one dimensional conduction problem. The forced convective heat transfer inside the channels is analyzed by solving the energy equation, which is coupled with the heat conduction equation in the PCM container. The comparison between the present exact solution with the numerical predictions and experimental data available in literature shows good agreement. The charging/discharging process is investigated in terms of liquid–solid interface position, liquid fraction, total heat transmitted to the PCM and thermal storage efficiency for various HTF working conditions and different design parameters such as PCM slab length, fluid passage gap and thickness of PCM duct container

  9. Flexible operation of thermal plants with integrated energy storage technologies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koytsoumpa, Efthymia Ioanna; Bergins, Christian; Kakaras, Emmanouil

    2017-08-01

    The energy system in the EU requires today as well as towards 2030 to 2050 significant amounts of thermal power plants in combination with the continuously increasing share of Renewables Energy Sources (RES) to assure the grid stability and to secure electricity supply as well as to provide heat. The operation of the conventional fleet should be harmonised with the fluctuating renewable energy sources and their intermittent electricity production. Flexible thermal plants should be able to reach their lowest minimum load capabilities while keeping the efficiency drop moderate as well as to increase their ramp up and down rates. A novel approach for integrating energy storage as an evolutionary measure to overcome many of the challenges, which arise from increasing RES and balancing with thermal power is presented. Energy storage technologies such as Power to Fuel, Liquid Air Energy Storage and Batteries are investigated in conjunction with flexible power plants.

  10. Commercial thermal distribution systems, Final report for CIEE/CEC

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xu, Tengfang; Bechu, Olivier; Carrie, Remi; Dickerhoff, Darryl; Fisk, William; Franconi, Ellen; Kristiansen, Oyvind; Levinson, Ronnen; McWilliams, Jennifer; Wang, Duo; Modera, Mark; Webster, Tom; Ring, Erik; Zhang, Qiang; Huizenga, Charlie; Bauman, Fred; Arens, Ed

    1999-12-01

    According to the California Energy Commission (CEC 1998a), California commercial buildings account for 35% of statewide electricity consumption, and 16% of statewide gas consumption. Space conditioning accounts for roughly 16,000 GWh of electricity and 800 million therms of natural gas annually, and the vast majority of this space conditioning energy passes through thermal distribution systems in these buildings. In addition, 8600 GWh per year is consumed by fans and pumps in commercial buildings, most of which is used to move the thermal energy through these systems. Research work at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) has been ongoing over the past five years to investigate the energy efficiency of these thermal distribution systems, and to explore possibilities for improving that energy efficiency. Based upon that work, annual savings estimates of 1 kWh/ft{sup 2} for light commercial buildings, and 1-2 kWh/ft{sup 2} in large commercial buildings have been developed for the particular aspects of thermal distribution system performance being addressed by this project. Those savings estimates, combined with a distribution of the building stock based upon an extensive stock characterization study (Modera et al. 1999a), and technical penetration estimates, translate into statewide saving potentials of 2000 GWh/year and 75 million thermal/year, as well as an electricity peak reduction potential of 0.7 GW. The overall goal of this research program is to provide new technology and application knowledge that will allow the design, construction, and energy services industries to reduce the energy waste associated with thermal distribution systems in California commercial buildings. The specific goals of the LBNL efforts over the past year were: (1) to advance the state of knowledge about system performance and energy losses in commercial-building thermal distribution systems; (2) to evaluate the potential of reducing thermal losses through duct sealing, duct

  11. Potential energy savings and thermal comfort

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Karsten Ingerslev; Rudbeck, Claus Christian; Schultz, Jørgen Munthe

    1996-01-01

    The simulation results on the energy saving potential and influence on indoor thermal comfort by replacement of common windows with aerogel windows as well as commercial low-energy windows are described and analysed.......The simulation results on the energy saving potential and influence on indoor thermal comfort by replacement of common windows with aerogel windows as well as commercial low-energy windows are described and analysed....

  12. Thermal Energy Corporation Combined Heat and Power Project

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Turner, E. Bruce [Thermal Energy Corporation, Houston, TX (United States); Brown, Tim [Thermal Energy Corporation, Houston, TX (United States); Mardiat, Ed [Burns and McDonnell Engineering Company, Inc., Kansas City, MI (United States)

    2011-12-31

    To meet the planned heating and cooling load growth at the Texas Medical Center (TMC), Thermal Energy Corporation (TECO) implemented Phase 1 of a Master Plan to install an additional 32,000 tons of chilled water capacity, a 75,000 ton-hour (8.8 million gallon) Thermal Energy Storage (TES) tank, and a 48 MW Combined Heat and Power (CHP) system. The Department of Energy selected TMC for a $10 million grant award as part of the Financial Assistance Funding Opportunity Announcement, U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology, Recovery Act: Deployment of Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Systems, District Energy Systems, Waste Energy Recovery Systems, and Efficiency Industrial Equipment Funding Opportunity Number: DE-FOA-0000044 to support the installation of a new 48 MW CHP system at the TMC located just outside downtown Houston. As the largest medical center in the world, TMC is home to many of the nation's best hospitals, physicians, researchers, educational institutions, and health care providers. TMC provides care to approximately six million patients each year, and medical instruction to over 71,000 students. A medical center the size of TMC has enormous electricity and thermal energy demands to help it carry out its mission. Reliable, high-quality steam and chilled water are of utmost importance to the operations of its many facilities. For example, advanced medical equipment, laboratories, laundry facilities, space heating and cooling all rely on the generation of heat and power. As result of this project TECO provides this mission critical heating and cooling to TMC utilizing a system that is both energy-efficient and reliable since it provides the capability to run on power independent of the already strained regional electric grid. This allows the medical center to focus on its primary mission providing top quality medical care and instruction without worrying about excessive energy costs or the loss of heating and cooling due to the risk of power

  13. Geological exploration for a high-temperature aquifer thermal energy storage (HT-ATES) system: a case study from Oman

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winterleitner, Gerd; Schütz, Felina; Huenges, Ernst

    2017-04-01

    A collaborative research programme between the German Research Centre for Geoscience, Potsdam (GFZ) and The Research Council of Oman (TRC) is underway, which aims to develop and implement an innovative concept of a sustainable thermally driven cooling system in combination with a HT-ATES in northern Oman. The system will use an absorption chiller for cold supply, which nominally requires water of around 100°C as energy source. Solar collectors will provide this thermal energy and energy surpluses during daytimes will be stored to ensure a continuous operation of the cooling system. An integral part of this project is, therefore, the development of an efficient HT-ATES (100°C), which is based on temporary storage and recovery of thermal energy through hot water injection in subsurface aquifer horizons. Thus, an accurate thermal and fluid flow characterisation of potential reservoir horizons is essential to ensure optimal efficiency of the cooling system. The study area is located in the Al Khwad area, approximately 40 km to the west of Muscat. The area is characterised by a thick Cenozoic mixed carbonate-siliciclastic sedimentary succession, containing at least 3 aquifer horizons. We use a multidisciplinary approach for the initial ATES exploration and development phase, including traditional geological fieldwork dovetailed with virtual outcrop geology, thin-section analyses, geological modelling and reservoir fluid flow forecasting analyses. Our first results indicate two potential storage horizons: (1) a Miocene-aged clastic-dominated alluvial fan system and (2) an Eocene carbonate-dominated sequence. The alluvial fan system is characterised by a more than 300 m thick, coarse-clastic succession of coalesced individual fans. Thermal and hydraulic parameters are favourable for gravel and sandstone intervals but reservoir architecture is complex due to multiple generations of interconnecting fans with highly heterogeneous facies distributions. The Eocene carbonates

  14. Ceramics and healthy heating and cooling systems: thermal ceramic panels in buildings. Conditions of comfort and energy demand versus convective systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. Echarri Iribarren

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Porcelain stoneware is a widely used building material. In recent years, its range of uses has expanded to encompass a new spectrum of innovative and inventive applications in architecture. In this research, we analysed the patented Thermal Ceramic Panel. This consists of a thin porcelain stoneware panel that incorporates a capillary system of polypropylene tubes measuring 3.5 mm in diameter embedded in a conductive ceramic interface. The system works with hot or cold water, producing healthy heating and cooling by means of radiant surfaces. Following an initial prototype test in which panels were placed on the walls of an office, we conducted simulations at the University of Alicante Museum using wall, ceiling and baffle panels, having previously monitored the state of the building. Thermal behaviour parameters were analysed and compared with those of other standard finishing materials, obtaining results for thermal comfort and energy savings in comparison with all-air systems.

  15. Scientific Research Program for Power, Energy, and Thermal Technologies. Task Order 0001: Energy, Power, and Thermal Technologies and Processes Experimental Research. Subtask: Thermal Management of Electromechanical Actuation System for Aircraft Primary Flight Control Surfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-05-01

    Computer FHPCP Flexible Heat Pipe Cold Plate HPEAS High Performance Electric Actuation System HPU Hydraulic Power Unit HSM Hydraulic Service...provide improved thermal paths and phase change materials offer energy storage. Loop heat pipes (LHP’s) and Flexible Heat Pipe Cold Plates (FHPCP’s...flows upward due to density difference through centrally located vapor channels called risers and then condenses on the colder surface associated

  16. Exergy and energy analyses of two different types of PCM based thermal management systems for space air conditioning applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tyagi, V.V.; Pandey, A.K.; Buddhi, D.; Tyagi, S.K.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► Calcium chloride hexahydrate (CaCl 2 ⋅6H 2 O) as a PCM was used in this study. ► Two different capsulated system (HDPE based panel and balls) were designed. ► The results of CaCl 2 ⋅6H 2 O are very attractive for space air conditioning. ► Energy and exergy analyses for space cooling applications. - Abstract: This communication presents the experimental study of PCM based thermal management systems for space heating and cooling applications using energy and exergy analysis. Two different types of based thermal management system (TMS-I and TMS-II) using calcium chloride hexahydrate as the heat carrier has been designed, fabricated and studied for space heating and cooling applications at a typical climatic zone in India. In the first experimental arrangement the charging of PCM has been carried out with air conditioning system while discharging has been carried out using electric heater for both the thermal management systems. While in the second arrangement the charging of PCM has been carried out by solar energy and the discharging has been carried out by circulating the cooler ambient air during the night time. In the first experiment, TMS-I is found to be more effective than that of TMS-II while it was found to be reverse in the case of second experiment for both the charging and discharging processes not only for energetic but also for the exergetic performances

  17. CALORSTOCK'94. Thermal energy storage. Better economy, environment, technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kangas, M.T.; Lund, P.D.

    1994-01-01

    This publication is the first volume of the proceedings of CALORSTOCK'94, the sixth international conference on thermal energy storage held in Espoo, Finland on August 22-25, 1994. This volume contains 58 presentations from the following six sessions: Aquifer storage, integration into energy systems, Simulation models and design tools, IEA energy conservation through energy storage programme workshop, Earth coupled storage, District heating and utilities

  18. Thermal energy storage for sustainable energy consumption : fundamentals, case studies and design

    CERN Document Server

    Paksoy, Halime

    2007-01-01

    We all share a small planet. Our growing thirst for energy already threatens the future of our earth. Fossil fuels - energy resources of today - are not evenly distributed on the earth. 10 per cent of the world's population exploits 90 per cent of its resources. Today's energy systems rely heavily on fossil fuel resources which are diminishing ever faster. The world must prepare for a future without fossil fuels. Thermal energy storage provides us with a flexible heating and/or cooling tool to combat climate change through conserving energy and increasing energy while utilizing natural renewab

  19. Thermal Management and Thermal Protection Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hasnain, Aqib

    2016-01-01

    's rays directly impinging on the system. Heating rate of the lamps were calculated by knowing fraction of emitted energy in a wavelength interval and the filament temperature. This version of the model can be used to predict performance of the system under vacuum with extreme cold or hot conditions. Initial testing of the PTMS showed promise, and the thermal math model predicts even better performance in thermal vacuum testing. ii) Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) are required for vehicles which enter earth's atmosphere to protect from aerodynamic heating caused by the friction between the vehicle and atmospheric gases. Orion's heat shield design has two aspects which needed to be analyzed thermally: i) a small excess of adhesive used to bond the outer AVCOAT layer to the inner composite structure tends to seep from under the AVCOAT and form a small bead in between two bricks of AVCOAT, ii) a silicone rubber with different thermophysical properties than AVCOAT fills the gap between two bricks of AVCOAT. I created a thermal model using TD to determine temperature differences that are caused by these two features. To prevent false results, all TD models must be verified against something known. In this case, the TD model was correlated to CHAR, an ablation modelling software used to analyze TPS. Analyzing a node far from the concerning features, we saw that the TD model data match CHAR data, verifying the TD model. Next, the temperature of the silicone rubber as well as the bead of adhesive were analyzed to determine if they exceeded allowable temperatures. It was determined that these two features do not have a significant effect on the max temperature of the heat shield. This model can be modified to check temperatures at various locations of the heat shield where the composite thickness varies.

  20. Thermal photovoltaic solar integrated system analysis using neural networks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ashhab, S. [Hashemite Univ., Zarqa (Jordan). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

    2007-07-01

    The energy demand in Jordan is primarily met by petroleum products. As such, the development of renewable energy systems is quite attractive. In particular, solar energy is a promising renewable energy source in Jordan and has been used for food canning, paper production, air-conditioning and sterilization. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) have received significant attention due to their capabilities in forecasting, modelling of complex nonlinear systems and control. ANNs have been used for forecasting solar energy. This paper presented a study that examined a thermal photovoltaic solar integrated system that was built in Jordan. Historical input-output system data that was collected experimentally was used to train an ANN that predicted the collector, PV module, pump and total efficiencies. The model predicted the efficiencies well and can therefore be utilized to find the operating conditions of the system that will produce the maximum system efficiencies. The paper provided a description of the photovoltaic solar system including equations for PV module efficiency; pump efficiency; and total efficiency. The paper also presented data relevant to the system performance and neural networks. The results of a neural net model were also presented based on the thermal PV solar integrated system data that was collected. It was concluded that the neural net model of the thermal photovoltaic solar integrated system set the background for achieving the best system performance. 10 refs., 6 figs.

  1. Thermal energy storage and utilization system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1976-01-01

    The power output from a nuclear power plant or fossil fuel power plant operating under constant reactor (or furnace) and boiler conditions is varied by regulating the rate of turbine extraction steam and primary high pressure steam used to heat boiler feed water (BFW). During periods of low power demand, excess extraction steam is drawn off to heat excess quantities of boiler feed water. Such boiler feed water can be heated to the maximum extent possible and used to reheat interstage steam before being sent at slightly reduced temperature to the boilers. In this way, maximum use can be made of the thermal energy stored in the low vapor pressure organic material. Alternatively, or simultaneously, the stored hot LVP organic material can be used to raise intermediate pressure steam and this steam can be injected into the steam turbines between appropriate stages or into auxiliary turbines used solely for this purpose

  2. Optimization of thermal insulation to achieve energy savings in low energy house (refurbishment)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bojić, Milorad; Miletić, Marko; Bojić, Ljubiša

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • For buildings that require heating, a thickness of their thermal insulation is optimized. • The objective was to improve energy efficiency of the building. • The optimization is performed by using EnergyPlus and Hooke–Jeeves method. • The embodied energy of thermal insulation and the entire life cycle of the house are taken into account. - Abstract: Due to the current environmental situation, saving energy and reducing CO 2 emission have become the leading drive in modern research. For buildings that require heating, one of the solutions is to optimize a thickness of their thermal insulation and thus improve energy efficiency and reduce energy needs. In this paper, for a small residential house in Serbia, an optimization in the thickness of its thermal insulation layer is investigated by using EnergyPlus software and Hooke–Jeeves direct search method. The embodied energy of thermal insulation is taken into account. The optimization is done for the entire life cycle of thermal insulation. The results show the optimal thickness of thermal insulation that yields the minimum primary energy consumption

  3. High-Temperature Thermal Energy Storage for electrification and district heating

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, A. Schrøder; Engelbrecht, K.; Soprani, S.

    stability upon thermal cycling. The most promising material consists of basalt, diabase, and magnetite, whereas the less suited rocks contain larger proportions of quartz and mica. An HT-TES system, containing 1.5 m3 of rock pieces, was constructed. The rock bed was heated to 600 ˚C using an electric heater......The present work describes development of a High Temperature Thermal Energy Storage (HT-TES) system based on rock bed technology. A selection of rocks was investigated by thermal analysis in the range 20-800 ˚C. Subsequently, a shortlist was defined primarily based on mechanical and chemical...... to simulate thermal charging from wind energy. After complete heating of the rock bed it was left fully charged for hours to simulate actual storage conditions. Subsequently the bed discharging was performed by leading cold air through the rock bed whereby the air was heated and led to an exhaust. The results...

  4. Control of Solar Energy Systems

    CERN Document Server

    Camacho, Eduardo F; Rubio, Francisco R; Martínez, Diego

    2012-01-01

    Control of Solar Energy Systems details the main solar energy systems, problems involved with their control, and how control systems can help in increasing their efficiency.  After a brief introduction to the fundamental concepts associated with the use of solar energy in both photovoltaic and thermal plants, specific issues related to control of solar systems are embarked upon. Thermal energy systems are then explored in depth, as well as  other solar energy applications such as solar furnaces and solar refrigeration systems. Problems of variable generation profile and of the contribution of many solar plants to the same grid system are considered with the necessary integrated and supervisory control solutions being discussed. The text includes material on: ·         A comparison of basic and advanced control methods for parabolic troughs from PID to nonlinear model-based control; ·         solar towers and solar tracking; ·         heliostat calibration, characterization and off...

  5. Simulation study on reduction of peak power demand and energy consumption in residential houses with solar thermal and PV systems; Taiyo energy riyo jutaku no fuka heijunka oyobi energy sakugen koka no simulation ni yoru kento

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Endo, T. [Yokohama City Office, Yokohama (Japan); Udagawa, M. [Kogakuin Univ., Tokyo (Japan). Faculty of Engineering

    1995-11-20

    In this study, taking the all factors involved in the energy consumption in residential houses as subjects, the effectiveness of the solar PV system and solar thermal utilizing system in residential houses has been studied by simulating a model residential house considering the improvement of the residual environment in the future. Therefore, a model residual house is assumed, 18 kinds of combinations of construction style, cooling and heating type and solar energy utilizing form are assumed and year round simulation is carried out. The conclusions obtained by the simulation are as follows. The energy consumption in residential houses may decrease greatly by using a solar hot water supplying system. If combined with a solar PV system, the energy consumption in one year is about 8.7 to 9.7 MWh. The combined use of a solar thermal utilizing system and a PV system is more effective to reduce the second-time energy in comparison with the PV system only. 36% of the space heating energy consumption may be decreased by using the solar space heating system, but the decrease effect of the energy consumption of the solar space heating system is smaller than the solar hot water supplying system. 12 refs., 26 figs., 3 tabs.

  6. Optically-controlled long-term storage and release of thermal energy in phase-change materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Grace G D; Li, Huashan; Grossman, Jeffrey C

    2017-11-13

    Thermal energy storage offers enormous potential for a wide range of energy technologies. Phase-change materials offer state-of-the-art thermal storage due to high latent heat. However, spontaneous heat loss from thermally charged phase-change materials to cooler surroundings occurs due to the absence of a significant energy barrier for the liquid-solid transition. This prevents control over the thermal storage, and developing effective methods to address this problem has remained an elusive goal. Herein, we report a combination of photo-switching dopants and organic phase-change materials as a way to introduce an activation energy barrier for phase-change materials solidification and to conserve thermal energy in the materials, allowing them to be triggered optically to release their stored latent heat. This approach enables the retention of thermal energy (about 200 J g -1 ) in the materials for at least 10 h at temperatures lower than the original crystallization point, unlocking opportunities for portable thermal energy storage systems.

  7. Optimal stochastic short-term thermal and electrical operation of fuel cell/photovoltaic/battery/grid hybrid energy system in the presence of demand response program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Majidi, Majid; Nojavan, Sayyad; Zare, Kazem

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • On-grid photovoltaic/battery/fuel cell system is considered as hybrid system. • Thermal and electrical operation of hybrid energy system is studied. • Hybrid energy system is used to reduce dependency on upstream grid for load serving. • Demand response program is proposed to manage the electrical load. • Demand response program is proposed to reduce hybrid energy system’s operation cost. - Abstract: In this paper, cost-efficient operation problem of photovoltaic/battery/fuel cell hybrid energy system has been evaluated in the presence of demand response program. Each load curve has off-peak, mid and peak time periods in which the energy prices are different. Demand response program transfers some amount of load from peak periods to other periods to flatten the load curve and minimize total cost. So, the main goal is to meet the energy demand and propose a cost-efficient approach to minimize system’s total cost including system’s electrical cost and thermal cost and the revenue from exporting power to the upstream grid. A battery has been utilized as an electrical energy storage system and a heat storage tank is used as a thermal energy storage system to save energy in off-peak and mid-peak hours and then supply load in peak hours which leads to reduction of cost. The proposed cost-efficient operation problem of photovoltaic/battery/fuel cell hybrid energy system is modeled by a mixed-integer linear program and solved by General algebraic modeling system optimization software under CPLEX solver. Two case studies are investigated to show the effects of demand response program on reduction of total cost.

  8. Effect of thermal conductivities of shape stabilized PCM on under-floor heating system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheng, Wenlong; Xie, Biao; Zhang, Rongming; Xu, Zhiming; Xia, Yuting

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • HCE-SSPCM was prepared and used in under-floor heating system. • Enhancing thermal conductivity improved the efficiency of energy and space. • Too high thermal conductivity over a range was meaningless. • The economic benefits of the phase change energy storage system were the best. - Abstract: A kind of heat conduction-enhanced shape-stabilized PCM (HCE-SSPCM) was utilized in the under-floor heating system for house heating in winter. This system charges heat by using cheap nighttime electricity and provides heating needs throughout all day. The effect of thermal conductivity of the PCM on energy savings and economic benefits of the system were theoretically and experimentally studied. HCE-SSPCM plates, made of (solid paraffin + liquid paraffin)/high density polyethylene/expanded graphite, were introduced to a test room with under-floor heating system. And the operating characteristics of the system were compared with that of the non-phase change energy storage system and the conventional air conditioning system. The results showed that enhancing the thermal conductivity of PCM in a certain range could significantly improve the energy efficiency of the heating system and reduce the thickness of thermal insulating materials. But the improving effect was not obvious when the thermal conductivity was beyond 1.0 W/m K. The phase change energy storage system had a comfortable temperature environment and the best economic benefits among the three different heating types especially when the ratio of peak-valley electric price was high. Therefore, increasing the thermal conductivity of SSPCM will be of great significance for house heating

  9. Energy infrastructure: hydrogen energy system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Veziroglu, T N

    1979-02-01

    In a hydrogen system, hydrogen is not a primary source of energy, but an intermediary, an energy carrier between the primary energy sources and the user. The new unconventional energy sources, such as nuclear breeder reactors, fusion reactors, direct solar radiation, wind energy, ocean thermal energy, and geothermal energy have their shortcomings. These shortcomings of the new sources point out to the need for an intermediary energy system to form the link between the primary energy sources and the user. In such a system, the intermediary energy form must be transportable and storable; economical to produce; and if possible renewable and pollution-free. The above prerequisites are best met by hydrogen. Hydrogen is plentiful in the form of water. It is the cheapest synthetic fuel to manufacture per unit of energy stored in it. It is the least polluting of all of the fuels, and is the lightest and recyclable. In the proposed system, hydrogen would be produced in large plants located away from the consumption centers at the sites where primary new energy sources and water are available. Hydrogen would then be transported to energy consumption centers where it would be used in every application where fossil fuels are being used today. Once such a system is established, it will never be necessary to change to any other energy system.

  10. Thermal energy accumulators. A bibliographical study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Charlety, Paul

    1971-01-01

    Energy storage is a challenge, notably for spacecraft, submarines and non-polluting automotive vehicles. After a comparison of mass energies of different principles of energy accumulation (magnetic, electrostatic, solid elasticity, kinetic energy, gaseous elasticity, electro-chemistry, sensitive heat, freezing heat, fuels, radioactivity, nuclear fission or fusion, mass energy), the author discusses the choice of thermal storage, presents the main bodies used for thermal energy accumulation (molten salts such as lithium hydride or lithium salt eutectics, or other compounds such as alumina, paraffins), and gives an overview of the main theoretical problems [fr

  11. Thermal decay in underfloor air distribution (UFAD) systems: Fundamentals and influence on system performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Kwang Ho; Schiavon, Stefano; Bauman, Fred; Webster, Tom

    2012-01-01

    Graphical abstract: Surface heat transfer breakdown for an underfloor air distribution (UFAD) system supply plenum. Highlights: ► Thermal decay of a UFAD system is considerable (annual median = 3.7 K). ► Thermal decay is driven by heat transfer through both the concrete slab and the raised floor. ► Thermal decay may lead to higher airflow rates and increased fan and chiller energy consumption. -- Abstract: Underfloor air distribution (UFAD) is a mechanical ventilation strategy in which the conditioned air is primarily delivered to the zone from a pressurized plenum through floor mounted diffusers. Compared to conventional overhead (OH) mixing systems, UFAD has several potential advantages, such as improved thermal comfort and indoor air quality (IAQ), layout flexibility, reduced life cycle costs and improved energy efficiency in suitable climates. In ducted OH systems designers have reasonably accurate control of the diffuser supply temperature, while in UFAD this temperature is difficult to predict due to the heat gain of the conditioned air in the supply plenum. The increase in temperature between the air entering the plenum and air leaving through a diffuser is known as thermal decay. In this study, the detailed whole-building energy simulation program, EnergyPlus, was used to explain the fundamentals of thermal decay, to investigate its influence on energy consumption and to study the parameters that affect thermal decay. It turns out that the temperature rise is considerable (annual median = 3.7 K, with 50% of the values between 2.4 and 4.7 K based on annual simulations). Compared to an idealized simulated UFAD case with no thermal decay, elevated diffuser air temperatures can lead to higher supply airflow rate and increased fan and chiller energy consumption. The thermal decay in summer is higher than in winter and it also depends on the climate. The ground floor with a slab on grade has less temperature rise compared to middle and top floors. An

  12. Evaluating Different Green School Building Designs for Albania: Indoor Thermal Comfort, Energy Use Analysis with Solar Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dalvi, Ambalika Rajendra

    Improving the conditions of schools in many parts of the world is gradually acquiring importance. The Green School movement is an integral part of this effort since it aims at improving indoor environmental conditions. This would in turn, enhance student- learning while minimizing adverse environmental impact through energy efficiency of comfort-related HVAC and lighting systems. This research, which is a part of a larger research project, aims at evaluating different school building designs in Albania in terms of energy use and indoor thermal comfort, and identify energy efficient options of existing schools. We start by identifying three different climate zones in Albania; Coastal (Durres), Hill/Pre-mountainous (Tirana), mountainous (Korca). Next, two prototypical school building designs are identified from the existing stock. Numerous scenarios are then identified for analysis which consists of combinations of climate zone, building type, building orientation, building upgrade levels, presence of renewable energy systems (solar photovoltaic and solar water heater). The existing building layouts, initially outlined in CAD software and then imported into a detailed building energy software program (eQuest) to perform annual simulations for all scenarios. The research also predicted indoor thermal comfort conditions of the various scenarios on the premise that windows could be opened to provide natural ventilation cooling when appropriate. This study also estimated the energy generated from solar photovoltaic systems and solar water heater systems when placed on the available roof area to determine the extent to which they are able to meet the required electric loads (plug and lights) and building heating loads respectively. The results showed that there is adequate indoor comfort without the need for mechanical cooling for the three climate zones, and that only heating is needed during the winter months.

  13. The use potential of aquifer thermal energy storage systems in Canada; Das Anwendungspotential fuer Aquiferwaermespeichersysteme in Kanada

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cruickshanks, F. [Environment Canada, Dartmouth, ON (Canada); Morofski, E. [Government Services Canada, Ottawa, ON (Canada). Technology RD and D

    1994-12-31

    This paper offers a brief overview of the historical and technical aspects of aquifer thermal energy storage and its use potential in commercial buildings in Canada. Aquifer thermal energy storage systems are now attractive both for new commercial buildings in Canada and for some already existing ones. This holds true especially of the Atlantic region, where fuel costs are rising and electric power rates vary according to the time of day. The simple pay-back period for ATES systems is between zero and five years. The economic aspects of the use of ATES systems in buildings are pointed out. (orig./BWI) [Deutsch] Dieser Beitrag gibt eine kurze Uebersicht der historischen und technischen Aspekte der Waermespeicherung in Aquiferen und deren Verwendungspotential in kommerziellen Gebaeuden in Kanada. Aquiferwaermespeicherungssysteme sind nunmehr attraktiv sowohl fuer neue als auch fuer manche bereits bestehenden kommerziellen Gebaeude in Kanada. Dies gilt insbesondere fuer die atlantische Region wegen der dort steigenden Kosten fuer Brennstoffe und tageszeitabhaengigen fuer elektrischen Strom. Die einfache Amortisationszeit fuer ATES-Systeme liegt zwischen null und fuenf Jahren. Die wirtschaftlichen Gesichtspunkte des Einsatzes von ATES-Systemen in kommerziellen Gebaeuden werden angefuehrt. (orig./BWI)

  14. Energy Efficiency of Distributed Environmental Control Systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Khalifa, H. Ezzat; Isik, Can; Dannenhoffer, John F. III

    2011-02-23

    In this report, we present an analytical evaluation of the potential of occupant-regulated distributed environmental control systems (DECS) to enhance individual occupant thermal comfort in an office building with no increase, and possibly even a decrease in annual energy consumption. To this end we developed and applied several analytical models that allowed us to optimize comfort and energy consumption in partitioned office buildings equipped with either conventional central HVAC systems or occupant-regulated DECS. Our approach involved the following interrelated components: 1. Development of a simplified lumped-parameter thermal circuit model to compute the annual energy consumption. This was necessitated by the need to perform tens of thousands of optimization calculations involving different US climatic regions, and different occupant thermal preferences of a population of ~50 office occupants. Yearly transient simulations using TRNSYS, a time-dependent building energy modeling program, were run to determine the robustness of the simplified approach against time-dependent simulations. The simplified model predicts yearly energy consumption within approximately 0.6% of an equivalent transient simulation. Simulations of building energy usage were run for a wide variety of climatic regions and control scenarios, including traditional “one-size-fits-all” (OSFA) control; providing a uniform temperature to the entire building, and occupant-selected “have-it-your-way” (HIYW) control with a thermostat at each workstation. The thermal model shows that, un-optimized, DECS would lead to an increase in building energy consumption between 3-16% compared to the conventional approach depending on the climate regional and personal preferences of building occupants. Variations in building shape had little impact in the relative energy usage. 2. Development of a gradient-based optimization method to minimize energy consumption of DECS while keeping each occupant

  15. Experimental investigation and exergy analysis on thermal storage integrated micro-cogeneration system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johar, Dheeraj Kishor; Sharma, Dilip; Soni, Shyam Lal; Gupta, Pradeep K.; Goyal, Rahul

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Energy Storage System is integrated with Micro cogeneration system. • Erythritol is used as Phase Change Material. • Maximum energy saved is 15.2%. • Maximum exergy saved is 4.22%. • Combined systems are feasible to increase energy and exergy efficiency. - Abstract: This paper describes the performance of thermal storage integrated micro-cogeneration system based on single cylinder diesel engine. In addition to electricity generated from genset, waste heat from hot exhaust of diesel engine was used to heat water in a double pipe heat exchanger of 67.70 cm length with inside tube diameter of 3.81 cm and outside tube diameter of 5.08 cm. Additionally, a latent heat thermal energy storage system was also integrated with this cogeneration system. A shell and tube type heat exchanger of 346 mm diameter and 420 mm height with 45 tubes of 18 mm diameter each was designed and fabricated, to store thermal energy, in which Erythritol (C_4H_1_0O_4) was used as phase changing material. The test results show that micro capacity (4.4 kW), stationary, single cylinder, diesel engine can be successfully utilized to simultaneously produce power as well as heating, and to also store thermal energy. Slight decrease in engine performance was observed when double pipe heat exchanger and latent heat thermal energy storage system was integrated with engine but the amount of energy which could be recovered was significant. Maximum percentage of energy saved was obtained at a load of 3.6 kW and was 15.2%.

  16. Thermal energy storage using chloride salts and their eutectics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Myers, Philip D.; Goswami, D. Yogi

    2016-01-01

    Achieving the goals of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Sunshot initiative requires (1) higher operating temperatures for concentrating solar power (CSP) plants to increase theoretical efficiency, and (2) effective thermal energy storage (TES) strategies to ensure dispatchability. Current inorganic salt-based TES systems in large-scale CSP plants generally employ molten nitrate salts for energy storage, but nitrate salts are limited in application to lower temperatures—generally, below 600 °C. These materials are sufficient for parabolic trough power plants, but they are inadequate for use at higher temperatures. At the higher operating temperatures achievable in solar power tower-type CSP plants, chloride salts are promising candidates for application as TES materials, owing to their thermal stability and generally lower cost compared to nitrate salts. In light of this, a recent study was conducted, which included a preliminary survey of chloride salts and binary eutectic systems that show promise as high temperature TES media. This study provided some basic information about the salts, including phase equilibria data and estimates of latent heat of fusion for some of the eutectics. Cost estimates were obtained through a review of bulk pricing for the pure salts among various vendors. This review paper updates that prior study, adding data for additional salt eutectic systems obtained from the literature. Where possible, data are obtained from the thermodynamic database software, FactSage. Radiative properties are presented, as well, since at higher temperatures, thermal radiation becomes a significant mode of heat transfer. Material compatibility for inorganic salts is another important consideration (e.g., with regard to piping and/or containment), so a summary of corrosion studies with various materials is also presented. Lastly, cost data for these systems are presented, allowing for meaningful comparison among these systems and other materials for TES

  17. Numerical investigation of temperature distribution and thermal performance while charging-discharging thermal energy in aquifer

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ganguly, S.; Mohan Kumar, M.S.; Date, Abhijit; Akbarzadeh, Aliakbar

    2017-01-01

    A three-dimensional (3D) coupled thermo-hydrogeological numerical model for a confined aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) system underlain and overlain by rock media has been presented in this paper. The ATES system operates in cyclic mode. The model takes into account heat transport processes of

  18. Career Directions--Renewable Energy Systems Integrator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fleeman, Stephen R.

    2012-01-01

    Renewable energy systems are beginning to appear everywhere. Solar modules are creating "blue roofs" that convert the energy from the sun into household electricity. Solar thermal systems on roofs can generate hot water. Wind turbines catch breezes to provide even more electricity. Recommendations for saving energy, specifying systems for…

  19. Design and Research of the Movable Hybrid Photovoltaic-Thermal (PVT System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lian Zhang

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available In recent years, with the development of photovoltaic system and photo-thermal system technology, hybrid photovoltaic-thermal (PVT technology has been a breakthrough in many aspects. This paper describes the movable hybrid PVT system from the aspects of appearance structure, energy flow, and control circuit. The system is equipped with rolling wheels and the simulated light sources also can be removed so that the system can be used in the outdoor conditions. The movable system is also suitable for the PVT system and its related applications without any external power supply. This system combines two technologies: photovoltaic power generation and photo-thermal utilization. The first part of the power supply is for the systems own output power supply, and the second part is for generating thermal energy. The two separate parts can be controlled and monitored respectively through the control circuits and the touch screens. The experimental results show that the system can generate 691 kWh electric energy and 3047.8 kWh thermal energy each year under normal working conditions. The efficiency of the proposed movable hybrid PVT system is calculated to be approximately 42.82% using the revised equations that are proposed in this paper. Therefore, the movable hybrid PVT system can meet the daily demands of hot water and electricity power in remote areas or islands and other non-grid areas. It also can be used to conduct experiment tests for the PVT system.

  20. Chemically and Thermally Stable High Energy Density Silicone Composites, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Thermal energy storage systems with 300 -- 1000 kJ/kg energy density through either phase changes or chemical heat absorption are sought by NASA. This proposed...

  1. Thermodynamic limits of energy harvesting from outgoing thermal radiation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buddhiraju, Siddharth; Santhanam, Parthiban; Fan, Shanhui

    2018-04-17

    We derive the thermodynamic limits of harvesting power from the outgoing thermal radiation from the ambient to the cold outer space. The derivations are based on a duality relation between thermal engines that harvest solar radiation and those that harvest outgoing thermal radiation. In particular, we derive the ultimate limit for harvesting outgoing thermal radiation, which is analogous to the Landsberg limit for solar energy harvesting, and show that the ultimate limit far exceeds what was previously thought to be possible. As an extension of our work, we also derive the ultimate limit of efficiency of thermophotovoltaic systems.

  2. Modelling transient temperature distribution for injecting hot water through a well to an aquifer thermal energy storage system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Shaw-Yang; Yeh, Hund-Der; Li, Kuang-Yi

    2010-10-01

    Heat storage systems are usually used to store waste heat and solar energy. In this study, a mathematical model is developed to predict both the steady-state and transient temperature distributions of an aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) system after hot water is injected through a well into a confined aquifer. The ATES has a confined aquifer bounded by aquicludes with different thermomechanical properties and geothermal gradients along the depth. Consider that the heat is transferred by conduction and forced convection within the aquifer and by conduction within the aquicludes. The dimensionless semi-analytical solutions of temperature distributions of the ATES system are developed using Laplace and Fourier transforms and their corresponding time-domain results are evaluated numerically by the modified Crump method. The steady-state solution is obtained from the transient solution through the final-value theorem. The effect of the heat transfer coefficient on aquiclude temperature distribution is appreciable only near the outer boundaries of the aquicludes. The present solutions are useful for estimating the temperature distribution of heat injection and the aquifer thermal capacity of ATES systems.

  3. Performance maps for the control of thermal energy storage

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Finck, Christian; Li, Rongling; Zeiler, Wim

    2017-01-01

    Predictive control in building energy systems requires the integration of the building, building system, and component dynamics. The prediction accuracy of these dynamics is crucial for practical applications. This paper introduces performance maps for the control of water tanks, phase change mat...... material tanks, and thermochemical material tanks. The results show that these performance maps can fully account for the dynamics of thermal energy storage tanks.......Predictive control in building energy systems requires the integration of the building, building system, and component dynamics. The prediction accuracy of these dynamics is crucial for practical applications. This paper introduces performance maps for the control of water tanks, phase change...

  4. Thermal Analysis of a Thermal Energy Storage Unit to Enhance a Workshop Heating System Driven by Industrial Residual Water

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wenqiang Sun

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Various energy sources can be used for room heating, among which waste heat utilization has significantly improved in recent years. However, the majority of applicable waste heat resources are high-grade or stable thermal energy, while the low-grade or unstable waste heat resources, especially low-temperature industrial residual water (IRW, are insufficiently used. A thermal energy storage (TES unit with paraffin wax as a phase change material (PCM is designed to solve this problem in a pharmaceutical plant. The mathematical models are developed to simulate the heat storage and release processes of the TES unit. The crucial parameters in the recurrence formulae are determined: the phase change temperature range of the paraffin wax used is 47 to 56 °C, and the latent heat is 171.4 kJ/kg. Several thermal behaviors, such as the changes of melting radius, solidification radius, and fluid temperature, are simulated. In addition, the amount of heat transferred, the heat transfer rate, and the heat storage efficiency are discussed. It is presented that the medicine production unit could save 10.25% of energy consumption in the investigated application.

  5. Graphene Thermal Properties: Applications in Thermal Management and Energy Storage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jackie D. Renteria

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available We review the thermal properties of graphene, few-layer graphene and graphene nanoribbons, and discuss practical applications of graphene in thermal management and energy storage. The first part of the review describes the state-of-the-art in the graphene thermal field focusing on recently reported experimental and theoretical data for heat conduction in graphene and graphene nanoribbons. The effects of the sample size, shape, quality, strain distribution, isotope composition, and point-defect concentration are included in the summary. The second part of the review outlines thermal properties of graphene-enhanced phase change materials used in energy storage. It is shown that the use of liquid-phase-exfoliated graphene as filler material in phase change materials is promising for thermal management of high-power-density battery parks. The reported experimental and modeling results indicate that graphene has the potential to outperform metal nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, and other carbon allotropes as filler in thermal management materials.

  6. Low Molecular Weight Norbornadiene Derivatives for Molecular Solar-Thermal Energy Storage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quant, Maria; Lennartson, Anders; Dreos, Ambra; Kuisma, Mikael; Erhart, Paul; Börjesson, Karl; Moth-Poulsen, Kasper

    2016-09-05

    Molecular solar-thermal energy storage systems are based on molecular switches that reversibly convert solar energy into chemical energy. Herein, we report the synthesis, characterization, and computational evaluation of a series of low molecular weight (193-260 g mol(-1) ) norbornadiene-quadricyclane systems. The molecules feature cyano acceptor and ethynyl-substituted aromatic donor groups, leading to a good match with solar irradiation, quantitative photo-thermal conversion between the norbornadiene and quadricyclane, as well as high energy storage densities (396-629 kJ kg(-1) ). The spectroscopic properties and energy storage capability have been further evaluated through density functional theory calculations, which indicate that the ethynyl moiety plays a critical role in obtaining the high oscillator strengths seen for these molecules. © 2016 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.

  7. Industrial application of PV/T solar energy systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kalogirou, S.A.; Tripanagnostopoulos, Y.

    2007-01-01

    Hybrid photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) systems consist of PV modules and heat extraction units mounted together. These systems can simultaneously provide electrical and thermal energy, thus achieving a higher energy conversion rate of the absorbed solar radiation than plain photovoltaics. Industries show high demand of energy for both heat and electricity and the hybrid PV/T systems could be used in order to meet this requirement. In this paper the application aspects in the industry of PV/T systems with water heat extraction is presented. The systems are analyzed with TRNSYS program for three locations Nicosia, Athens and Madison that are located at different latitudes. The system comprises 300 m 2 of hybrid PV/T collectors producing both electricity and thermal energy and a 10 m 3 water storage tank. The work includes the study of an industrial process heat system operated at two load supply temperatures of 60 deg. C and 80 deg. C. The results show that the electrical production of the system, employing polycrystalline solar cells, is more than the amorphous ones but the solar thermal contribution is slightly lower. A non-hybrid PV system produces about 25% more electrical energy but the present system covers also, depending on the location, a large percentage of the thermal energy requirement of the industry considered. The economic viability of the systems is proven, as positive life cycle savings are obtained in the case of hybrid systems and the savings are increased for higher load temperature applications. Additionally, although amorphous silicon panels are much less efficient than the polycrystalline ones, better economic figures are obtained due to their lower initial cost, i.e., they have better cost/benefit ratio

  8. A model predictive framework of Ground Source Heat Pump coupled with Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage System in heating and cooling equipment of a building

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rostampour Samarin, V.; Bloemendal, J.M.; Keviczky, T.

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents a complete model of a building heating and cooling equipment and a ground source heat pump (GSHP) coupled with an aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) system. This model contains detailed
    mathematical representations of building thermal dynamics, ATES system dynamics, heat

  9. Savings in Cooling Energy with a Thermal Management System for LED Lighting in Office Buildings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Byung-Lip Ahn

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Light-emitting diode (LED lighting should be considered for lighting efficiency enhancement, however, waste heat from light-emitting diode (LED lighting increases the internal cooling load during the summer season. In order to solve this problem we propose a thermal management system for light-emitting diode (LED lighting with a heat exchanger module integrated with the building’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC system to move the lighting’s waste heat outdoors. An experiment was carried out to investigate the thermal effects in a test chamber and the heat exchange rate between the heat sink and the duct air. The heat generated by the light-emitting diode (LED lighting was calculated as 78.1% of light-emitting diode (LED input power and the heat exchange rate of the lighting heat exchange module was estimated to be between 86.5% and 98.1% according to the light-emitting diode (LED input power and the flow rate of air passing the heat sink. As a result, the average light-emitting diode (LED lighting heat contribution rate for internal heat gain was determined as 0.05; this value was used to calculate the heating and cooling energy demand of the office building through an energy simulation program. In the simulation results, the cooling energy demand was reduced by 19.2% compared with the case of conventionally installed light-emitting diode (LED lighting.

  10. Thermal energy storage based on cementitious materials: A review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Khadim Ndiaye

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Renewable energy storage is now essential to enhance the energy performance of buildings and to reduce their environmental impact. Many heat storage materials can be used in the building sector in order to avoid the phase shift between solar radiation and thermal energy demand. However, the use of storage material in the building sector is hampered by problems of investment cost, space requirements, mechanical performance, material stability, and high storage temperature. Cementitious material is increasingly being used as a heat storage material thanks to its low price, mechanical performance and low storage temperature (generally lower than 100 °C. In addition, cementitious materials for heat storage have the prominent advantage of being easy to incorporate into the building landscape as self-supporting structures or even supporting structures (walls, floor, etc.. Concrete solutions for thermal energy storage are usually based on sensible heat transfer and thermal inertia. Phase Change Materials (PCM incorporated in concrete wall have been widely investigated in the aim of improving building energy performance. Cementitious material with high ettringite content stores heat by a combination of physical (adsorption and chemical (chemical reaction processes usable in both the short (daily, weekly and long (seasonal term. Ettringite materials have the advantage of high energy storage density at low temperature (around 60 °C. The encouraging experimental results in the literature on heat storage using cementitious materials suggest that they could be attractive in a number of applications. This paper summarizes the investigation and analysis of the available thermal energy storage systems using cementitious materials for use in various applications.

  11. A Review of Study on Thermal Energy Transport System by Synthesis and Decomposition Reactions of Methanol

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Qiusheng; Yabe, Akira; Kajiyama, Shiro; Fukuda, Katsuya

    The study on thermal energy transport system by synthesis and decomposition reactions of methanol was reviewed. To promote energy conservation and global environment protection, a two-step liquid-phase methanol synthesis process, which starts with carbonylation of methanol to methyl formate, then followed by the hydrogenolysis of the formate, was studied to recover wasted or unused discharged heat from industrial sources for the thermal energy demands of residential and commercial areas by chemical reactions. The research and development of the system were focused on the following three points. (1) Development of low-temperature decomposition and synthetic catalysts, (2) Development of liquid phase reactor (heat exchanger accompanying chemical reaction), (3) Simulation of the energy transport efficiency of entire system which contains heat recovery and supply sections. As the result of the development of catalyst, promising catalysts which agree with the development purposes for the methyl formate decomposition reaction and the synthetic reaction are being developed though some studies remain for the methanol decomposition and synthetic reactions. In the fundamental development of liquid phase reactor, the solubilities of CO and H2 gases in methanol and methyl formate were measured by the method of total pressure decrease due to absorption under pressures up to 1500kPa and temperatures up to 140°C. The diffusivity of CO gas in methanol was determined by measuring the diameter and solution time of single CO bubbles in methanol. The chemical reaction rate of methanol synthesis by hydrogenolysis of methyl formate was measured using a plate-type of Raney copper catalyst in a reactor with rectangular channel and in an autoclave reactor. The reaction characteristics were investigated by carrying out the experiments at various temperatures, flow rates and at various catalyst development conditions. We focused on the effect of Raney copper catalyst thickness on the liquid

  12. Integrated thermal treatment system sudy: Phase 2, Results

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Feizollahi, F.; Quapp, W.J.

    1995-08-01

    This report presents the second phase of a study on thermal treatment technologies. The study consists of a systematic assessment of nineteen thermal treatment alternatives for the contact-handled mixed low-level waste (MLLW) currently stored in the US Department of Energy complex. The treatment alternatives consist of widely varying technologies for safely destroying the hazardous organic components, reducing the volume, and preparing for final disposal of the MLLW. The alternatives considered in Phase 2 were innovative thermal treatments with nine types of primary processing units. Other variations in the study examined the effect of combustion gas, air pollution control system design, and stabilization technology for the treatment residues. The Phase 1 study, the results of which have been published as an interim report, examined ten initial thermal treatment alternatives. The Phase 2 systems were evaluated in essentially the same manner as the Phase 2 systems. The assumptions and methods were the same as for the Phase 1 study. The quantities, and physical and chemical compositions, of the input waste used in he Phase 2 systems differ from those in the Phase 1 systems, which were based on a preliminary waste input database developed at the onset of the Integrated Thermal Treatment System study. The inventory database used in the Phase 2 study incorporates the latest US Department of Energy information. All systems, both primary treatment systems and subsystem inputs, have now been evaluated using the same waste input (2,927 lb/hr).

  13. Integrated thermal treatment system sudy: Phase 2, Results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feizollahi, F.; Quapp, W.J.

    1995-08-01

    This report presents the second phase of a study on thermal treatment technologies. The study consists of a systematic assessment of nineteen thermal treatment alternatives for the contact-handled mixed low-level waste (MLLW) currently stored in the US Department of Energy complex. The treatment alternatives consist of widely varying technologies for safely destroying the hazardous organic components, reducing the volume, and preparing for final disposal of the MLLW. The alternatives considered in Phase 2 were innovative thermal treatments with nine types of primary processing units. Other variations in the study examined the effect of combustion gas, air pollution control system design, and stabilization technology for the treatment residues. The Phase 1 study, the results of which have been published as an interim report, examined ten initial thermal treatment alternatives. The Phase 2 systems were evaluated in essentially the same manner as the Phase 2 systems. The assumptions and methods were the same as for the Phase 1 study. The quantities, and physical and chemical compositions, of the input waste used in he Phase 2 systems differ from those in the Phase 1 systems, which were based on a preliminary waste input database developed at the onset of the Integrated Thermal Treatment System study. The inventory database used in the Phase 2 study incorporates the latest US Department of Energy information. All systems, both primary treatment systems and subsystem inputs, have now been evaluated using the same waste input (2,927 lb/hr)

  14. Numerical investigation of a joint approach to thermal energy storage and compressed air energy storage in aquifers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guo, Chaobin; Zhang, Keni; Pan, Lehua; Cai, Zuansi; Li, Cai; Li, Yi

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: •One wellbore-reservoir numerical model was built to study the impact of ATES on CAESA. •With high injection temperature, the joint of ATES can improve CAESA performance. •The considerable utilization of geothermal occurs only at the beginning of operations. •Combination of CAESA and ATES can be achieved in common aquifers. -- Abstract: Different from conventional compressed air energy storage (CAES) systems, the advanced adiabatic compressed air energy storage (AA-CAES) system can store the compression heat which can be used to reheat air during the electricity generation stage. Thus, AA-CAES system can achieve a higher energy storage efficiency. Similar to the AA-CAES system, a compressed air energy storage in aquifers (CAESA) system, which is integrated with an aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) could possibly achieve the same objective. In order to investigate the impact of ATES on the performance of CAESA, different injection air temperature schemes are designed and analyzed by using numerical simulations. Key parameters relative to energy recovery efficiencies of the different injection schemes, such as pressure distribution and temperature variation within the aquifers as well as energy flow rate in the injection well, are also investigated in this study. The simulations show that, although different injection schemes have a similar overall energy recovery efficiency (∼97%) as well as a thermal energy recovery efficiency (∼79.2%), the higher injection air temperature has a higher energy storage capability. Our results show the total energy storage for the injection air temperature at 80 °C is about 10% greater than the base model scheme at 40 °C. Sensitivity analysis reveal that permeability of the reservoir boundary could have significant impact on the system performance. However, other hydrodynamic and thermodynamic properties, such as the storage reservoir permeability, thermal conductivity, rock grain specific heat and rock

  15. Thermal Management Tools for Propulsion System Trade Studies and Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCarthy, Kevin; Hodge, Ernie

    2011-01-01

    Energy-related subsystems in modern aircraft are more tightly coupled with less design margin. These subsystems include thermal management subsystems, vehicle electric power generation and distribution, aircraft engines, and flight control. Tighter coupling, lower design margins, and higher system complexity all make preliminary trade studies difficult. A suite of thermal management analysis tools has been developed to facilitate trade studies during preliminary design of air-vehicle propulsion systems. Simulink blocksets (from MathWorks) for developing quasi-steady-state and transient system models of aircraft thermal management systems and related energy systems have been developed. These blocksets extend the Simulink modeling environment in the thermal sciences and aircraft systems disciplines. The blocksets include blocks for modeling aircraft system heat loads, heat exchangers, pumps, reservoirs, fuel tanks, and other components at varying levels of model fidelity. The blocksets have been applied in a first-principles, physics-based modeling and simulation architecture for rapid prototyping of aircraft thermal management and related systems. They have been applied in representative modern aircraft thermal management system studies. The modeling and simulation architecture has also been used to conduct trade studies in a vehicle level model that incorporates coupling effects among the aircraft mission, engine cycle, fuel, and multi-phase heat-transfer materials.

  16. [Thermal energy utilization analysis and energy conservation measures of fluidized bed dryer].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xing, Liming; Zhao, Zhengsheng

    2012-07-01

    To propose measures for enhancing thermal energy utilization by analyzing drying process and operation principle of fluidized bed dryers,in order to guide optimization and upgrade of fluidized bed drying equipment. Through a systematic analysis on drying process and operation principle of fluidized beds,the energy conservation law was adopted to calculate thermal energy of dryers. The thermal energy of fluidized bed dryers is mainly used to make up for thermal consumption of water evaporation (Qw), hot air from outlet equipment (Qe), thermal consumption for heating and drying wet materials (Qm) and heat dissipation to surroundings through hot air pipelines and cyclone separators. Effective measures and major approaches to enhance thermal energy utilization of fluidized bed dryers were to reduce exhaust gas out by the loss of heat Qe, recycle dryer export air quantity of heat, preserve heat for dry towers, hot air pipes and cyclone separators, dehumidify clean air in inlets and reasonably control drying time and air temperature. Such technical parameters such air supply rate, air inlet temperature and humidity, material temperature and outlet temperature and humidity are set and controlled to effectively save energy during the drying process and reduce the production cost.

  17. Impact of thermal energy storage properties on solar dynamic space power conversion system mass

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juhasz, Albert J.; Coles-Hamilton, Carolyn E.; Lacy, Dovie E.

    1987-01-01

    A 16 parameter solar concentrator/heat receiver mass model is used in conjunction with Stirling and Brayton Power Conversion System (PCS) performance and mass computer codes to determine the effect of thermal energy storage (TES) material property changes on overall PCS mass as a function of steady state electrical power output. Included in the PCS mass model are component masses as a function of thermal power for: concentrator, heat receiver, heat exchangers (source unless integral with heat receiver, heat sink, regenerator), heat engine units with optional parallel redundancy, power conditioning and control (PC and C), PC and C radiator, main radiator, and structure. Critical TES properties are: melting temperature, heat of fusion, density of the liquid phase, and the ratio of solid-to-liquid density. Preliminary results indicate that even though overall system efficiency increases with TES melting temperature up to 1400 K for concentrator surface accuracies of 1 mrad or better, reductions in the overall system mass beyond that achievable with lithium fluoride (LiF) can be accomplished only if the heat of fusion is at least 800 kJ/kg and the liquid density is comparable to that of LiF (1800 kg/cu m).

  18. Microscale solid-state thermal diodes enabling ambient temperature thermal circuits for energy applications

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Song

    2017-05-10

    Thermal diodes, or devices that transport thermal energy asymmetrically, analogous to electrical diodes, hold promise for thermal energy harvesting and conservation, as well as for phononics or information processing. The junction of a phase change material and phase invariant material can form a thermal diode; however, there are limited constituent materials available for a given target temperature, particularly near ambient. In this work, we demonstrate that a micro and nanoporous polystyrene foam can house a paraffin-based phase change material, fused to PMMA, to produce mechanically robust, solid-state thermal diodes capable of ambient operation with Young\\'s moduli larger than 11.5 MPa and 55.2 MPa above and below the melting transition point, respectively. Moreover, the composites show significant changes in thermal conductivity above and below the melting point of the constituent paraffin and rectification that is well-described by our previous theory and the Maxwell–Eucken model. Maximum thermal rectifications range from 1.18 to 1.34. We show that such devices perform reliably enough to operate in thermal diode bridges, dynamic thermal circuits capable of transforming oscillating temperature inputs into single polarity temperature differences – analogous to an electrical diode bridge with widespread implications for transient thermal energy harvesting and conservation. Overall, our approach yields mechanically robust, solid-state thermal diodes capable of engineering design from a mathematical model of phase change and thermal transport, with implications for energy harvesting.

  19. Using the shield for thermal energy storage in pulsar

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sager, G.T.; Sze, D.K.; Wong, C.P.C.; Bathke, C.G.; Blanchard, J.P.; Brimer, C.; Cheng, E.T.; El-Guebaly, L.A.; Hasan, M.Z.; Najmabadi, F.; Sharafat, S.; Sviatoslavski, I.N.; Waganer, L.

    1995-01-01

    The PULSAR pulsed tokamak power plant design utilizes the outboard shield for thermal energy storage to maintain full 1000MW(e) output during the dwell period of 200s. Thermal energy resulting from direct nuclear heating is accumulated in the shield during the 7200s fusion power production phase. The maximum shield temperature may be much higher than that for the blanket because radiation damage is significantly reduced. During the dwell period, thermal power discharged from the shield and coolant temperature are simultaneously regulated by controlling the coolant mass flow rate at the shield inlet. This is facilitated by throttled coolant bypass. Design concepts using helium and lithium coolant have been developed. Two-dimensional time-dependent thermal hydraulic calculations were performed to confirm performance capabilities required of the design concepts. The results indicate that the system design and performance can accommodate uncertainties in material limits or the length of the dwell period. (orig.)

  20. Enhancing radiative energy transfer through thermal extraction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Yixuan; Liu, Baoan; Shen, Sheng; Yu, Zongfu

    2016-06-01

    Thermal radiation plays an increasingly important role in many emerging energy technologies, such as thermophotovoltaics, passive radiative cooling and wearable cooling clothes [1]. One of the fundamental constraints in thermal radiation is the Stefan-Boltzmann law, which limits the maximum power of far-field radiation to P0 = σT4S, where σ is the Boltzmann constant, S and T are the area and the temperature of the emitter, respectively (Fig. 1a). In order to overcome this limit, it has been shown that near-field radiations could have an energy density that is orders of magnitude greater than the Stefan-Boltzmann law [2-7]. Unfortunately, such near-field radiation transfer is spatially confined and cannot carry radiative heat to the far field. Recently, a new concept of thermal extraction was proposed [8] to enhance far-field thermal emission, which, conceptually, operates on a principle similar to oil immersion lenses and light extraction in light-emitting diodes using solid immersion lens to increase light output [62].Thermal extraction allows a blackbody to radiate more energy to the far field than the apparent limit of the Stefan-Boltzmann law without breaking the second law of thermodynamics. Thermal extraction works by using a specially designed thermal extractor to convert and guide the near-field energy to the far field, as shown in Fig. 1b. The same blackbody as shown in Fig. 1a is placed closely below the thermal extractor with a spacing smaller than the thermal wavelength. The near-field coupling transfers radiative energy with a density greater than σT4. The thermal extractor, made from transparent and high-index or structured materials, does not emit or absorb any radiation. It transforms the near-field energy and sends it toward the far field. As a result, the total amount of far-field radiative heat dissipated by the same blackbody is greatly enhanced above SσT4, where S is the area of the emitter. This paper will review the progress in thermal

  1. Location Optimization for Biomass Trigeneration System with Pit Thermal Energy Storage: the Case of the City of Petrinja

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ćosić, B.; Dominkovic, Dominik Franjo; Ban, M.

    2015-01-01

    The combined production of electricity, heat and cold in biomass trigeneration power plants integrated with seasonal pit thermal energy storage ensures maximum utilization of biomass resources and at the same time reduction of variable operation costs of the system. Beside optimal size of trigene...

  2. Design and simulation of a low concentrating photovoltaic/thermal system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rosell, J.I.; Vallverdu, X.; Lechon, M.A.; Ibanez, M.

    2005-01-01

    The advantages of photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) collectors and low solar concentration technologies are combined into a photovoltaic/thermal system to increase the solar energy conversion efficiency. This paper presents a prototype 11X concentration rate and two axis tracking system. The main novelty is the coupling of a linear Fresnel concentrator with a channel photovoltaic/thermal collector. An analytical model to simulate the thermal behaviour of the prototype is proposed and validated. Measured thermal performance of the solar system gives values above 60%. Theoretical analysis confirms that thermal conduction between the PV cells and the absorber plate is a critical parameter

  3. An energy saving system for hospital laundries

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Katsanis, J.S.; Tsarabaris, P.T.; Polykrati, A.D.; Proios, A.N. [National Technical Univ. of Athens, Athens (Greece). School of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Koufakis, E.I. [Public Power Corp. S.A., Crete (Greece)

    2009-07-01

    Hospital laundries are one of the largest consumers of water and electrical and thermal energy. This paper examined the energy savings achieved by a system using the hot wastewater from the washing process. Hospital laundries consume thermal energy using steam, which is produced in boilers by burning diesel oil or natural gas. Electrical energy for the mechanical drives, ventilation and also the lighting required in the laundry area are big consumers of energy. The paper presented the proposed system and discussed the parameters of the system and system dimensioning. The paper also provided and discussed an interpretation of steam and energy savings. The proposed system was considered to be economically viable, simple in its construction, installation and operation. From the application of the suggested system, the cost savings resulted in a satisfactory payback period for the capital invested of approximately three to five years. 14 refs., 4 tabs., 2 figs.

  4. Integrated energy and advanced thermal management system for hybrid electric vehicles

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wei, C.

    2017-01-01

    Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) featuring a fuel source engine and an energy storage source battery play an important role in improving fuel efficiency compared with its conventional counterparts. In view of the drawbacks of the existing research neglecting the thermal aspects when it comes to

  5. Energy Payback Time Calculation for a Building Integrated Semitransparent Thermal (BISPVT) System with Air Duct

    OpenAIRE

    Kanchan Mudgil; Deepali Kamthania

    2013-01-01

    This paper evaluates the energy payback time (EPBT) of building integrated photovoltaic thermal (BISPVT) system for Srinagar, India. Three different photovoltaic (PV) modules namely mono crystalline silicon (m-Si), poly crystalline silicon (p-Si), and amorphous silicon (a-Si) have been considered for calculation of EPBT. It is found that, the EPBT is lowest in m-Si. Hence, integration of m-Si PV modules on the roof of a room is economical.

  6. Numerical modeling of Thermal Response Tests in Energy Piles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franco, A.; Toledo, M.; Moffat, R.; Herrera, P. A.

    2013-05-01

    Nowadays, thermal response tests (TRT) are used as the main tools for the evaluation of low enthalpy geothermal systems such as heat exchangers. The results of TRT are used for estimating thermal conductivity and thermal resistance values of those systems. We present results of synthetic TRT simulations that model the behavior observed in an experimental energy pile system, which was installed at the new building of the Faculty of Engineering of Universidad de Chile. Moreover, we also present a parametric study to identify the most influent parameters in the performance of this type of tests. The modeling was developed using the finite element software COMSOL Multiphysics, which allows the incorporation of flow and heat transport processes. The modeled system consists on a concrete pile with 1 m diameter and 28 m deep, which contains a 28 mm diameter PEX pipe arranged in a closed circuit. Three configurations were analyzed: a U pipe, a triple U and a helicoid shape implemented at the experimental site. All simulations were run considering transient response in a three-dimensional domain. The simulation results provided the temperature distribution on the pile for a set of different geometry and physical properties of the materials. These results were compared with analytical solutions which are commonly used to interpret TRT data. This analysis demonstrated that there are several parameters that affect the system response in a synthetic TRT. For example, the diameter of the simulated pile affects the estimated effective thermal conductivity of the system. Moreover, the simulation results show that the estimated thermal conductivity for a 1 m diameter pile did not stabilize even after 100 hours since the beginning of the test, when it reached a value 30% below value used to set up the material properties in the simulation. Furthermore, we observed different behaviors depending on the thermal properties of concrete and soil. According to the simulations, the thermal

  7. Low concentration graphene nanoplatelets for shape stabilization and thermal transfer reinforcement of Mannitol: a phase change material for a medium-temperature thermal energy system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jing, Gu; Dehong, Xia; Li, Wang; Wenqing, Ao; Zhaodong, Qi

    2018-03-01

    We report herein a novel series of Mannitol/GNPs (graphene nanoplatelets) composites with incremental GNPs loadings from 1 wt% to 10 wt% for further applications in medium-temperature thermal energy system. The phase change behavior and thermal conductivity of Mannitol/GNPs composite, a nanostructured PCM, have been evaluated as a function of GNPs content. Compared to the pristine Mannitol, the resultant stabilized composite with 8 wt% of GNPs displays an extremely high 1054% enhancement in thermal conductivity, and inherits 92% of phase change enthalpy of bulk Mannitol PCM (phase change material). More importantly, 92%Mannitol/GNPs composite still preserves its initial shape without any leakage even when subjected to a 400 consecutive melting/re-solidification cycles. The resulting Mannitol composites exhibit excellent chemical compatibility, large phase change enthalpy and improved thermal reliability, as compared to base PCM, which stands distinct in its class of organic with reference to the past literatures.

  8. Thermal management in inertial fusion energy slab amplifiers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sutton, S.B.; Albrecht, G.F.

    1995-01-01

    As the technology associated with the development of solid-state drivers for inertial fusion energy (IFE) has evolved, increased emphasis has been placed on the development of an efficient approach for managing the waste heat generated in the laser media. This paper addresses the technical issues associated with the gas cooling of large aperture slabs, where the laser beam propagates through the cooling fluid. It is shown that the major consequence of proper thermal management is the introduction of simple wedge, or beam steering, into the system. Achieving proper thermal management requires careful consideration of the geometry, cooling fluid characteristics, cooling flow characteristics, as well as the thermal/mechanical/optical characteristics of the laser media. Particularly important are the effects of cooling rate variation and turbulent scattering on the system optical performance. Helium is shown to have an overwhelming advantage with respect to turbulent scattering losses. To mitigate cooling rate variations, the authors introduce the concept of flow conditioning. Finally, optical path length variations across the aperture are calculated. A comparison of two laser materials (S-FAP and YAG) shows the benefit of a nearly a-thermal material on optical variations in the system

  9. U.S. Department of Energy thermal energy storage research activities review: 1989 Proceedings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hoffman, H.W. [ed.] [PAI Corp., Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Tomlinson, J.J. [ed.] [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)

    1989-03-01

    Thermal Energy Storage (TES) offers the opportunity for the recovery and re-use of heat currently rejected to the ambient environment. Further, through the ability of TES to match an energy supply with a thermal energy demand, TES increases efficiencies of energy systems and improves capacity factors of power plants. The US Department of Energy has been the leader in TES research, development, and demonstration since recognition in 1976 of the need for fostering energy conservation as a component of the national energy budget. The federal program on TES R and D is the responsibility of the Office of Energy Storage and Distribution within the US Department of Energy (DOE). The overall program is organized into three program areas: diurnal--relating primarily to lower temperature heat for use in residential and commercial buildings on a daily cycle; industrial--relating primarily to higher temperature heat for use in industrial and utility processes on an hourly to daily cycle; seasonal--relating primarily to lower temperature heat or chill for use in residential complexes (central supply as for apartments or housing developments), commercial (light manufacturing, processing, or retail), and industrial (space conditioning) on a seasonal to annual cycle. Selected papers are indexed separately for inclusion in the Energy Science and Technology Database.

  10. Energy analysis of thermal energy storages with grid configurations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rezaie, Behnaz; Reddy, Bale V.; Rosen, Marc A.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Grid configurations of TESs are developed and assessed. • Characteristics of various configurations of TESs are developed as functions of properties. • Functions for the discharge temperature and the discharge energy of the TES are developed. - Abstract: In some thermal networks like district energy systems, there can exist conditions, depending on space availability, economics, project requirements, insulation, storing media type and other issues, for which it may be advantageous to utilize several thermal energy storages (TESs) instead of one. Here, various configurations for multiple TESs are proposed and investigated. Significant parameters for a TES, or a set of TESs, include discharging temperature and recovered energy. First, one TES is modeled to determine the final temperature, energy recovery, and energy efficiency. Next, characteristics for various grid configurations of multiple TESs are developed as functions of TES characteristics (e.g., charging and discharging temperatures and energy quantities). Series, parallel and comprehensive grid TES configurations are considered. In the parallel configuration, the TESs behave independently. This suggests that the TES can consist of different storage media types and sizes, and that there is no restriction on initial temperature of the TES. In the series configuration, the situation is different because the TESs are connected directly or indirectly through a heat exchanger. If there is no heat exchanger between the TESs, the TES storage media should be the same, because the outlet of one TES in the series is the inlet to the next. The initial temperature of the second TES must be smaller than the discharge temperature of the first. There is no restriction on the TES size for series configurations. The general grid configuration is observed to exhibit characteristics of both series and parallel configurations

  11. Energy efficient thermal management of data centers

    CERN Document Server

    Kumar, Pramod

    2012-01-01

    Energy Efficient Thermal Management of Data Centers examines energy flow in today's data centers. Particular focus is given to the state-of-the-art thermal management and thermal design approaches now being implemented across the multiple length scales involved. The impact of future trends in information technology hardware, and emerging software paradigms such as cloud computing and virtualization, on thermal management are also addressed. The book explores computational and experimental characterization approaches for determining temperature and air flow patterns within data centers. Thermodynamic analyses using the second law to improve energy efficiency are introduced and used in proposing improvements in cooling methodologies. Reduced-order modeling and robust multi-objective design of next generation data centers are discussed. This book also: Provides in-depth treatment of energy efficiency ideas based on  fundamental heat transfer, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, controls, and computer science Focus...

  12. DNA - A Thermal Energy System Simulator

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2008-01-01

    DNA is a general energy system simulator for both steady-state and dynamic simulation. The program includes a * component model library * thermodynamic state models for fluids and solid fuels and * standard numerical solvers for differential and algebraic equation systems and is free and portable...... (open source, open use, standard FORTRAN77). DNA is text-based using whichever editor, you like best. It has been integerated with the emacs editor. This is usually available on unix-like systems. for windows we recommend the Installation instructions for windows: First install emacs and then run...... the DNA installer...

  13. Thermal energy storage for solar power generation - State of the art

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shukla, K. N.

    1981-12-01

    High temperature storage for applications in solar-thermal electric systems is considered. Noting that thermal storage is in either the form of latent, sensible or chemically stored heat, sensible heat storage is stressed as the most developed of the thermal storage technologies, spanning direct heating of a storage medium from 120-1250 C. Current methods involve solids, packed beds, fluidized beds, liquids, hot water, organic liquids, and inorganic liquids and molten salts. Latent heat storage comprises phase-change materials that move from solid to liquid with addition of heat and liquid to solid with the removal of heat. Metals or inorganic salts are candidates, and the energy balances are outlined. Finally, chemical heat storage is examined, showing possible high energy densities through catalytic, thermal dissociation reactions.

  14. Integrated operation of hydro thermal system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nanthakumar, J.

    1994-01-01

    Long-term power system expansion planning studies are carried out to meet the electricity requirement in the future. Prior to the expansion planning studies, it is essential to know the energy potential of the existing generating system, especially the hydro power plants. Detailed hydro thermal stimulation studies of the integrated system is therefore carried out to determine the best way to maximise the hydro energy of the existing and committed plants. The results of the integrated system simulated model are stored in numerous files and are available for retrieval. Most important output used for expansion analysis is the energy production of each hydro plant. The annual hydro energy potential of the total hydro system of Sri Lanka for the hydrological year from 1949 to 1988 is given. Hydro condition data with different probability levels are also indicated

  15. Energy expansion planning by considering electrical and thermal expansion simultaneously

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abbasi, Ali Reza; Seifi, Ali Reza

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • This paper focused on the expansion planning optimization of energy systems. • Employing two form of energy: the expansion of electrical and thermal energies. • The main objective is to minimize the costs. • A new Modified Honey Bee Mating Optimization (MHBMO) algorithm is applied. - Abstract: This study focused on the expansion planning optimization of energy systems employing two forms of energy: the expansion of electrical and thermal energies simultaneously. The main objective of this investigation is confirming network adequacy by adding new equipment to the network, over a given planning horizon. The main objective of the energy expansion planning (EEP) is to minimize the real energy loss, voltage deviation and the total cost of installation equipments. Since the objectives are different and incommensurable, it is difficult to solve the problem by the conventional approaches that may optimize a single objective. So, the meta-heuristic algorithm is applied to this problem. Here, Honey Bee Mating Optimization algorithm (HBMO) as a new evolutionary optimization algorithm is utilized. In order to improve the total ability of HBMO for the global search and exploration, a new modification process is suggested such a way that the algorithm will search the total search space globally. Also, regarding the uncertainties of the new complicated energy systems, in this paper for the first time, the EEP problem is investigated in a stochastic environment by the use of probabilistic load flow technique based on Point Estimate Method (PEM). In order to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, two modified test systems are used as case studies

  16. Modeling energy production of solar thermal systems and wind turbines for installation at corn ethanol plants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ehrke, Elizabeth

    Nearly every aspect of human existence relies on energy in some way. Most of this energy is currently derived from fossil fuel resources. Increasing energy demands coupled with environmental and national security concerns have facilitated the move towards renewable energy sources. Biofuels like corn ethanol are one of the ways the U.S. has significantly reduced petroleum consumption. However, the large energy requirement of corn ethanol limits the net benefit of the fuel. Using renewable energy sources to produce ethanol can greatly improve its economic and environmental benefits. The main purpose of this study was to model the useful energy received from a solar thermal array and a wind turbine at various locations to determine the feasibility of applying these technologies at ethanol plants around the country. The model calculates thermal energy received from a solar collector array and electricity generated by a wind turbine utilizing various input data to characterize the equipment. Project cost and energy rate inputs are used to evaluate the profitability of the solar array or wind turbine. The current state of the wind and solar markets were examined to give an accurate representation of the economics of each industry. Eighteen ethanol plant locations were evaluated for the viability of a solar thermal array and/or wind turbine. All ethanol plant locations have long payback periods for solar thermal arrays, but high natural gas prices significantly reduce this timeframe. Government incentives will be necessary for the economic feasibility of solar thermal arrays. Wind turbines can be very profitable for ethanol plants in the Midwest due to large wind resources. The profitability of wind power is sensitive to regional energy prices. However, government incentives for wind power do not significantly change the economic feasibility of a wind turbine. This model can be used by current or future ethanol facilities to investigate or begin the planning process for a

  17. Simulated thermal energy demand and actual energy consumption in refurbished and non-refurbished buildings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ilie, C. A.; Visa, I.; Duta, A.

    2016-08-01

    The EU legal frame imposes the Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEB) status to any new public building starting with January 1st, 2019 and for any other new building starting with 2021. Basically, nZEB represents a Low Energy Building (LEB) that covers more than half of the energy demand by using renewable energy systems installed on or close to it. Thus, two steps have to be followed in developing nZEB: (1) reaching the LEB status through state- of-the art architectural and construction solutions (for the new buildings) or through refurbishing for the already existent buildings, followed by (2) implementing renewables; in Romania, over 65% of the energy demand in a building is directly linked to heating, domestic hot water (DHW), and - in certain areas - for cooling. Thus, effort should be directed to reduce the thermal energy demand to be further covered by using clean and affordable systems: solar- thermal systems, heat pumps, biomass, etc. or their hybrid combinations. Obviously this demand is influenced by the onsite climatic profile and by the building performance. An almost worst case scenario is approached in the paper, considering a community implemented in a mountain area, with cold and long winters and mild summers (Odorheiul Secuiesc city, Harghita county, Romania). Three representative types of buildings are analysed: multi-family households (in blocks of flats), single-family houses and administrative buildings. For the first two types, old and refurbished buildings were comparatively discussed.

  18. Review of the integrated thermal and nonthermal treatment system studies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1996-08-01

    This report contains a review and evaluation of three systems analysis studies performed by LITCO on integrated thermal treatment systems and integrated nonthermal treatment systems for the remediation of mixed low-level waste stored throughout the US Department of Energy weapons complex. The review was performed by an independent team of nine researchers from the Energy and Environmental Research Center, Science Applications International Corporation, the Waste Policy Institute, and Virginia Tech. The three studies reviewed were as follows: Integrated Thermal Treatment System Study, Phase 1--issued July 1994; Integrated Thermal Treatment System Study, Phase 2--issued February 1996; and Integrated Nonthermal Treatment System Study--drafted March 1996. The purpose of this review was to (1) determine whether the assumptions of the studies were adequate to produce an unbiased review of both thermal and nonthermal systems, (2) to identify the critical areas of the studies that would benefit from further investigation, and (3) to develop a standard template that could be used in future studies to assure a sound application of systems engineering.

  19. Review of the integrated thermal and nonthermal treatment system studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1996-08-01

    This report contains a review and evaluation of three systems analysis studies performed by LITCO on integrated thermal treatment systems and integrated nonthermal treatment systems for the remediation of mixed low-level waste stored throughout the US Department of Energy weapons complex. The review was performed by an independent team of nine researchers from the Energy and Environmental Research Center, Science Applications International Corporation, the Waste Policy Institute, and Virginia Tech. The three studies reviewed were as follows: Integrated Thermal Treatment System Study, Phase 1--issued July 1994; Integrated Thermal Treatment System Study, Phase 2--issued February 1996; and Integrated Nonthermal Treatment System Study--drafted March 1996. The purpose of this review was to (1) determine whether the assumptions of the studies were adequate to produce an unbiased review of both thermal and nonthermal systems, (2) to identify the critical areas of the studies that would benefit from further investigation, and (3) to develop a standard template that could be used in future studies to assure a sound application of systems engineering

  20. Charging-discharging characteristics of macro-encapsulated phase change materials in an active thermal energy storage system for a solar drying kiln

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kumar Shailendra

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The present study explores suitability of two phase change materials (PCM for development of an active thermal storage system for a solar drying kiln by studying their melting and solidification behaviors. A double glass glazing prototype solar kiln was used in the study. The storage system consisted of a water storage tank with PCM placed inside the water in high density polyethylene containers. The water in the tank was heated with help of solar energy using an evacuated tube collector array. The melting and solidification temperature curves of PCM were obtained by charging and discharging the water tank. The study illustrated the utility of the PCM in using the stored thermal energy during their discharge to enhance the temperature inside the kiln. The rate of temperature reduction was found to be higher for paraffin wax as compared to a fatty acid based PCM. The water temperature during the discharge of the PCM showed dependence on the discharge characteristics of each PCM suggesting their suitability in designing active thermal storage systems.

  1. The thermal solar energy - September 2010

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Acket, C.

    2010-01-01

    The author first notices that the use of solar heat to produce electricity is much lesser known than the production of electricity by photovoltaic effect. He also notices that few efforts have been made in France to develop this technology (thermal solar energy, also called helio-thermodynamics). He evokes the Themis project and also some initiatives in Spain and in California. He recalls some data about solar heat, presents the solar concentration technique which either uses a parabolic configuration (point focus concentration) or a cylindrical and parabolic configuration (line concentration system). He briefly presents the different techniques used to transform solar heat into electricity and to store the electricity. He briefly presents different solutions which have been tested over the past years in France, Germany, Spain, California and Israel (tower and air, gas and Stirling cycle, tower and direct vapour production, cylindrical-parabolic collector). He discusses the effect of intermittency and the French context, and questions and discusses the choice between thermal and photovoltaic solar energy (advantages and drawbacks)

  2. FY 2000 report on the results of the advanced R and D for the UTES (underground thermal energy storage) system; 2000 nendo chichu jiban chikunetsu system gijutsu sendo kenkyu kaihatsu seika hokokusho

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2001-03-01

    In this study, study was made of the commercialization of the UTES (underground thermal energy storage) system using the underground heat source heat pump system technology as the base, considering that this is a technology suitable for the urban area where the heat demand intensively increases and a lot of exhaust heat and usable heat exist. By the realization of the UTES system technology, it is expected that the system promotes Japan's utilization of the unused energy and contributes to the construction of the CO2 emission control type society for Japan's energy policy and global warming prevention and secondarily to leveling of power loads and elimination of the heat island phenomenon in large cities. As to the UTES system which is aimed at being used for space heating and cooling and hot water supply in buildings, the following two were studied: the indirect system, BTES (borehole thermal energy storage) system, in which heat is collected/radiated from the ground by the heat exchanger installed underground; the direct system, ATES (aquifer thermal energy storage) system, in which the groundwater stored in aquifer is directly pumped up and used. The study was made in the items written below: 1) establishment of an system image of the UTES system; 2) evaluation study of effects of the introduction, practical applicability, etc. 3) extraction of the subjects for development. As a result, system images of the indirect/direct systems were obtained. (NEDO)

  3. FY 2000 report on the results of the advanced R and D for the UTES (underground thermal energy storage) system; 2000 nendo chichu jiban chikunetsu system gijutsu sendo kenkyu kaihatsu seika hokokusho

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2001-03-01

    In this study, study was made of the commercialization of the UTES (underground thermal energy storage) system using the underground heat source heat pump system technology as the base, considering that this is a technology suitable for the urban area where the heat demand intensively increases and a lot of exhaust heat and usable heat exist. By the realization of the UTES system technology, it is expected that the system promotes Japan's utilization of the unused energy and contributes to the construction of the CO2 emission control type society for Japan's energy policy and global warming prevention and secondarily to leveling of power loads and elimination of the heat island phenomenon in large cities. As to the UTES system which is aimed at being used for space heating and cooling and hot water supply in buildings, the following two were studied: the indirect system, BTES (borehole thermal energy storage) system, in which heat is collected/radiated from the ground by the heat exchanger installed underground; the direct system, ATES (aquifer thermal energy storage) system, in which the groundwater stored in aquifer is directly pumped up and used. The study was made in the items written below: 1) establishment of an system image of the UTES system; 2) evaluation study of effects of the introduction, practical applicability, etc. 3) extraction of the subjects for development. As a result, system images of the indirect/direct systems were obtained. (NEDO)

  4. Numerical investigation of the energy performance of an Opaque Ventilated Façade system employing a smart modular heat recovery unit and a latent heat thermal energy system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Diallo, Thierno M.O.; Zhao, Xudong; Dugue, Antoine; Bonnamy, Paul; Javier Miguel, Francisco; Martinez, Asier; Theodosiou, Theodoros; Liu, Jing-Sheng; Brown, Nathan

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: •An innovative E2VENT ventilated façade system is presented and modelled with TRNSYS. •The energy efficiency of the system is assessed for five climates in Europe. •The E2VENT retrofitting system is compared with a traditional retrofit method. •The E2VENT system achieves 16.5–23.5% primary energy saving. •The E2VENT system saves twice as much primary energy as the traditional retrofit. -- Abstract: The building sector is responsible for more than 40% of the EU’s total energy consumption. To reduce the energy consumption in buildings and to achieve the EU’s fossil fuel saving targets for 2020 and beyond 2050, the energy efficient retrofitting strategies are critically important and need to be implemented effectively. This paper presents a dynamic numerical investigation of the energy performance of an innovative façade integrate-able energy efficient ventilation system (E2VENT) that incorporates a smart modular heat recovery unit (SMHRU) and a latent heat thermal energy system (LHTES). A number of component simulation models, including SMHRU, LHTES, Cladding and Building Energy Management System (BEMS), were developed and then integrated using the TRNSYS software which is an advanced building energy performance simulation tool. On this basis, sizing, optimisation and characterisation of the system elements including the HVAC system and insulation layer thickness were carried out. The overall energy efficiency of the E2VENT system and its impact on the energy performance of a post-retrofit building were then investigated. In particular, the heating and cooling energy performance of the E2VENT façade module was numerically studied at five different climatic conditions in Europe. Furthermore, the innovative E2VENT retrofitting was compared with traditional retrofittings in terms of the energy efficiency and primary energy savings. It was found that the innovative E2VENT solution can achieve 16.5–23.5% building primary energy saving and

  5. Methane-steam reforming by molten salt - membrane reactor using concentrated solar thermal energy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watanuki, K.; Nakajima, H.; Hasegawa, N.; Kaneko, H.; Tamaura, Y.

    2006-01-01

    By utilization of concentrated solar thermal energy for steam reforming of natural gas, which is an endothermic reaction, the chemical energy of natural gas can be up-graded. The chemical system for steam reforming of natural gas with concentrated solar thermal energy was studied to produce hydrogen by using the thermal storage with molten salt and the membrane reactor. The original steam reforming module with hydrogen permeable palladium membrane was developed and fabricated. Steam reforming of methane proceeded with the original module with palladium membrane below the decomposition temperature of molten salt (around 870 K). (authors)

  6. Solar thermal energy conversion to electrical power

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Trinh, Anh-Khoi; González, Ivan; Fournier, Luc; Pelletier, Rémi; Sandoval V, Juan C.; Lesage, Frédéric J.

    2014-01-01

    The conversion of solar energy to electricity currently relies primarily on the photovoltaic effect in which photon bombardment of photovoltaic cells drives an electromotive force within the material. Alternatively, recent studies have investigated the potential of converting solar radiation to electricity by way of the Seebeck effect in which charge carrier mobility is generated by an asymmetric thermal differential. The present study builds upon these latest advancements in the state-of-the-art of thermoelectric system management by combining solar evacuated tube technology with commercially available Bismuth Telluride semiconductor modules. The target heat source is solar radiation and the target heat sink is thermal convection into the ambient air relying on wind aided forced convection. These sources of energy are reproduced in a laboratory controlled environment in order to maintain a thermal dipole across a thermoelectric module. The apparatus is then tested in a natural environment. The novelty of the present work lies in a net thermoelectric power gain for ambient environment applications and an experimental validation of theoretical electrical characteristics relative to a varying electrical load. - Highlights: • Solar radiation maintains a thermal tension which drives an electromotive force. • Voltage, current and electric power are reported and discussed. • Theoretical optimal thermoelectric conversion predictions are presented. • Theory is validated with experimentally measured data

  7. Exergoeconomic analysis of glycol cold thermal energy storage systems for building applications. Paper no. IGEC-1-155

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bakan, K.; Dincer, I.; Rosen, M.A.

    2005-01-01

    An exergoeconomic analysis is reported of glycol cold thermal energy storage (CTES) systems. Exergoeconomics combines thermodynamic analysis (using both the first and second laws of thermodynamics) with principles of economics, mostly cost accounting. Exergy analysis provides more meaningful and useful information than energy analysis about the efficiency and performance of glycol CTES. The main reason is that traditional analyses are based on mass and energy balances and only external losses can be detected, while exergy analysis measures the quality of energy and includes irreversibility's that occur during any process. According to simulation results, the exergy efficiency of the glycol CTES is roughly 75% less than the energy efficiency due to irreversibility's, and the system efficiency is less than the tank efficiency. Irreversibility's for the overall system are higher than for the tank. Also, the reference ambient temperature has an effect on exergy destruction and efficiency. A 5 o C change in ambient temperature causes a 25% change in exergy efficiency. This result implies that cold energy is more efficient at higher ambient temperatures. Heat losses from the tank depend on the ambient temperature; a 5 o C increase in ambient temperature causes a heat loss increase of 6%. (author)

  8. Review of the integrated thermal and nonthermal treatment system studies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Durrani, H.A.; Schmidt, L.J.; Erickson, T.A.; Sondreal, E.A.; Erjavec, J.; Steadman, E.N.; Fabrycky, W.J.; Wilson, J.S.; Musich, M.A.

    1996-07-01

    This report analyzes three systems engineering (SE) studies performed on integrated thermal treatment systems (ITTSs) and integrated nonthermal treatment systems (INTSs) for the remediation of mixed low-level waste (MLLW) stored throughout the US Department of Energy (DOE) weapons complex. The review was performed by an independent team of nine researchers from the Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC), Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), the Waste Policy Institute (WPI), and Virginia Tech (VT). The three studies reviewed were as follows: Integrated Thermal Treatment System Study, Phase 1--issued July 1994; Integrated Thermal Treatment System Study, Phase 2--issued February 1996; and Integrated Nonthermal Treatment System Study--drafted March 1996. The purpose of this review was to (1) determine whether the assumptions taken in the studies might bias the resulting economic evaluations of both thermal and nonthermal systems, (2) identify the critical areas of the studies that would benefit from further investigation, and (3) develop a standard template that could be used in future studies to produce sound SE applications.

  9. Detailed partial load investigation of a thermal energy storage concept for solar thermal power plants with direct steam generation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seitz, M.; Hübner, S.; Johnson, M.

    2016-05-01

    Direct steam generation enables the implementation of a higher steam temperature for parabolic trough concentrated solar power plants. This leads to much better cycle efficiencies and lower electricity generating costs. For a flexible and more economic operation of such a power plant, it is necessary to develop thermal energy storage systems for the extension of the production time of the power plant. In the case of steam as the heat transfer fluid, it is important to use a storage material that uses latent heat for the storage process. This leads to a minimum of exergy losses during the storage process. In the case of a concentrating solar power plant, superheated steam is needed during the discharging process. This steam cannot be superheated by the latent heat storage system. Therefore, a sensible molten salt storage system is used for this task. In contrast to the state-of-the-art thermal energy storages within the concentrating solar power area of application, a storage system for a direct steam generation plant consists of a latent and a sensible storage part. Thus far, no partial load behaviors of sensible and latent heat storage systems have been analyzed in detail. In this work, an optimized fin structure was developed in order to minimize the costs of the latent heat storage. A complete system simulation of the power plant process, including the solar field, power block and sensible and latent heat energy storage calculates the interaction between the solar field, the power block and the thermal energy storage system.

  10. A comparison between CFD simulation and experimental investigation of a packed-bed thermal energy storage system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cascetta, Mario; Cau, Giorgio; Puddu, Pierpaolo; Serra, Fabio

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Thermocline formation inside a sensible type packed bed during a complete cycle. • Thermal properties of both phases must be temperature-dependent in the simulation. • Bed porosity increases from the center to the container wall. • Thermal dispersion and solid conduction must be considered in the model. • The wall influences the radial temperature profile and the amount of energy stored. - Abstract: This work presents the comparison between CFD and experimental results obtained on a sensible thermal energy storage system based on alumina beads freely poured into a carbon steel tank. Experimental investigations of charging and discharging phases were carried out at a constant mass flow rate using air as heat transfer fluid. The experimental set-up was instrumented with several thermocouples to detect axial and radial temperature distribution as well as reservoir wall temperature. The experimental results were compared with those obtained from CFD simulations carried out with the FLUENT software. The computational domain consists of an axisymmetric tank of cylindrical shape filled with a porous bed coupled with the wall. The governing equations are solved for incompressible turbulent flow and fully developed forced convection, based on the two-phase transient model equation (LTNE-local thermal non-equilibrium) to calculate the temperature of fluid and solid phases. The porosity of the bed is considered variable in the radial direction, while the thermodynamic properties of both phases are temperature-dependent. The influence of the thermal dispersion within the porous bed, as well as the effective conductivity between the beads was considered. The heat transfer coefficient was calculated according to correlation for forced convection within porous media. Numerical results show a good agreement with experimental ones if thermal properties are considered temperature-dependent and the experimental temperature profile at the inlet of the bed is

  11. Applications of thermal energy storage to waste heat recovery in the food processing industry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wojnar, F.; Lunberg, W. L.

    1980-01-01

    A study to assess the potential for waste heat recovery in the food industry and to evaluate prospective waste heat recovery system concepts employing thermal energy storage was conducted. The study found that the recovery of waste heat in canning facilities can be performed in significant quantities using systems involving thermal energy storage that are both practical and economical. A demonstration project is proposed to determine actual waste heat recovery costs and benefits and to encourage system implementation by the food industry.

  12. Solar thermal power system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bennett, Charles L.

    2010-06-15

    A solar thermal power generator includes an inclined elongated boiler tube positioned in the focus of a solar concentrator for generating steam from water. The boiler tube is connected at one end to receive water from a pressure vessel as well as connected at an opposite end to return steam back to the vessel in a fluidic circuit arrangement that stores energy in the form of heated water in the pressure vessel. An expander, condenser, and reservoir are also connected in series to respectively produce work using the steam passed either directly (above a water line in the vessel) or indirectly (below a water line in the vessel) through the pressure vessel, condense the expanded steam, and collect the condensed water. The reservoir also supplies the collected water back to the pressure vessel at the end of a diurnal cycle when the vessel is sufficiently depressurized, so that the system is reset to repeat the cycle the following day. The circuital arrangement of the boiler tube and the pressure vessel operates to dampen flow instabilities in the boiler tube, damp out the effects of solar transients, and provide thermal energy storage which enables time shifting of power generation to better align with the higher demand for energy during peak energy usage periods.

  13. Availability-based computer management of a cold thermal storage system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wong, K.F.V.; Ferrano, F.J.

    1990-01-01

    This paper reports on work to develop an availability-based, on-line expert system to manage a thermal energy storage air-conditioning system. The management system is designed to be used by mechanical engineers in the field of air-conditioning control and maintenance. Specifically, the expert system permits the user to easily monitor the second law of thermodynamics operating efficiencies of the major components and the system as a whole in addition to the daily scheduled operating parameters of a cold thermal storage system. Through the use of computer-generated and continually updated screen display pages, the user is permitted interaction with the expert system. The knowledge-based system is developed with a commercially available expert system shell that is resident in a personal computer. In the case studied, 130 various analog and binary inputs/outputs are used. The knowledge base for the thermal energy storage expert system included nine different display pages that are continually updated, 25 rules, three tasks, and three loops

  14. Modeling of District Heating Networks for the Purpose of Operational Optimization with Thermal Energy Storage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leśko, Michał; Bujalski, Wojciech

    2017-12-01

    The aim of this document is to present the topic of modeling district heating systems in order to enable optimization of their operation, with special focus on thermal energy storage in the pipelines. Two mathematical models for simulation of transient behavior of district heating networks have been described, and their results have been compared in a case study. The operational optimization in a DH system, especially if this system is supplied from a combined heat and power plant, is a difficult and complicated task. Finding a global financial optimum requires considering long periods of time and including thermal energy storage possibilities into consideration. One of the most interesting options for thermal energy storage is utilization of thermal inertia of the network itself. This approach requires no additional investment, while providing significant possibilities for heat load shifting. It is not feasible to use full topological models of the networks, comprising thousands of substations and network sections, for the purpose of operational optimization with thermal energy storage, because such models require long calculation times. In order to optimize planned thermal energy storage actions, it is necessary to model the transient behavior of the network in a very simple way - allowing for fast and reliable calculations. Two approaches to building such models have been presented. Both have been tested by comparing the results of simulation of the behavior of the same network. The characteristic features, advantages and disadvantages of both kinds of models have been identified. The results can prove useful for district heating system operators in the near future.

  15. On the Non-Thermal Energy Content of Cosmic Structures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Franco Vazza

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available (1 Background: the budget of non-thermal energy in galaxy clusters is not well constrained, owing to the observational and theoretical difficulties in studying these diluted plasmas on large scales; (2 Method: we use recent cosmological simulations with complex physics in order to connect the emergence of non-thermal energy to the underlying evolution of gas and dark matter; (3 Results: the impact of non-thermal energy (e.g., cosmic rays, magnetic fields and turbulent motions is found to increase in the outer region of galaxy clusters. Within numerical and theoretical uncertainties, turbulent motions dominate the budget of non-thermal energy in most of the cosmic volume; (4 Conclusion: assessing the distribution non-thermal energy in galaxy clusters is crucial to perform high-precision cosmology in the future. Constraining the level of non-thermal energy in cluster outskirts will improve our understanding of the acceleration of relativistic particles and of the origin of extragalactic magnetic fields.

  16. Influence of geologic layering on heat transport and storage in an aquifer thermal energy storage system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bridger, D. W.; Allen, D. M.

    2014-01-01

    A modeling study was carried out to evaluate the influence of aquifer heterogeneity, as represented by geologic layering, on heat transport and storage in an aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) system in Agassiz, British Columbia, Canada. Two 3D heat transport models were developed and calibrated using the flow and heat transport code FEFLOW including: a "non-layered" model domain with homogeneous hydraulic and thermal properties; and, a "layered" model domain with variable hydraulic and thermal properties assigned to discrete geological units to represent aquifer heterogeneity. The base model (non-layered) shows limited sensitivity for the ranges of all thermal and hydraulic properties expected at the site; the model is most sensitive to vertical anisotropy and hydraulic gradient. Simulated and observed temperatures within the wells reflect a combination of screen placement and layering, with inconsistencies largely explained by the lateral continuity of high permeability layers represented in the model. Simulation of heat injection, storage and recovery show preferential transport along high permeability layers, resulting in longitudinal plume distortion, and overall higher short-term storage efficiencies.

  17. Magnesium fluoride as energy storage medium for spacecraft solar thermal power systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lurio, Charles A.

    1992-01-01

    MgF2 was investigated as a phase-change energy-storage material for LEO power systems using solar heat to run thermal cycles. It provides a high heat of fusion per unit mass at a high melting point (1536 K). Theoretical evaluation showed the basic chemical compatibility of liquid MgF2 with refractory metals at 1600 K, though transient high pressures of H2 can occur in a closed container due to reaction with residual moisture. The compatibility was tested in two refractory metal containers for over 2000 h. Some showed no deterioration, while there was evidence that the fluoride reacted with hafnium in others. Corollary tests showed that the MgF2 supercooled by 10-30 K and 50-90 K.

  18. Heat-pump-centered integrated community energy systems: system development summary

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Calm, J.M.

    1980-02-01

    An introduction to district heating systems employing heat pumps to enable use of low-temperature energy sources is presented. These systems operate as thermal utilities to provide space heating and may also supply space cooling, service-water heating, and other thermal services. Otherwise-wasted heat from industrial and commercial processes, natural sources including solar and geothermal heat, and heat stored on an annual cycle from summer cooling may be effectively utilized by the systems described. These sources are abundant, and their use would conserve scarce resources and reduce adverse environmental impacts. More than one-quarter of the energy consumed in the United States is used to heat and cool buildings and to heat service water. Natural gas and oil provide approximately 83% of this energy. The systems described show potential to reduce net energy consumption for these services by 20 to 50% and to allow fuel substitution with less-scarce resources not practical in smaller, individual-building systems. Seven studies performed for the system development phase of the Department of Energy's Heat-Pump-Centered Integrated Community Energy Systems Project and to related studies are summarized. A concluding chapter tabulates data from these separately published studies.

  19. Economic and Environmental Considerations for Zero-emission Transport and Thermal Energy Generation on an Energy Autonomous Island

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fontina Petrakopoulou

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The high cost and environmental impact of fossil-fuel energy generation in remote regions can make renewable energy applications more competitive than business-as-usual scenarios. Furthermore, energy and transport are two of the main sectors that significantly contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions. This paper focuses on the generation of thermal energy and the transport sector of a fossil fuel-based energy independent island in Greece. We evaluate (1 technologies for fully renewable thermal energy generation using building-specific solar thermal systems and (2 the replacement of the vehicle fleet of the island with electric and hydrogen-fueled vehicles. The analysis, based on economic and environmental criteria, shows that although solar thermal decreases greenhouse gases by 83%, when compared to the current diesel-based situation, it only becomes economically attractive with subsidy scenarios equal to or higher than 50%. However, in the transport sector, the sum of fuel and maintenance costs of fuel-cell and electric vehicles is found to be 45% lower than that of the current fleet, due to their approximately seven times lower fuel cost. Lastly, it will take approximately six years of use of the new vehicles to balance out the emissions of their manufacturing phase.

  20. Photoswitchable Molecular Rings for Solar-Thermal Energy Storage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durgun, E; Grossman, Jeffrey C

    2013-03-21

    Solar-thermal fuels reversibly store solar energy in the chemical bonds of molecules by photoconversion, and can release this stored energy in the form of heat upon activation. Many conventional photoswichable molecules could be considered as solar thermal fuels, although they suffer from low energy density or short lifetime in the photoinduced high-energy metastable state, rendering their practical use unfeasible. We present a new approach to the design of chemistries for solar thermal fuel applications, wherein well-known photoswitchable molecules are connected by different linker agents to form molecular rings. This approach allows for a significant increase in both the amount of stored energy per molecule and the stability of the fuels. Our results suggest a range of possibilities for tuning the energy density and thermal stability as a function of the type of the photoswitchable molecule, the ring size, or the type of linkers.

  1. Computational Analysis of Nanoparticles-Molten Salt Thermal Energy Storage for Concentrated Solar Power Systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kumar, Vinod [Univ. of Texas, El Paso, TX (United States)

    2017-05-05

    High fidelity computational models of thermocline-based thermal energy storage (TES) were developed. The research goal was to advance the understanding of a single tank nanofludized molten salt based thermocline TES system under various concentration and sizes of the particles suspension. Our objectives were to utilize sensible-heat that operates with least irreversibility by using nanoscale physics. This was achieved by performing computational analysis of several storage designs, analyzing storage efficiency and estimating cost effectiveness for the TES systems under a concentrating solar power (CSP) scheme using molten salt as the storage medium. Since TES is one of the most costly but important components of a CSP plant, an efficient TES system has potential to make the electricity generated from solar technologies cost competitive with conventional sources of electricity.

  2. High-temperature thermal storage systems for advanced solar receivers materials selections

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, D. F.; Devan, J. H.; Howell, M.

    1990-01-01

    Advanced space power systems that use solar energy and Brayton or Stirling heat engines require thermal energy storage (TES) systems to operate continuously through periods of shade. The receiver storage units, key elements in both Brayton and Stirling systems, are designed to use the latent heat of fusion of phase-change materials (PCMs). The power systems under current consideration for near-future National Aeronautics and Space Administration space missions require working fluid temperatures in the 1100 to 1400 K range. The PCMs under current investigation that gave liquid temperatures within this range are the fluoride family of salts. However, these salts have low thermal conductivity, which causes large temperature gradients in the storage systems. Improvements can be obtained, however, with the use of thermal conductivity enhancements or metallic PCMs. In fact, if suitable containment materials can be found, the use of metallic PCMs would virtually eliminate the orbit associated temperature variations in TES systems. The high thermal conductivity and generally low volume change on melting of germanium and alloys based on silicon make them attractive for storage of thermal energy in space power systems. An approach to solving the containment problem, involving both chemical and physical compatibility, preparation of NiSi/NiSi2, and initial results for containment of germanium and NiSi/NiSi2, are presented.

  3. A review of technologies and performances of thermal treatment systems for energy recovery from waste

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lombardi, Lidia, E-mail: lidia.lombardi@unicusano.it [Niccolò Cusano University, via Don Carlo Gnocchi, 3, 00166 Rome (Italy); Carnevale, Ennio [Industrial Engineering Department, University of Florence, via Santa Marta, 3, 50129 Florence (Italy); Corti, Andrea [Department of Information Engineering and Mathematics, University of Siena, via Roma, 56, 53100 (Italy)

    2015-03-15

    Highlights: • The topic of energy recovery from waste by thermal treatment is reviewed. • Combustion, gasification and pyrolysis were considered. • Data about energy recovery performances were collected and compared. • Main limitations to high values of energy performances were illustrated. • Diffusion of energy recovery from waste in EU, USA and other countries was discussed. - Abstract: The aim of this work is to identify the current level of energy recovery through waste thermal treatment. The state of the art in energy recovery from waste was investigated, highlighting the differences for different types of thermal treatment, considering combustion/incineration, gasification and pyrolysis. Also different types of wastes – Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) or Solid Refuse Fuels (SRF) and some typologies of Industrial Waste (IW) (sludge, plastic scraps, etc.) – were included in the analysis. The investigation was carried out mainly reviewing papers, published in scientific journals and conferences, but also considering technical reports, to gather more information. In particular the goal of this review work was to synthesize studies in order to compare the values of energy conversion efficiencies measured or calculated for different types of thermal processes and different types of waste. It emerged that the dominant type of thermal treatment is incineration associated to energy recovery in a steam cycle. When waste gasification is applied, the produced syngas is generally combusted in a boiler to generate steam for energy recovery in a steam cycle. For both the possibilities – incineration or gasification – cogeneration is the mean to improve energy recovery, especially for small scale plants. In the case of only electricity production, the achievable values are strongly dependent on the plant size: for large plant size, where advanced technical solutions can be applied and sustained from an economic point of view, net

  4. Harvesting electrical energy from torsional thermal actuation driven by natural convection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Shi Hyeong; Sim, Hyeon Jun; Hyeon, Jae Sang; Suh, Dongseok; Spinks, Geoffrey M; Baughman, Ray H; Kim, Seon Jeong

    2018-06-07

    The development of practical, cost-effective systems for the conversion of low-grade waste heat to electrical energy is an important area of renewable energy research. We here demonstrate a thermal energy harvester that is driven by the small temperature fluctuations provided by natural convection. This harvester uses coiled yarn artificial muscles, comprising well-aligned shape memory polyurethane (SMPU) microfibers, to convert thermal energy to torsional mechanical energy, which is then electromagnetically converted to electrical energy. Temperature fluctuations in a yarn muscle, having a maximum hot-to-cold temperature difference of about 13 °C, were used to spin a magnetic rotor to a peak torsional rotation speed of 3,000 rpm. The electromagnetic energy generator converted the torsional energy to electrical energy, thereby producing an oscillating output voltage of up to 0.81 V and peak power of 4 W/kg, based on SMPU mass.

  5. Thermal energy management process experiment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ollendorf, S.

    1984-01-01

    The thermal energy management processes experiment (TEMP) will demonstrate that through the use of two-phase flow technology, thermal systems can be significantly enhanced by increasing heat transport capabilities at reduced power consumption while operating within narrow temperature limits. It has been noted that such phenomena as excess fluid puddling, priming, stratification, and surface tension effects all tend to mask the performance of two-phase flow systems in a 1-g field. The flight experiment approach would be to attack the experiment to an appropriate mounting surface with a 15 to 20 meter effective length and provide a heat input and output station in the form of heaters and a radiator. Using environmental data, the size, location, and orientation of the experiment can be optimized. The approach would be to provide a self-contained panel and mount it to the STEP through a frame. A small electronics package would be developed to interface with the STEP avionics for command and data handling. During the flight, heaters on the evaporator will be exercised to determine performance. Flight data will be evaluated against the ground tests to determine any anomalous behavior.

  6. Heat pipe based cold energy storage systems for datacenter energy conservation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, Randeep; Mochizuki, Masataka; Mashiko, Koichi; Nguyen, Thang

    2011-01-01

    In the present paper, design and economics of the novel type of thermal control system for datacenter using heat pipe based cold energy storage has been proposed and discussed. Two types of cold energy storage system namely: ice storage system and cold water storage system are explained and sized for datacenter with heat output capacity of 8800 kW. Basically, the cold energy storage will help to reduce the chiller running time that will save electricity related cost and decrease greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the electricity generation from non-renewable sources. The proposed cold energy storage system can be retrofit or connected in the existing datacenter facilities without major design changes. Out of the two proposed systems, ice based cold energy storage system is mainly recommended for datacenters which are located in very cold locations and therefore can offer long term seasonal storage of cold energy within reasonable cost. One of the potential application domains for ice based cold energy storage system using heat pipes is the emergency backup system for datacenter. Water based cold energy storage system provides more compact size with short term storage (hours to days) and is potential for datacenters located in areas with yearly average temperature below the permissible cooling water temperature (∼25 o C). The aforesaid cold energy storage systems were sized on the basis of metrological conditions in Poughkeepsie, New York. As an outcome of the thermal and cost analysis, water based cold energy storage system with cooling capability to handle 60% of datacenter yearly heat load will provide an optimum system size with minimum payback period of 3.5 years. Water based cold energy storage system using heat pipes can be essentially used as precooler for chiller. Preliminary results obtained from the experimental system to test the capability of heat pipe based cold energy storage system have provided satisfactory outcomes and validated the proposed

  7. Using cooperative control to manage uncertainties for Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaxa-Rozen, Marc; Rostampour, Vahab; Kwakkel, Jan; Bloemendal, Martin

    2017-04-01

    Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) technology can lead to major reductions in energy demand for heating and cooling in buildings. ATES systems rely on shallow aquifers to seasonally store thermal energy and have become popular in the Netherlands, where a combination of easily accessible aquifers and strict energy regulations makes the technology especially relevant. However, this rapid adoption has made their management in dense urban areas more challenging. For instance, thermal interferences between neighboring systems can degrade storage efficiency. Policies for the permitting and spatial layout of ATES thus tend to be conservative to ensure the performance of individual systems, but this limits the space available for new systems - leading to a trade-off between individual system performance, and the overall energy savings obtained from ATES in a given area. Furthermore, recent studies show that operational uncertainties contribute to poor outcomes under current planning practices; systems in the Netherlands typically use less than half of their permitted water volume. This further reduces energy savings compared to expectations and also leads to an over-allocation of subsurface space. In this context, this work investigates the potential of a more flexible approach for ATES planning and operation, under which neighboring systems coordinate their operation. This is illustrated with a three-building idealized case, using a model predictive control approach for two control schemes: a decoupled formulation, and a centralized scheme that aims to avoid interferences between neighboring systems (assuming perfect information exchange). These control schemes are compared across a range of scenarios for spatial layout, building energy demand, and climate, using a coupled agent-based/geohydrological simulation. The simulation indicates that centralized operation could significantly improve the spatial layout efficiency of ATES systems, by allowing systems to be placed

  8. Thermal energy storage for low grade heat in the organic Rankine cycle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soda, Michael John

    Limits of efficiencies cause immense amounts of thermal energy in the form of waste heat to be vented to the atmosphere. Up to 60% of unrecovered waste heat is classified as low or ultra-low quality, making recovery difficult or inefficient. The organic Rankine cycle can be used to generate mechanical power and electricity from these low temperatures where other thermal cycles are impractical. A variety of organic working fluids are available to optimize the ORC for any target temperature range. San Diego State University has one such experimental ORC using R245fa, and has been experimenting with multiple expanders. One limitation of recovering waste heat is the sporadic or cyclical nature common to its production. This inconsistency makes sizing heat recovery ORC systems difficult for a variety of reasons including off-design-point efficiency loss, increased attrition from varying loads, unreliable outputs, and overall system costs. Thermal energy storage systems can address all of these issues by smoothing the thermal input to a constant and reliable level and providing back-up capacity for times when the thermal input is deactivated. Multiple types of thermal energy storage have been explored including sensible, latent, and thermochemical. Latent heat storage involves storing thermal energy in the reversible phase change of a phase change material, or PCM, and can have several advantages over other modalities including energy storage density, cost, simplicity, reliability, relatively constant temperature output, and temperature customizability. The largest obstacles to using latent heat storage include heat transfer rates, thermal cycling stability, and potentially corrosive PCMs. Targeting 86°C, the operating temperature of SDSU's experimental ORC, multiple potential materials were explored and tested as potential PCMs including Magnesium Chloride Hexahydrate (MgCl2˙6H2O), Magnesium Nitrate Hexahydrate (Mg(NO3)2˙6H 2O), montan wax, and carnauba wax. The

  9. Nanoencapsulation of phase change materials for advanced thermal energy storage systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shchukina, E. M.; Graham, M.; Zheng, Z.

    2018-01-01

    Phase change materials (PCMs) allow the storage of large amounts of latent heat during phase transition. They have the potential to both increase the efficiency of renewable energies such as solar power through storage of excess energy, which can be used at times of peak demand; and to reduce overall energy demand through passive thermal regulation. 198.3 million tons of oil equivalent were used in the EU in 2013 for heating. However, bulk PCMs are not suitable for use without prior encapsulation. Encapsulation in a shell material provides benefits such as protection of the PCM from the external environment and increased specific surface area to improve heat transfer. This review highlights techniques for the encapsulation of both organic and inorganic PCMs, paying particular attention to nanoencapsulation (capsules with sizes energy release/uptake. PMID:29658558

  10. Nanoencapsulation of phase change materials for advanced thermal energy storage systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shchukina, E M; Graham, M; Zheng, Z; Shchukin, D G

    2018-04-16

    Phase change materials (PCMs) allow the storage of large amounts of latent heat during phase transition. They have the potential to both increase the efficiency of renewable energies such as solar power through storage of excess energy, which can be used at times of peak demand; and to reduce overall energy demand through passive thermal regulation. 198.3 million tons of oil equivalent were used in the EU in 2013 for heating. However, bulk PCMs are not suitable for use without prior encapsulation. Encapsulation in a shell material provides benefits such as protection of the PCM from the external environment and increased specific surface area to improve heat transfer. This review highlights techniques for the encapsulation of both organic and inorganic PCMs, paying particular attention to nanoencapsulation (capsules with sizes energy release/uptake.

  11. Aero-thermal optimization of in-flight electro-thermal ice protection systems in transient de-icing mode

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pourbagian, Mahdi; Habashi, Wagdi G.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • We introduce an efficient methodology for the optimization of a de-icing system. • We can replace the expensive CHT simulation by ROM without loosing much accuracy. • We propose different criteria affecting the energy usage and aerodynamic performance. • These criteria can significantly improve the performance of the de-icing system. - Abstract: Even if electro-thermal ice protection systems (IPS) consume less energy when operating in de-icing mode than in anti-icing mode, they still need to be optimized for energy usage. The optimization, however, should also take into account the effect of the de-icing system on the aerodynamic performance. The present work offers an optimization framework in which both thermal and aerodynamic viewpoints are taken into account in formulating various objective and constraint functions by considering the energy consumption, the thickness, the volume, the shape and the location of the accreted ice on the surface as the key parameters affecting the energy usage and the aerodynamic performance. The design variables include the power density and the activation time of the electric heating blankets. A derivative-free technique, called the mesh adaptive direct search (MADS) method, is used to carry out the optimization process, which would normally need a large number of unsteady conjugate heat transfer (CHT) calculations for the IPS simulation. To avoid such prohibitive computations, reduced-order modeling (ROM) is used to construct simplified low-dimensional CHT models. The approach is illustrated through several test cases, in which different combinations of objective and constraint functions, design variables and cycling sequence patterns are examined. In these test cases, the energy consumption is significantly reduced compared to the experiments by improving the spatial and temporal distribution of the thermal energy usage. The results show the benefits of the approach in bringing energy, safety and

  12. Application of a reversible chemical reaction system to solar thermal power plants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanseth, E. J.; Won, Y. S.; Seibowitz, L. P.

    1980-01-01

    Three distributed dish solar thermal power systems using various applications of SO2/SO3 chemical energy storage and transport technology were comparatively assessed. Each system features various roles for the chemical system: (1) energy storage only, (2) energy transport, or (3) energy transport and storage. These three systems were also compared with the dish-Stirling, using electrical transport and battery storage, and the central receiver Rankine system, with thermal storage, to determine the relative merit of plants employing a thermochemical system. As an assessment criterion, the busbar energy costs were compared. Separate but comparable solar energy cost computer codes were used for distributed receiver and central receiver systems. Calculations were performed for capacity factors ranging from 0.4 to 0.8. The results indicate that SO2/SO3 technology has the potential to be more cost effective in transporting the collected energy than in storing the energy for the storage capacity range studied (2-15 hours)

  13. Design aspects of integrated compact thermal storage system for solar dryer applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rajaraman, R.; Velraj, R.; Renganarayanan, S.

    2000-01-01

    Solar energy is an excellent source for drying of crops, fruits, vegetables and other agricultural and forest products. Though the availability of solar energy is plenty, it is time dependent in nature. The energy need for some applications is also time dependent, but in a different pattern and phase from the solar energy supply. This implies that the solar dryer should be integrated with an efficient thermal storage system to match the time-dependent supply and end-use requirements. Based on the studies carried out on Latent Heat Thermal Storage (LHTS) Systems, it is observed that when air is used as the heat transfer fluid in LHTS system, nearly uniform surface heat flux can be achieved. Hence the LHTS systems are most suitable for air based solar drying applications. In the present work some major conclusions arrived from the investigations on LHTS systems and the design considerations for the integrated latent heat thermal storage for the solar dryer are reported. (Author)

  14. Integrated thermal treatment system study -- Phase 2 results. Revision 1

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Feizollahi, F.; Quapp, W.J.

    1996-02-01

    This report presents the second phase of a study on thermal treatment technologies. The study consists of a systematic assessment of nineteen thermal treatment alternatives for the contact-handled mixed low-level waste (MLLW) currently stored in the US Department of Energy complex. The treatment alternatives consist of widely varying technologies for safely destroying the hazardous organic components, reducing the volume, and preparing for final disposal of the MLLW. The alternatives considered in Phase 2 were innovative thermal treatments with nine types of primary processing units. Other variations in the study examined the effect of combustion gas, air pollution control system design, and stabilization technology for the treatment residues. The Phase 1 study examined ten initial thermal treatment alternatives. The Phase 2 systems were evaluated in essentially the same manner as the Phase 1 systems. The alternatives evaluated were: rotary kiln, slagging kiln, plasma furnace, plasma gasification, molten salt oxidation, molten metal waste destruction, steam gasification, Joule-heated vitrification, thermal desorption and mediated electrochemical oxidation, and thermal desorption and supercritical water oxidation. The quantities, and physical and chemical compositions, of the input waste used in the Phase 2 systems differ from those in the Phase 1 systems, which were based on a preliminary waste input database developed at the onset of the Integrated Thermal Treatment System study. The inventory database used in the Phase 2 study incorporates the latest US Department of Energy information. All systems, both primary treatment systems and subsystem inputs, have now been evaluated using the same waste input (2,927 lb/hr). 28 refs., 88 figs., 41 tabs.

  15. Integrated thermal treatment system study -- Phase 2 results. Revision 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feizollahi, F.; Quapp, W.J.

    1996-02-01

    This report presents the second phase of a study on thermal treatment technologies. The study consists of a systematic assessment of nineteen thermal treatment alternatives for the contact-handled mixed low-level waste (MLLW) currently stored in the US Department of Energy complex. The treatment alternatives consist of widely varying technologies for safely destroying the hazardous organic components, reducing the volume, and preparing for final disposal of the MLLW. The alternatives considered in Phase 2 were innovative thermal treatments with nine types of primary processing units. Other variations in the study examined the effect of combustion gas, air pollution control system design, and stabilization technology for the treatment residues. The Phase 1 study examined ten initial thermal treatment alternatives. The Phase 2 systems were evaluated in essentially the same manner as the Phase 1 systems. The alternatives evaluated were: rotary kiln, slagging kiln, plasma furnace, plasma gasification, molten salt oxidation, molten metal waste destruction, steam gasification, Joule-heated vitrification, thermal desorption and mediated electrochemical oxidation, and thermal desorption and supercritical water oxidation. The quantities, and physical and chemical compositions, of the input waste used in the Phase 2 systems differ from those in the Phase 1 systems, which were based on a preliminary waste input database developed at the onset of the Integrated Thermal Treatment System study. The inventory database used in the Phase 2 study incorporates the latest US Department of Energy information. All systems, both primary treatment systems and subsystem inputs, have now been evaluated using the same waste input (2,927 lb/hr). 28 refs., 88 figs., 41 tabs

  16. The Influence of a Radiant Panel System with Integrated Phase Change Material on Energy Use and Thermal Indoor Environment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Lin Flemming; Bourdakis, Eleftherios; Kazanci, Ongun Berk

    2018-01-01

    This study examined the effect on energy use and thermal comfort when combining microencapsulated phase change material (PCM) with radiant ceiling panels in a two-person office. The performance of the system was studied during the cooling season in the climates of Copenhagen, Denmark, and Rome...

  17. Process and Economic Optimisation of a Milk Processing Plant with Solar Thermal Energy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bühler, Fabian; Nguyen, Tuong-Van; Elmegaard, Brian

    2016-01-01

    . Based on the case study of a dairy factory, where first a heat integration is performed to optimise the system, a model for solar thermal process integration is developed. The detailed model is based on annual hourly global direct and diffuse solar radiation, from which the radiation on a defined......This work investigates the integration of solar thermal systems for process energy use. A shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy could be beneficial both from environmental and economic perspectives, after the process itself has been optimised and efficiency measures have been implemented...... surface is calculated. Based on hourly process stream data from the dairy factory, the optimal streams for solar thermal process integration are found, with an optimal thermal storagetank volume. The last step consists of an economic optimisation of the problem to determine the optimal size...

  18. Peak load shifting control using different cold thermal energy storage facilities in commercial buildings: A review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun, Yongjun; Wang, Shengwei; Xiao, Fu; Gao, Diance

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • Little study reviews the load shifting control using different facilities. • This study reviews load shifting control using building thermal mass. • This study reviews load shifting control using thermal energy storage systems. • This study reviews load shifting control using phase change material. • Efforts for developing more applicable load shifting control are addressed. - Abstract: For decades, load shifting control, one of most effective peak demand management methods, has attracted increasing attentions from both researchers and engineers. Different load shifting control strategies have been developed when diverse cold thermal energy storage facilities are used in commercial buildings. The facilities include building thermal mass (BTM), thermal energy storage system (TES) and phase change material (PCM). Little study has systematically reviewed these load shifting control strategies and therefore this study presents a comprehensive review of peak load shifting control strategies using these thermal energy storage facilities in commercial buildings. The research and applications of the load shifting control strategies are presented and discussed. The further efforts needed for developing more applicable load shifting control strategies using the facilities are also addressed

  19. Integrated photovoltaic-thermal solar energy conversion systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samara, G. A.

    1975-01-01

    A combined photovoltaic/thermal collector has been built and is now being tested. Initial tests have concentrated on evaluating the thermal efficiency of the collector before and after the silicon cells are mounted. With likely improvements in bonding between cells and receiver and in the absorptivity of the cells, thermal efficiencies greater than 50% can be expected for the combined receiver operating at 100 C.

  20. Comparative analysis on operation strategies of CCHP system with cool thermal storage for a data center

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song, Xu; Liu, Liuchen; Zhu, Tong; Zhang, Tao; Wu, Zhu

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Load characteristics of the data center make a good match with CCHP systems. • TRNSYS models was used to simulate the discussed CCHP system in a data center. • Comprehensive system performance under two operation strategies were evaluated. • Cool thermal storage was introduced to reuse the energy surplus by FEL system. • The suitable principle of equipment selection for a FEL system were proposed. - Abstract: Combined Cooling, Heating, and Power (CCHP) systems with cool thermal storage can provide an appropriate energy supply for data centers. In this work, we evaluate the CCHP system performance under two different operation strategies, i.e., following thermal load (FTL) and following electric load (FEL). The evaluation is performed through a case study by using TRNSYS software. In the FEL system, the amount of cool thermal energy generated by the absorption chillers is larger than the cooling load and it can be therefore stored and reused at the off-peak times. Results indicate that systems under both operation strategies have advantages in the fields of energy saving and environmental protection. The largest percentage of reduction of primary energy consumption, CO_2 emissions, and operation cost for the FEL system, are 18.5%, 37.4% and 46.5%, respectively. Besides, the system performance is closely dependent on the equipment selection. The relation between the amount of energy recovered through cool thermal storage and the primary energy consumption has also been taken into account. Moreover, the introduction of cool thermal storage can adjust the heat to power ratio on the energy supply side close to that on the consumer side and consequently promote system flexibility and energy efficiency.

  1. Mechanical, Thermal, and Electrical Energy Storage in a Single Working Body: Electrification and Thermal Effects upon Pressure-Induced Water Intrusion-Extrusion in Nanoporous Solids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grosu, Yaroslav; Mierzwa, Michał; Eroshenko, Valentine A; Pawlus, Sebastian; Chorażewski, Mirosław; Nedelec, Jean-Marie; Grolier, Jean-Pierre E

    2017-03-01

    This paper presents the first experimental evidence of pronounced electrification effects upon reversible cycle of forced water intrusion-extrusion in nanoporous hydrophobic materials. Recorded generation of electricity combined with high-pressure calorimetric measurements improves the energy balance of {nanoporous solid + nonwetting liquid} systems by compensating mechanical and thermal energy hysteresis in the cycle. Revealed phenomena provide a novel way of "mechanical to electrical" and/or "thermal to electrical" energy transformation with unprecedented efficiency and additionally open a perspective to increase the efficiency of numerous energy applications based on such systems taking advantage of electricity generation during operational cycle.

  2. Integrated energy system for a high performance building

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaczko, Kristen

    Integrated energy systems have the potential to reduce of the energy consumption of residential buildings in Canada. These systems incorporate components to meet the building heating, cooling and domestic hot water load into a single system in order to reduce energy losses. An integrated energy system, consisting of a variable speed heat pump, cold and hot thermal storage tanks, a photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) collector array and a battery bank, was designed for the Queen's Solar Design Team's (QSDT) test house. The system uses a radiant floor to provide space- heating and sensible cooling and a dedicated outdoor air system provides ventilation and dehumidifies the incoming fresh air. The test house, the Queen's Solar Education Centre (QSEC), and the integrated energy system were both modelled in TRNSYS. Additionally, a new TRNSYS Type was developed to model the PV/T collectors, enabling the modeling of the collection of energy from the ambient air. A parametric study was carried out in TRNSYS to investigate the effect of various parameters on the overall energy performance of the system. These parameters included the PV/T array size and the slope of the collectors, the heat pump source and load-side inlet temperature setpoints, the compressor speed control and the size of the thermal storage tanks and the battery bank. The controls of the heat pump were found to have a large impact on the performance of the integrated energy system. For example, a low evaporator setpoint improved the overall free energy ratio (FER) of the system but the heat pump performance was lowered. Reducing the heat loss of the PV/T panels was not found to have a large effect on the system performance however, as the heat pump is able to lower the inlet collector fluid temperature, thus reducing thermal losses. From the results of the sensitivity study, a recommended system model was created and this system had a predicted FER of 77.9% in Kingston, Ontario, neglecting the energy consumption of

  3. Warming impact on energy use of HVAC system in buildings of different thermal qualities and in different climates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kharseh, Mohamad; Altorkmany, Lobna; Al-Khawaj, Mohammed; Hassani, Ferri

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Improving TQBE reduces heating load, while it might increase cooling load. • Warming impact on energy use of HVAC varies from one climate to another. • Warming impact on energy use of HVAC depends on building’s thermal quality. • In mild climate, warming does not have a significant impact on energy use of HVAC. - Abstract: In order to combat climate change, energy use in the building must be further reduced. Heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in residential buildings account for considerable fraction of global energy consumption. The potential contribution the domestic sector can make in reducing energy consumption is recognized worldwide. The driving energy of HVACs depends on the thermal quality of the building envelope (TQBE) and outside temperature. Definitely, building regulations are changing with the time toward reduce the thermal loads of buildings. However, most of the existing residential buildings were built to lower TQBE. For instant, 72% of residential dwellings in the 15-EU were built before 1972. To investigate the impact of warming on driving energy of HVACs of a residential building a computer model was developed. Three climate categories/cities were considered, i.e. Stockholm (cold), Istanbul (mild), and Doha (hot). In each city, two buildings were modeled: one was assumed to be built according to the current local buildings regulations (standard TQBE), while the anther was built to lower TQBE. The simulations were run for present and future (in 2050) outdoor designing conditions. The calculations show that the impact of the warming on annual driving energy of HVACs (reduction or increase) depends very much on the climate category and on the TQBE. Based on the climate and TQBE, the change in annual HVACs energy varies from −7.4% (in cold climate) to 12.7% (in hot climate). In mild climate, it was shown that the warming does not have significant impact on annual HVACs energy. Improving the TQBE can

  4. A critical review on energy, exergy, exergoeconomic and economic (4-E analysis of thermal power plants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ravinder Kumar

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available The growing energy supply, demand has created an interest towards the plant equipment efficiency and the optimization of existing thermal power plants. Also, a thermal power plant dependency on fossil fuel makes it a little bit difficult, because of environmental impacts has been always taken into consideration. At present, most of the power plants are going to be designed by the energetic performance criterion which is based on the first law of thermodynamics. Sometimes, the system energy balance is not sufficient for the possible finding of the system imperfections. Energy losses taking place in a system can be easily determined by using exergy analysis. Hence, it is a powerful tool for the measurement of energy quality, thereby helps to make complex thermodynamic systems more efficient. Nowadays, economic optimization of plant is also a big problem for researchers because of the complex nature. At a viewpoint of this, a comprehensive literature review over the years of energy, exergy, exergoeconomic and economic (4-E analysis and their applications in thermal power plants stimulated by coal, gas, combined cycle and cogeneration system have been done thoroughly. This paper is addressed to those researchers who are doing their research work on 4-E analysis in various thermal power plants. If anyone extracts an idea for the development of the concept of 4-E analysis using this article, we will achieve our goal. This review also indicates the scope of future research in thermal power plants.

  5. Critical phenomena and their effect on thermal energy storage in supercritical fluids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hobold, Gustavo M.; Da Silva, Alexandre K.

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: •High power thermal energy storage using supercritical fluids. •Influence of property variation on energy and power density. •Multi-fluid analysis and generalization for several storage temperatures. •Cost, heat transfer and energy density evaluation for high temperature storage. -- Abstract: Large-scale implementation of concentrated solar power plants requires energy storage systems if fossil sources are to be fully replaced. While several candidates have appeared, most still face major issues such as cost, limited energy density and material compatibility. The present paper explores the influence of property variation in the proximity of the critical point on thermal energy storage using supercritical fluids (sTES) from thermodynamic and heat transfer standpoints. Influence of thermodynamic operational parameters on energy density of isobaric and isochoric sTES and their optima is discussed, showing that the energy density results from a competition between average specific heat and loaded density. Moreover, sTES is shown to be applicable to virtually any storage temperature, depending only on the fluid’s critical point. Finally, a heat transfer and energy density comparison to other existing storage mechanisms is presented and supercritical water is shown to be competitive for high temperature thermal energy storage.

  6. Ground Thermal Diffusivity Calculation by Direct Soil Temperature Measurement. Application to very Low Enthalpy Geothermal Energy Systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andújar Márquez, José Manuel; Martínez Bohórquez, Miguel Ángel; Gómez Melgar, Sergio

    2016-02-29

    This paper presents a methodology and instrumentation system for the indirect measurement of the thermal diffusivity of a soil at a given depth from measuring its temperature at that depth. The development has been carried out considering its application to the design and sizing of very low enthalpy geothermal energy (VLEGE) systems, but it can has many other applications, for example in construction, agriculture or biology. The methodology is simple and inexpensive because it can take advantage of the prescriptive geotechnical drilling prior to the construction of a house or building, to take at the same time temperature measurements that will allow get the actual temperature and ground thermal diffusivity to the depth of interest. The methodology and developed system have been tested and used in the design of a VLEGE facility for a chalet with basement at the outskirts of Huelva (a city in the southwest of Spain). Experimental results validate the proposed approach.

  7. Thermal analysis of near-isothermal compressed gas energy storage system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Odukomaiya, Adewale; Abu-Heiba, Ahmad; Gluesenkamp, Kyle R.; Abdelaziz, Omar; Jackson, Roderick K.; Daniel, Claus; Graham, Samuel; Momen, Ayyoub M.

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • A novel, high-efficiency, scalable, near-isothermal, energy storage system is introduced. • A comprehensive analytical physics-based model for the system is presented. • Efficiency improvement is achieved via heat transfer enhancement and use of waste heat. • Energy storage roundtrip efficiency (RTE) of 82% and energy density of 3.59 MJ/m"3 is shown. - Abstract: Due to the increasing generation capacity of intermittent renewable electricity sources and an electrical grid ill-equipped to handle the mismatch between electricity generation and use, the need for advanced energy storage technologies will continue to grow. Currently, pumped-storage hydroelectricity and compressed air energy storage are used for grid-scale energy storage, and batteries are used at smaller scales. However, prospects for expansion of these technologies suffer from geographic limitations (pumped-storage hydroelectricity and compressed air energy storage), low roundtrip efficiency (compressed air energy storage), and high cost (batteries). Furthermore, pumped-storage hydroelectricity and compressed air energy storage are challenging to scale-down, while batteries are challenging to scale-up. In 2015, a novel compressed gas energy storage prototype system was developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. In this paper, a near-isothermal modification to the system is proposed. In common with compressed air energy storage, the novel storage technology described in this paper is based on air compression/expansion. However, several novel features lead to near-isothermal processes, higher efficiency, greater system scalability, and the ability to site a system anywhere. The enabling features are utilization of hydraulic machines for expansion/compression, above-ground pressure vessels as the storage medium, spray cooling/heating, and waste-heat utilization. The base configuration of the novel storage system was introduced in a previous paper. This paper describes the results

  8. More with thermal energy storage. Report 7. Interference. Effects of thermal energy storage systems on the environment. Modelling of large-scale implementation in urban areas. Final report; Meer met bodemenergie. Rapport 7. Interferentie. Effecten van bodemenergiesystemen op hun omgeving. Modellering grootschalige inpassing in stedelijke gebieden. Eindrapport

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Van Oostrom, N.; Bakr, M. [Deltares, Delft (Netherlands)

    2012-06-29

    The project More With Thermal Energy Storage (MMB, abbreviated in Dutch) focuses on knowledge gaps and potential opportunities regarding open systems. The main questions to be answered are: (1) What effects (hydrological, thermal, microbiological and chemical) occur in the soil system by application of thermal energy storage; (2) Which technical options are available for a sustainable integration of thermal energy storage in the water and energy chain?; (3) Is it possible to achieve multiple objectives by using smart combinations? The project is organized in different work packages. In work package 2, the effects of individual and collective thermal energy storage storage systems on subsoils and the environment are determined. In work package 3 the opportunities for thermal energy storage and soil remediation are examined, while in work package 4 the focus is on new sustainable combinations of heat and cold storage. Work package 1 is the umbrella part where communication and policy of and participation in MMB are the main subjects. The objective of this report is to gain insight in the mutual influencing of heat and cold storage systems in areas where several such systems occur close to each other. This insight might contribute to a policy and/or model approach to interference [Dutch] Het project Meer Met Bodemenergie (MMB) richt zich op het invullen van kennisleemtes en mogelijke kansen ten aanzien van open systemen. De belangrijkste vragen waarop het onderzoeksprogramma MMB antwoord geeft zijn: (1) Welke effecten (hydrologisch, thermisch, microbiologisch en chemisch) treden op in het bodemsysteem bij toepassing van bodemenergie?; (2) Welke technische mogelijkheden zijn er voor het duurzaam inpassen van bodem-energie in de water- en energieketen?; (3) Is het mogelijk om meerdere doelstellingen tegelijk te verwezenlijken door slimme combinaties te maken? Het project is ingericht met verschillende werkpakketten. In werkpakket 2 worden de effecten van individuele en

  9. Aquifer thermal energy storage in Finland

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Iihola, H; Ala-Peijari, T; Seppaenen, H

    1988-01-01

    The rapid changes and crises in the field of energy during the 1970s and 1980s have forced us to examine the use of energy more critically and to look for new ideas. Seasonal aquifer thermal energy storage (T < 100/sup 0/C) on a large scale is one of the grey areas which have not yet been extensively explored. However, projects are currently underway in a dozen countries. In Finland there have been three demonstration projects from 1974 to 1987. International co-operation under the auspices of the International Energy Agency, Annex VI, 'Environmental and Chemical Aspects of Thermal Energy Storage in Aquifers and Research and Development of Water Treatment Methods' started in 1987. The research being undertaken in 8 countries includes several elements fundamental to hydrochemistry and biochemistry.

  10. Developing a Cost Model and Methodology to Estimate Capital Costs for Thermal Energy Storage

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Glatzmaier, G.

    2011-12-01

    This report provides an update on the previous cost model for thermal energy storage (TES) systems. The update allows NREL to estimate the costs of such systems that are compatible with the higher operating temperatures associated with advanced power cycles. The goal of the Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technology Program is to develop solar technologies that can make a significant contribution to the United States domestic energy supply. The recent DOE SunShot Initiative sets a very aggressive cost goal to reach a Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) of 6 cents/kWh by 2020 with no incentives or credits for all solar-to-electricity technologies.1 As this goal is reached, the share of utility power generation that is provided by renewable energy sources is expected to increase dramatically. Because Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) is currently the only renewable technology that is capable of integrating cost-effective energy storage, it is positioned to play a key role in providing renewable, dispatchable power to utilities as the share of power generation from renewable sources increases. Because of this role, future CSP plants will likely have as much as 15 hours of Thermal Energy Storage (TES) included in their design and operation. As such, the cost and performance of the TES system is critical to meeting the SunShot goal for solar technologies. The cost of electricity from a CSP plant depends strongly on its overall efficiency, which is a product of two components - the collection and conversion efficiencies. The collection efficiency determines the portion of incident solar energy that is captured as high-temperature thermal energy. The conversion efficiency determines the portion of thermal energy that is converted to electricity. The operating temperature at which the overall efficiency reaches its maximum depends on many factors, including material properties of the CSP plant components. Increasing the operating temperature of the power generation

  11. Small Spacecraft Integrated Power System with Active Thermal Control

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This project will develop an integrated power generation and energy storage system with an active thermal management system. Carbon fiber solar panels will contain...

  12. Results from a workshop on research needs for modeling aquifer thermal energy storage systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drost, M. K.

    1990-08-01

    A workshop an aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) system modeling was conducted by Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL). The goal of the workshop was to develop a list of high priority research activities that would facilitate the commercial success of ATES. During the workshop, participants reviewed currently available modeling tools for ATES systems and produced a list of significant issues related to modeling ATES systems. Participants assigned a priority to each issue on the list by voting and developed a list of research needs for each of four high-priority research areas; the need for a feasibility study model, the need for engineering design models, the need for aquifer characterization, and the need for an economic model. The workshop participants concluded that ATES commercialization can be accelerated by aggressive development of ATES modeling tools and made specific recommendations for that development.

  13. An investigation on the effects of phase change material on material components used for high temperature thermal energy storage system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Taeil; Singh, Dileep; Zhao, Weihuan; Yua, Wenhua; France, David M.

    2016-05-01

    The latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) systems for concentrated solar power (CSP) plants with advanced power cycle require high temperature phase change materials (PCMs), Graphite foams with high thermal conductivity to enhance the poor thermal conductivity of PCMs. Brazing of the graphite foams to the structural metals of the LHTES system could be a method to assemble the system and a method to protect the structural metals from the molten salts. In the present study, the LHTES prototype capsules using MgCl2-graphite foam composites were assembled by brazing and welding, and tested to investigate the corrosion attack of the PCM salt on the BNi-4 braze. The microstructural analysis showed that the BNi-4 braze alloy can be used not only for the joining of structure alloy to graphite foams but also for the protecting of structure alloy from the corrosion by PCM.

  14. Electrical power system integrated thermal/electrical system simulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Freeman, W.E.

    1992-01-01

    This paper adds thermal properties to previously developed electrical Saber templates and incorporates these templates into a functional Electrical Power Subsystem (EPS) simulation. These combined electrical and thermal templates enable the complete and realistic simulation of a vehicle EPS on-orbit. Applications include on-orbit energy balance determinations for system load changes, initial array and battery EPS sizing for new EPS development, and array and battery technology trade studies. This effort proves the versatility of the Saber simulation program in handling varied and complex simulations accurately and in a reasonable amount of computer time. 9 refs

  15. Design and installation of earth energy systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Loggia, S; Adragna, M; Coyle, S; Foley, C; Hawryn, S; Martin, A; McConnell, J [eds.

    2002-07-01

    This first edition of the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Standard C448 Series, replaces CSA Standards CAN/CSA-C445-M92 entitled Design and Installation of Earth Energy Heat Pump Systems for Residential and Other Small Buildings, as well as C447-94 entitled Design and Installation of Earth Energy Heat Pump Systems for Commercial and Institutional Buildings. This standard document consists of three parts: (C448.1) Design and installation of earth energy systems for commercial and institutional buildings; (C448.2) Design and installation of earth energy systems for residential and small buildings; and, (C448.3) Design and installation of underground thermal energy storage systems for commercial and institutional buildings. In C448.1, the requirements applicable to any system falling within the scope of the C448 series were included. Alternative requirements for houses and small buildings were added in C448.2. It was noted that either standard may be implemented. The standards applicable to the intentional storage of energy in the earth for later use were presented in C448.3. This latter section includes a brief introduction on underground thermal energy storage (UTES). tabs.

  16. Minimizing temperature instability of heat recovery hot water system utilizing optimized thermal energy storage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suamir, I. N.; Sukadana, I. B. P.; Arsana, M. E.

    2018-01-01

    One energy-saving technology that starts gaining attractive for hotel industry application in Indonesia is the utilization of waste heat of a central air conditioning system to heat water for domestic hot water supply system. Implementing the technology for such application at a hotel was found that hot water capacity generated from the heat recovery system could satisfy domestic hot water demand of the hotel. The gas boilers installed in order to back up the system have never been used. The hot water supply, however, was found to be instable with hot water supply temperature fluctuated ranging from 45 °C to 62 °C. The temperature fluctuations reaches 17 °C, which is considered instable and can reduce hot water usage comfort level. This research is aimed to optimize the thermal energy storage in order to minimize the temperature instability of heat recovery hot water supply system. The research is a case study approach based on cooling and hot water demands of a hotel in Jakarta-Indonesia that has applied water cooled chillers with heat recovery systems. The hotel operation with 329 guest rooms and 8 function rooms showed that hot water production in the heat recovery system completed with 5 m3 thermal energy storage (TES) could not hold the hot water supply temperature constantly. The variations of the cooling demand and hot water demands day by day were identified. It was found that there was significant mismatched of available time (hours) between cooling demand which is directly correlated to the hot water production from the heat recovery system and hot water usage. The available TES system could not store heat rejected from the condenser of the chiller during cooling demand peak time between 14.00 and 18.00 hours. The extra heat from the heat recovery system consequently increases the temperature of hot water up to 62 °C. It is about 12 K above 50 °C the requirement hot water temperature of the hotel. In contrast, the TES could not deliver proper

  17. Energy exchange in thermal energy atom-surface scattering: impulsive models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barker, J.A.; Auerbach, D.J.

    1979-01-01

    Energy exchange in thermal energy atom surface collisions is studied using impulsive ('hard cube' and 'hard sphere') models. Both models reproduce the observed nearly linear relation between outgoing and incoming energies. In addition, the hard-sphere model accounts for the widths of the outcoming energy distributions. (Auth.)

  18. Energy Storage Thermal Safety | Transportation Research | NREL

    Science.gov (United States)

    reaction/thermal runaway, internal short circuit, and electrical/chemical/thermal network models are used contributions to the U.S. Department of Energy's Computer-Aided Engineering of Batteries (CAEBAT) project Li-ion battery geometries. Chemical components in Li-ion batteries become thermally unstable when

  19. An Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) System for Continuous and Sustainable Cold Supply in Oman

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winterleitner, G.; Schütz, F.; Huenges, E.

    2016-12-01

    The aim of the GeoSolCool research programme between the German Research Centre for Geoscience (GFZ) and The Research Council of Oman (TRC) is the development of an innovative and sustainable cooling system in combination with an aquifer thermal energy storage system in northern Oman. An integral part of this project is the design of a subsurface aquifer reservoir system for storage of thermal energy through hot water injection. An accurate characterisation of potential storage horizons is thus essential to ensure optimal efficiency of the cooling system. The study area, 40 km west of Muscat is characterised by a thick Cenozoic mixed carbonate-siliciclastic sedimentary succession, containing at least 3 aquifer horizons. We used a multidisciplinary approach for the initial ATES development phase, including geological fieldwork dovetailed with remote sensing analyses, thin-section analyses, geological modelling and reservoir fluid flow forecasting. First results indicate two potential storage horizons: (1) a Miocene-aged clastic-dominated alluvial fan system and (2) an Eocene carbonate sequence. The alluvial fan system is a more than 300 m thick, coarse clastic (mainly gravels and sandstones) succession of coalesced individual fans. Thin-section analyses showed that hydraulic parameters are favourable for the gravel and sandstone intervals but reservoir architecture is complex due to multiple generations of interconnecting fans with highly heterogeneous facies distributions. The Eocene carbonates were deposited in a carbonate ramp setting, strongly influenced by currents and storm events. Individual facies belts extend over kilometres and thus horizontal reservoir connectivity is expected to be good with minor facies variability. Thin-section analyses showed that especially the fossil-rich sections show good storage qualities. Fluid flow forecasting indicate that both potential horizons have good to very good storage characteristics. However, intense diagenetic

  20. Novel Magnetic-to-Thermal Conversion and Thermal Energy Management Composite Phase Change Material

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaoqiao Fan

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Superparamagnetic materials have elicited increasing interest due to their high-efficiency magnetothermal conversion. However, it is difficult to effectively manage the magnetothermal energy due to the continuous magnetothermal effect at present. In this study, we designed and synthesized a novel Fe3O4/PEG/SiO2 composite phase change material (PCM that can simultaneously realize magnetic-to-thermal conversion and thermal energy management because of outstanding thermal energy storage ability of PCM. The composite was fabricated by in situ doping of superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoclusters through a simple sol–gel method. The synthesized Fe3O4/PEG/SiO2 PCM exhibited good thermal stability, high phase change enthalpy, and excellent shape-stabilized property. This study provides an additional promising route for application of the magnetothermal effect.

  1. Reflections about the cogeneration of electrical and thermal energy in conditions of Chisinau city, Republic of Moldova

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Musteata, Valentin

    2004-01-01

    The cogeneration of electrical and thermal energy in Chisinau city is implements on heat power plants HPP-1 and HPP - 2. The district heating, receiving thermal energy from these power plants, has a severe alternative from the autonomous heating system. The capabilities of reducing the cost of thermal energy produced by HPP-2 are analyzed and the paths of improvement of district heating are forecasted. (author)

  2. Review of thermal energy storage technologies based on PCM application in buildings

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pomianowski, Michal Zbigniew; Heiselberg, Per; Zhang, Yinping

    2013-01-01

    Thermal energy storage systems (TES), using phase change material (PCM) in buildings, are widely investigated technologies and a fast developing research area. Therefore, there is a need for regular and consistent reviews of the published studies. This review is focused on PCM technologies...... is paid to discussion and identification of proper methods to correctly determine the thermal properties of PCM materials and their composites and as well procedures to determine their energy storage and saving potential. The purpose of the paper is to highlight promising technologies for PCM application...... developed to serve the building industry. Various PCM technologies tailored for building applications are studied with respect to technological potential to improve indoor environment, increase thermal inertia and decrease energy use for building operation. What is more, in this review special attention...

  3. Characterisation of Ground Thermal and Thermo-Mechanical Behaviour for Shallow Geothermal Energy Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Vieira

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Increasing use of the ground as a thermal reservoir is expected in the near future. Shallow geothermal energy (SGE systems have proved to be sustainable alternative solutions for buildings and infrastructure conditioning in many areas across the globe in the past decades. Recently novel solutions, including energy geostructures, where SGE systems are coupled with foundation heat exchangers, have also been developed. The performance of these systems is dependent on a series of factors, among which the thermal properties of the soil play a major role. The purpose of this paper is to present, in an integrated manner, the main methods and procedures to assess ground thermal properties for SGE systems and to carry out a critical review of the methods. In particular, laboratory testing through either steady-state or transient methods are discussed and a new synthesis comparing results for different techniques is presented. In situ testing including all variations of the thermal response test is presented in detail, including a first comparison between new and traditional approaches. The issue of different scales between laboratory and in situ measurements is then analysed in detail. Finally, the thermo-hydro-mechanical behaviour of soil is introduced and discussed. These coupled processes are important for confirming the structural integrity of energy geostructures, but routine methods for parameter determination are still lacking.

  4. Applications of thermal energy storage to waste heat recovery in the food processing industry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trebilcox, G. J.; Lundberg, W. L.

    1981-03-01

    The canning segment of the food processing industry is a major energy user within that industry. Most of its energy demand is met by hot water and steam and those fluids, in addition to product cooling water, eventually flow from the processes as warm waste water. To minimize the possibility of product contamination, a large percentage of that waste water is sent directly to factory drains and sewer systems without being recycled and in many cases the thermal energy contained by the waste streams also goes unreclaimed and is lost from further use. Waste heat recovery in canning facilities can be performed economically using systems that employ thermal energy storage (TES). A project was proposed in which a demonstration waste heat recovery system, including a TES feature, would be designed, installed and operated.

  5. Using Nanoparticles for Enhance Thermal Conductivity of Latent Heat Thermal Energy Storage

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Baydaa Jaber Nabhan

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Phase change materials (PCMs such as paraffin wax can be used to store or release large amount of energy at certain temperature at which their solid-liquid phase changes occurs. Paraffin wax that used in latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES has low thermal conductivity. In this study, the thermal conductivity of paraffin wax has been enhanced by adding different mass concentration (1wt.%, 3wt.%, 5wt.% of (TiO2 nano-particles with about (10nm diameter. It is found that the phase change temperature varies with adding (TiO2 nanoparticles in to the paraffin wax. The thermal conductivity of the composites is found to decrease with increasing temperature. The increase in thermal conductivity has been found to increase by about (10% at nanoparticles loading (5wt.% and 15oC.

  6. Reducing the Cost of Thermal Energy Storage for Parabolic Trough Solar Power Plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gawlik, Keith

    2013-06-25

    Thermal energy storage systems using phase change materials were evaluated for trough systems that use oil, steam, and high temperature salts as heat transfer fluids. A variety of eutectic salts and metal alloys were considered as phase change materials in a cascaded arrangement. Literature values of specific heat, latent heat, density, and other thermophysical properties were used in initial analyses. Testing laboratories were contracted to measure properties for candidate materials for comparison to the literature and for updating the models. A TRNSYS model from Phase 1 was further developed for optimizing the system, including a novel control algorithm. A concept for increasing the bulk thermal conductivity of the phase change system was developed using expanded metal sheets. Outside companies were contracted to design and cost systems using platecoil heat exchangers immersed in the phase change material. Laboratory evaluations of the one-dimensional and three-dimensional behavior of expanded metal sheets in a low conductivity medium were used to optimize the amount of thermal conductivity enhancement. The thermal energy storage systems were compared to baseline conventional systems. The best phase change system found in this project, which was for the high temperature plant, had a projected cost of $25.2 per kWhth, The best system also had a cost that was similar to the base case, a direct two-tank molten salt system.

  7. Response surface method optimization of V-shaped fin assisted latent heat thermal energy storage system during discharging process

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sina Lohrasbi

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Latent Heat Thermal Energy Storage Systems (LHTESS containing Phase Change Material (PCM are used to establish balance between energy supply and demand. PCMs have high latent heat but low thermal conductivity, which affects their heat transfer performance. In this paper, a novel fin array has been optimized by multi-objective Response Surface Method (RSM based on discharging process of PCM, and then this fin configuration is applied on LHTESS, and comparison between full discharging time by applying this fin array and LHTESS with other fin structures has been carried out. The employed numerical method in this paper is Standard Galerkin Finite Element Method. Adaptive grid refinement is used to solve the equations. Since the enhancement technique, which has been employed in the present study reduces the employed PCM mass, maximum energy storage capacity variations have been considered. Therefore phase change expedition and maximum energy storage capacity have been considered as the objectives of optimization and the importance of second objective is indicated which is proposed as the novelty here. Results indicate that considering maximum energy storage capacity as the objective of optimization procedure leads to efficient shape design of LHTESS. Also employing optimized V-shaped fin in LHTESS, expedites discharging process considerably in comparison with the LHTESS without fin.

  8. The Development of Dispatcher Training Simulator in a Thermal Energy Generation System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hakim, D. L.; Abdullah, A. G.; Mulyadi, Y.; Hasan, B.

    2018-01-01

    A dispatcher training simulator (DTS) is a real-time Human Machine Interface (HMI)-based control tool that is able to visualize industrial control system processes. The present study was aimed at developing a simulator tool for boilers in a thermal power station. The DTS prototype was designed using technical data of thermal power station boilers in Indonesia. It was then designed and implemented in Wonderware Intouch 10. The resulting simulator came with component drawing, animation, control display, alarm system, real-time trend, historical trend. This application used 26 tagnames and was equipped with a security system. The test showed that the principles of real-time control worked well. It is expected that this research could significantly contribute to the development of thermal power station, particularly in terms of its application as a training simulator for beginning dispatchers.

  9. Efficient Solar-Thermal Energy Harvest Driven by Interfacial Plasmonic Heating-Assisted Evaporation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Chao; Yang, Chao; Liu, Yanming; Tao, Peng; Song, Chengyi; Shang, Wen; Wu, Jianbo; Deng, Tao

    2016-09-07

    The plasmonic heating effect of noble nanoparticles has recently received tremendous attention for various important applications. Herein, we report the utilization of interfacial plasmonic heating-assisted evaporation for efficient and facile solar-thermal energy harvest. An airlaid paper-supported gold nanoparticle thin film was placed at the thermal energy conversion region within a sealed chamber to convert solar energy into thermal energy. The generated thermal energy instantly vaporizes the water underneath into hot vapors that quickly diffuse to the thermal energy release region of the chamber to condense into liquids and release the collected thermal energy. The condensed water automatically flows back to the thermal energy conversion region under the capillary force from the hydrophilic copper mesh. Such an approach simultaneously realizes efficient solar-to-thermal energy conversion and rapid transportation of converted thermal energy to target application terminals. Compared to conventional external photothermal conversion design, the solar-thermal harvesting device driven by the internal plasmonic heating effect has reduced the overall thermal resistance by more than 50% and has demonstrated more than 25% improvement of solar water heating efficiency.

  10. Recent Patents on Nano-Enhanced Materials for Use in Thermal Energy Storage (TES).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferrer, Gerard; Barreneche, Camila; Solé, Aran; Juliá, José Enrique; Cabeza, Luisa F

    2017-07-10

    Thermal energy storage (TES) systems using phase change materials (PCM) have been lately studied and are presented as one of the key solutions for the implementation of renewable energies. These systems take advantage of the latent heat of phase change of PCM during their melting/ solidification processes to store or release heat depending on the needs and availability. Low thermal conductivity and latent heat are the main disadvantages of organic PCM, while corrosion, subcooling and thermal stability are the prime problems that inorganic PCM present. Nanotechnology can be used to overcome these drawbacks. Nano-enhanced PCM are obtained by the dispersion of nanoparticles in the base material and thermal properties such as thermal conductivity, viscosity and specific heat capacity, within others, can be enhanced. This paper presents a review of the patents regarding the obtaining of nano-enhanced materials for thermal energy storage (TES) in order to realize the development nanotechnologies have gained in the TES field. Patents regarding the synthesis methods to obtain nano-enhanced phase materials (NEPCM) and TES systems using NEPCM have been found and are presented in the paper. The few existing number of patents found is a clear indicator of the recent and thus low development nanotechnology has in the TES field so far. Nevertheless, the results obtained with the reviewed inventions already show the big potential that nanotechnology has in TES and denote a more than probable expansion of its use in the next years. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  11. A Wind Power Plant with Thermal Energy Storage for Improving the Utilization of Wind Energy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chang Liu

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The development of the wind energy industry is seriously restricted by grid connection issues and wind energy generation rejections introduced by the intermittent nature of wind energy sources. As a solution of these problems, a wind power system integrating with a thermal energy storage (TES system for district heating (DH is designed to make best use of the wind power in the present work. The operation and control of the system are described in detail. A one-dimensional system model of the system is developed based on a generic model library using the object-oriented language Modelica for system modeling. Validations of the main components of the TES module are conducted against experimental results and indicate that the models can be used to simulate the operation of the system. The daily performance of the integrated system is analyzed based on a seven-day operation. And the influences of system configurations on the performance of the integrated system are analyzed. The numerical results show that the integrated system can effectively improve the utilization of total wind energy under great wind power rejection.

  12. Thermal energy and charge currents in multi-terminal nanorings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kramer, Tobias [Novel Materials Group, Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 12489 Berlin (Germany); Konrad-Zuse-Zentrum für Informationstechnik Berlin, 14195 Berlin (Germany); Kreisbeck, Christoph; Riha, Christian, E-mail: riha@physik.hu-berlin.de; Chiatti, Olivio; Buchholz, Sven S.; Fischer, Saskia F. [Novel Materials Group, Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 12489 Berlin (Germany); Wieck, Andreas D. [Angewandte Festkörperphysik, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780 Bochum (Germany); Reuter, Dirk [Optoelektronische Materialien und Bauelemente, Universität Paderborn, 33098 Paderborn (Germany)

    2016-06-15

    We study in experiment and theory thermal energy and charge transfer close to the quantum limit in a ballistic nanodevice, consisting of multiply connected one-dimensional electron waveguides. The fabricated device is based on an AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructure and is covered by a global top-gate to steer the thermal energy and charge transfer in the presence of a temperature gradient, which is established by a heating current. The estimate of the heat transfer by means of thermal noise measurements shows the device acting as a switch for charge and thermal energy transfer. The wave-packet simulations are based on the multi-terminal Landauer-Büttiker approach and confirm the experimental finding of a mode-dependent redistribution of the thermal energy current, if a scatterer breaks the device symmetry.

  13. The Earth Observing System AM Spacecraft - Thermal Control Subsystem

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chalmers, D.; Fredley, J.; Scott, C.

    1993-01-01

    Mission requirements for the EOS-AM Spacecraft intended to monitor global changes of the entire earth system are considered. The spacecraft is based on an instrument set containing the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection radiometer (ASTER), Clouds and Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES), Multiangle Imaging Spectro-Radiometer (MISR), Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS), and Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT). Emphasis is placed on the design, analysis, development, and verification plans for the unique EOS-AM Thermal Control Subsystem (TCS) aimed at providing the required environments for all the onboard equipment in a densely packed layout. The TCS design maximizes the use of proven thermal design techniques and materials, in conjunction with a capillary pumped two-phase heat transport system for instrument thermal control.

  14. Energy system investment model incorporating heat pumps with thermal storage in buildings and buffer tanks

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hedegaard, Karsten; Balyk, Olexandr

    2013-01-01

    Individual compression heat pumps constitute a potentially valuable resource in supporting wind power integration due to their economic competitiveness and possibilities for flexible operation. When analysing the system benefits of flexible heat pump operation, effects on investments should...... be taken into account. In this study, we present a model that facilitates analysing individual heat pumps and complementing heat storages in integration with the energy system, while optimising both investments and operation. The model incorporates thermal building dynamics and covers various heat storage...... of operating heat pumps flexibly. This includes prioritising heat pump operation for hours with low marginal electricity production costs, and peak load shaving resulting in a reduced need for peak and reserve capacity investments....

  15. Thermodynamic system with a heat machine, that uses renewable energy sources

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Petkovski, Nikola

    2013-01-01

    In the recent time, the need of utilization of the renewable energy sources within the energy production constantly increases. This master work comprises a textual description and a practical work-out of a thermodynamic system operating by the use of the renewable energy sources, aimed to accomplish a mechanical operation that is being transformed into electricity. The system operates by the use of thermal energy arriving from the Sun and/or the ambient heat. In addition, the system may also operate by the use of thermal energy released from various operations. Cooling of the system is provided mainly by the water evaporation endothermal process. Advantage of this system is seen in the fact that it is readily manufactured. The system may be used, inter alia, in the production of electricity in the regions lacking any electrical network. This work also comprises a simple solar collector and storage unit that may be used as a thermal energy source to be used in the operation of the system. (author)

  16. Thermal energy storage for cooling of commercial buildings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Akbari, H. (Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (USA)); Mertol, A. (Science Applications International Corp., Los Altos, CA (USA))

    1988-07-01

    The storage of coolness'' has been in use in limited applications for more than a half century. Recently, because of high electricity costs during utilities' peak power periods, thermal storage for cooling has become a prime target for load management strategies. Systems with cool storage shift all or part of the electricity requirement from peak to off-peak hours to take advantage of reduced demand charges and/or off-peak rates. Thermal storage technology applies equally to industrial, commercial, and residential sectors. In the industrial sector, because of the lack of economic incentives and the custom design required for each application, the penetration of this technology has been limited to a few industries. The penetration rate in the residential sector has been also very limited due to the absence of economic incentives, sizing problems, and the lack of compact packaged systems. To date, the most promising applications of these systems, therefore, appear to be for commercial cooling. In this report, the current and potential use of thermal energy storage systems for cooling commercial buildings is investigated. In addition, a general overview of the technology is presented and the applicability and cost-effectiveness of this technology for developed and developing countries are discussed. 28 refs., 12 figs., 1 tab.

  17. Detailed energy saving performance analyses on thermal mass walls demonstrated in a zero energy house

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhu, L. [School of Architecture, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China); Hurt, R.; Correia, D.; Boehm, R. [Center for Energy Research, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89154 (United States)

    2009-03-15

    An insulated concrete wall system{sup 1}1 was used on exterior walls of a zero energy house. Its thermal functions were investigated using actual data in comparison to a conventional wood frame system. The internal wall temperature of massive systems changes more slowly than the conventional wall constructions, leading to a more stable indoor temperature. The Energy10 simulated equivalent R-value and DBMS of the mass walls under actual climate conditions are, respectively, 6.98 (m{sup 2} C)/W and 3.39. However, the simulated heating energy use was much lower for the massive walls while the cooling load was a little higher. Further investigation on the heat flux indicates that the heat actually is transferred inside all day and night, which results in a higher cooling energy consumption. A one-dimensional model further verified these analyses, and the calculated results are in good agreement with the actual data. We conclude that the thermal mass wall does have the ability to store heat during the daytime and release it back at night, but in desert climates with high 24-h ambient temperature and intense sunlight, more heat will be stored than can be transferred back outside at night. As a result, an increased cooling energy will be required. (author)

  18. Techno-Economic Assessment of Heat Transfer Fluid Buffering for Thermal Energy Storage in the Solar Field of Parabolic Trough Solar Thermal Power Plants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jorge M. Llamas

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Currently, operating parabolic trough (PT solar thermal power plants, either solar-only or with thermal storage block, use the solar field as a heat transfer fluid (HTF thermal storage system to provide extra thermal capacity when it is needed. This is done by circulating heat transfer fluid into the solar field piping in order to create a heat fluid buffer. In the same way, by oversizing the solar field, it can work as an alternative thermal energy storage (TES system to the traditionally applied methods. This paper presents a solar field TES model for a standard solar field from a 50-MWe solar power plant. An oversized solar model is analyzed to increase the capacity storage system (HTF buffering. A mathematical model has been developed and different simulations have been carried out over a cycle of one year with six different solar multiples considered to represent the different oversized solar field configurations. Annual electricity generation and levelized cost of energy (LCOE are calculated to find the solar multiple (SM which makes the highest solar field thermal storage capacity possible within the minimum LCOE.

  19. LiH thermal energy storage device

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olszewski, M.; Morris, D.G.

    1994-06-28

    A thermal energy storage device for use in a pulsed power supply to store waste heat produced in a high-power burst operation utilizes lithium hydride as the phase change thermal energy storage material. The device includes an outer container encapsulating the lithium hydride and an inner container supporting a hydrogen sorbing sponge material such as activated carbon. The inner container is in communication with the interior of the outer container to receive hydrogen dissociated from the lithium hydride at elevated temperatures. 5 figures.

  20. The map of energy flow in HVAC systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perez-Lombard, Luis; Ortiz, Jose; Maestre, Ismael R.

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → Discussion of the four stages in the 'HVAC systems energy chain'. → Examination of HVAC systems as energy conversion devices. → Analysis of HVAC Sankey diagrams. → Discussion of HVAC loads and HVAC energy losses. -- Abstract: Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are the most energy consuming building services representing approximately half of the final energy use in the building sector and between one tenth and one fifth of the energy consumption in developed countries. Despite their significant energy use, there is a lack of a consistent and homogeneous framework to efficiently guide research and energy policies, mainly due to the complexity and variety of HVAC systems but also to insufficient rigour in their energy analysis. This paper reviews energy related aspects of HVAC systems with the aim of establishing a common ground for the analysis of their energy efficiency. The paper focuses on the map of energy flow to deliver thermal comfort: the HVAC energy chain. Our approach deals first with thermal comfort as the final service delivered to building occupants. Secondly, conditioned spaces are examined as the systems where useful heat (or coolth) is degraded to provide comfort. This is followed by the analysis of HVAC systems as complex energy conversion devices where energy carriers are transformed into useful heat and coolth, and finally, the impact of HVAC energy consumption on energy resources is discussed.

  1. Azobenzene-functionalized carbon nanotubes as high-energy density solar thermal fuels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kolpak, Alexie M; Grossman, Jeffrey C

    2011-08-10

    Solar thermal fuels, which reversibly store solar energy in molecular bonds, are a tantalizing prospect for clean, renewable, and transportable energy conversion/storage. However, large-scale adoption requires enhanced energy storage capacity and thermal stability. Here we present a novel solar thermal fuel, composed of azobenzene-functionalized carbon nanotubes, with the volumetric energy density of Li-ion batteries. Our work also demonstrates that the inclusion of nanoscale templates is an effective strategy for design of highly cyclable, thermally stable, and energy-dense solar thermal fuels.

  2. Study on the Optimizing Operation of Exhaust Air Heat Recovery and Solar Energy Combined Thermal Compensation System for Ground-Coupled Heat Pump

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kuan Wang

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This study proposed an exhaust air heat recovery and solar energy combined thermal compensation system (ESTC for ground-coupled heat pumps. Based on the prediction of the next day’s exhaust air temperature and solar irradiance, an optimized thermal compensation (OTC method was developed in this study as well, in which the exhaust air heat recovery compensator and solar energy compensator in the ESTC system run at high efficiency throughout various times of day. Moreover, a modified solar term similar days group (STSDG method was proposed to improve the accuracy of solar irradiance prediction in hazy weather. This modified STSDG method was based on air quality forecast and AQI (air quality index correction factors. Through analyzing the operating parameters and the simulation results of a case study, the ESTC system proved to have good performance and high efficiency in eliminating the heat imbalance by using the OTC method. The thermal compensation quantity per unit energy consumption (TEC of ESTC under the proposed method was 1.25 times as high as that under the traditional operation method. The modified STSDG method also exhibited high accuracy. For the accumulated solar irradiance of the four highest daily radiation hours, the monthly mean absolute percentage error (MAPE between the predicted values and the measured values was 6.35%.

  3. Thermal Properties of Cement-Based Composites for Geothermal Energy Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bao, Xiaohua; Memon, Shazim Ali; Yang, Haibin; Dong, Zhijun; Cui, Hongzhi

    2017-01-01

    Geothermal energy piles are a quite recent renewable energy technique where geothermal energy in the foundation of a building is used to transport and store geothermal energy. In this paper, a structural–functional integrated cement-based composite, which can be used for energy piles, was developed using expanded graphite and graphite nanoplatelet-based composite phase change materials (CPCMs). Its mechanical properties, thermal-regulatory performance, and heat of hydration were evaluated. Test results showed that the compressive strength of GNP-Paraffin cement-based composites at 28 days was more than 25 MPa. The flexural strength and density of thermal energy storage cement paste composite decreased with increases in the percentage of CPCM in the cement paste. The infrared thermal image analysis results showed superior thermal control capability of cement based materials with CPCMs. Hence, the carbon-based CPCMs are promising thermal energy storage materials and can be used to improve the durability of energy piles. PMID:28772823

  4. Thermal Properties of Cement-Based Composites for Geothermal Energy Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaohua Bao

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Geothermal energy piles are a quite recent renewable energy technique where geothermal energy in the foundation of a building is used to transport and store geothermal energy. In this paper, a structural–functional integrated cement-based composite, which can be used for energy piles, was developed using expanded graphite and graphite nanoplatelet-based composite phase change materials (CPCMs. Its mechanical properties, thermal-regulatory performance, and heat of hydration were evaluated. Test results showed that the compressive strength of GNP-Paraffin cement-based composites at 28 days was more than 25 MPa. The flexural strength and density of thermal energy storage cement paste composite decreased with increases in the percentage of CPCM in the cement paste. The infrared thermal image analysis results showed superior thermal control capability of cement based materials with CPCMs. Hence, the carbon-based CPCMs are promising thermal energy storage materials and can be used to improve the durability of energy piles.

  5. Thermal Properties of Cement-Based Composites for Geothermal Energy Applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bao, Xiaohua; Memon, Shazim Ali; Yang, Haibin; Dong, Zhijun; Cui, Hongzhi

    2017-04-27

    Geothermal energy piles are a quite recent renewable energy technique where geothermal energy in the foundation of a building is used to transport and store geothermal energy. In this paper, a structural-functional integrated cement-based composite, which can be used for energy piles, was developed using expanded graphite and graphite nanoplatelet-based composite phase change materials (CPCMs). Its mechanical properties, thermal-regulatory performance, and heat of hydration were evaluated. Test results showed that the compressive strength of GNP-Paraffin cement-based composites at 28 days was more than 25 MPa. The flexural strength and density of thermal energy storage cement paste composite decreased with increases in the percentage of CPCM in the cement paste. The infrared thermal image analysis results showed superior thermal control capability of cement based materials with CPCMs. Hence, the carbon-based CPCMs are promising thermal energy storage materials and can be used to improve the durability of energy piles.

  6. Applying a novel extra-low temperature dedicated outdoor air system in office buildings for energy efficiency and thermal comfort

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Han; Lee, W.L.; Jia, Jie

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • A novel dedicated outdoor air system was proposed and investigated. • The proposed system adopts extra-low temperature outdoor air for space cooling. • The extra-low temperature air was generated by a multi-stage direct expansion coil. • Heat pipe was added to the proposed system to recover the waste cooling energy. • Energy and exergy analysis as well as thermal comfort analysis were conducted. - Abstract: A novel dedicated outdoor air system consisting of a multi-stage direct expansion coil and a zero-energy heat pipe to generate extra-low temperature outdoor air to avoid moisture-related problems was proposed in this study. The proposed system’s performance in achieving the desirable air conditions and better energy efficiency objectives is compared with a conventional direct expansion system for air-conditioning of a typical office building in Hong Kong based on simulation investigations. The simulations were carried out using equipment performance data of a pilot study, and realistic building and system characteristics. It was found that the proposed system, as compared to the conventional system, could reduce the annual indoor discomfort hours by 69.4%. An energy and exergy analysis was also conducted. It was revealed that the proposed system could reduce the annual air-conditioning energy use by 15.6% and the system exergy loss rate by 13.6%. The associated overall exergy efficiency was also found 18.6% higher. The findings of this study confirm that the proposed system is better than the conventional system in terms of both energy and exergy efficiency and the desirable air conditions.

  7. Improved Thermal-Insulation Systems for Low Temperatures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fesmire, James E.; Augustynowicz, Stanislaw D.

    2003-01-01

    Improved thermal-insulation materials and structures and the techniques for manufacturing them are undergoing development for use in low-temperature applications. Examples of low-temperature equipment for which these thermal insulation systems could provide improved energy efficiency include storage tanks for cryogens, superconducting electric-power-transmission equipment, containers for transport of food and other perishable commodities, and cold boxes for low-temperature industrial processes. These systems could also be used to insulate piping used to transfer cryogens and other fluids, such as liquefied natural gas, refrigerants, chilled water, crude oil, or low-pressure steam. The present thermal-insulation systems are layer composites based partly on the older class of thermal-insulation systems denoted generally as multilayer insulation (MLI). A typical MLI structure includes an evacuated jacket, within which many layers of radiation shields are stacked or wrapped close together. Low-thermal-conductivity spacers are typically placed between the reflection layers to keep them from touching. MLI can work very well when a high vacuum level (less than 10(exp-4) torr) is maintained and utmost care is taken during installation, but its thermal performance deteriorates sharply as the pressure in the evacuated space rises into the soft vacuum range [pressures greater than 0.1 torr (greater than 13 Pa)]. In addition, the thermal performance of MLI is extremely sensitive to mechanical compression and edge effects and can easily decrease from one to two orders of magnitude from its ideal value even when the MLI is kept under high vacuum condition. The present thermal-insulation systems are designed to perform well under soft vacuum level, in particular the range of 1 to 10 torr. They are also designed with larger interlayer spacings to reduce vulnerability to compression (and consequent heat leak) caused by installation and use. The superiority of these systems is the

  8. Nonequilibrium Distribution of the Microscopic Thermal Current in Steady Thermal Transport Systems

    KAUST Repository

    Yukawa, Satoshi; Ogushi, Fumiko; Shimada, Takashi; Ito, Nobuyasu

    2010-01-01

    Nonequilibrium distribution of the microscopic thermal current is investigated by direct molecular dynamics simulations. The microscopic thermal current in this study is defined by a flow of kinetic energy carried by a single particle. Asymptotic parallel and antiparallel tails of the nonequilibrium distribution to an average thermal current are identical to ones of equilibrium distribution with different temperatures. These temperatures characterizing the tails are dependent on a characteristic length in which a memory of dynamics is completely erased by several particle collisions. This property of the tails of nonequilibrium distribution is confirmed in other thermal transport systems. In addition, statistical properties of a particle trapped by a harmonic potential in a steady thermal conducting state are also studied. This particle feels a finite force parallel to the average thermal current as a consequence of the skewness of the distribution of the current. This force is interpreted as the microscopic origin of thermophoresis.

  9. Enhancing radiative energy transfer through thermal extraction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tan Yixuan

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Thermal radiation plays an increasingly important role in many emerging energy technologies, such as thermophotovoltaics, passive radiative cooling and wearable cooling clothes [1]. One of the fundamental constraints in thermal radiation is the Stefan-Boltzmann law, which limits the maximum power of far-field radiation to P0 = σT4S, where σ is the Boltzmann constant, S and T are the area and the temperature of the emitter, respectively (Fig. 1a. In order to overcome this limit, it has been shown that near-field radiations could have an energy density that is orders of magnitude greater than the Stefan-Boltzmann law [2-7]. Unfortunately, such near-field radiation transfer is spatially confined and cannot carry radiative heat to the far field. Recently, a new concept of thermal extraction was proposed [8] to enhance far-field thermal emission, which, conceptually, operates on a principle similar to oil immersion lenses and light extraction in light-emitting diodes using solid immersion lens to increase light output [62].Thermal extraction allows a blackbody to radiate more energy to the far field than the apparent limit of the Stefan-Boltzmann law without breaking the second law of thermodynamics.

  10. Thermal and Energy Performance of Conditioned Building Due To Insulated Sloped Roof

    Science.gov (United States)

    Irwan, Suhandi Syiful; Ahmed, Azni Zain; Zakaria, Nor Zaini; Ibrahim, Norhati

    2010-07-01

    For low-rise buildings in equatorial region, the roof is exposed to solar radiation longer than other parts of the envelope. Roofs are to be designed to reject heat and moderate the thermal impact. These are determined by the design and construction of the roofing system. The pitch of roof and the properties of construction affect the heat gain into the attic and subsequently the indoor temperature of the living spaces underneath. This finally influences the thermal comfort conditions of naturally ventilated buildings and cooling load of conditioned buildings. This study investigated the effect of insulated sloping roof on thermal energy performance of the building. A whole-building thermal energy computer simulation tool, Integrated Environmental Solution (IES), was used for the modelling and analyses. A building model with dimension of 4.0 m × 4.0 m × 3.0 m was designed with insulated roof and conventional construction for other parts of the envelope. A 75 mm conductive insulation material with thermal conductivity (k-value) of 0.034 Wm-1K-1 was installed underneath the roof tiles. The building was modelled with roof pitch angles of 0° , 15°, 30°, 45°, 60° and simulated for the month of August in Malaysian climate conditions. The profile for attic temperature, indoor temperature and cooling load were downloaded and evaluated. The optimum roof pitch angle for best thermal performance and energy saving was identified. The results show the pitch angle of 0° is able to mitigate the thermal impact to provide the best thermal condition with optimum energy savings. The maximum temperature difference between insulated and non-insulted roof for attic (AtticA-B) and indoor condition (IndoorA-B) is +7.8 °C and 0.4 °C respectively with an average energy monthly savings of 3.9 %.

  11. Simplified Building Thermal Model Used for Optimal Control of Radiant Cooling System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lei He

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available MPC has the ability to optimize the system operation parameters for energy conservation. Recently, it has been used in HVAC systems for saving energy, but there are very few applications in radiant cooling systems. To implement MPC in buildings with radiant terminals, the predictions of cooling load and thermal environment are indispensable. In this paper, a simplified thermal model is proposed for predicting cooling load and thermal environment in buildings with radiant floor. In this thermal model, the black-box model is introduced to derive the incident solar radiation, while the genetic algorithm is utilized to identify the parameters of the thermal model. In order to further validate this simplified thermal model, simulated results from TRNSYS are compared with those from this model and the deviation is evaluated based on coefficient of variation of root mean square (CV. The results show that the simplified model can predict the operative temperature with a CV lower than 1% and predict cooling loads with a CV lower than 10%. For the purpose of supervisory control in HVAC systems, this simplified RC thermal model has an acceptable accuracy and can be used for further MPC in buildings with radiation terminals.

  12. New kinds of energy-storing building composite PCMs for thermal energy storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Biçer, Alper; Sarı, Ahmet

    2013-01-01

    Graphical abstract: In this work, 10 new kinds of BCPCMs were prepared by blending of liquid xylitol pentalaurate (XPL) and xylitol pentamyristate (XPM) esters into gypsum, cement, diatomite, perlite and vermiculite. DSC results showed that the melting temperatures and energy storage capacities of the prepared BCPCMs are in range of about 40–55 °C and 31–126 J/g, respectively. TG investigations and thermal cycling test showed that the BCPCMs had good thermal endurance and thermal reliability. It can be also concluded that among the prepared 10 kinds materials, especially the BCPCMs including perlite, vermiculite, diatomite were found to better candidates for thermal energy storage applications in buildings due to the fact that they have relatively high heat storage ability. Highlights: ► New kinds BCPCMs were prepared by blending of liquid XPL and XPM esters with some building materials. ► The BCPCMs had suitable melting temperatures and energy storage capacities. ► Especially, the BCPCMs including perlite, vermiculite, diatomite were found to better candidates for thermal energy storage. - Abstract: Energy storing-composite phase change materials (PCMs) are significant means of thermal energy storage in buildings. Although several building composite PCMs (BCPCMs) have been developed in recent years, the additional investigations are still required to enrich the diversity of BCPCMs for solar heating and energy conservation applications in buildings. For this purpose, the present work is focused the preparation, characterization and determination of 10 new kinds of BCPCMs. The BCPCMs were prepared by blending of liquid xylitol pentalaurate (XPL) and xylitol pentamyristate (XPM) esters with gypsum, cement, diatomite, perlite and vermiculite as supporting matrices. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) analysis showed that the ester compounds were adsorbed uniformly into the building materials due to capillary forces

  13. Solar Energy Systems for Lunar Oxygen Generation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colozza, Anthony J.; Heller, Richard S.; Wong, Wayne A.; Hepp, Aloysius F.

    2010-01-01

    An evaluation of several solar concentrator-based systems for producing oxygen from lunar regolith was performed. The systems utilize a solar concentrator mirror to provide thermal energy for the oxygen production process. Thermal energy to power a Stirling heat engine and photovoltaics are compared for the production of electricity. The electricity produced is utilized to operate the equipment needed in the oxygen production process. The initial oxygen production method utilized in the analysis is hydrogen reduction of ilmenite. Utilizing this method of oxygen production a baseline system design was produced. This baseline system had an oxygen production rate of 0.6 kg/hr with a concentrator mirror size of 5 m. Variations were performed on the baseline design to show how changes in the system size and process (rate) affected the oxygen production rate. An evaluation of the power requirements for a carbothermal lunar regolith reduction reactor has also been conducted. The reactor had a total power requirement between 8,320 to 9,961 W when producing 1000 kg/year of oxygen. The solar concentrator used to provide the thermal power (over 82 percent of the total energy requirement) would have a diameter of less than 4 m.

  14. Solar thermal energy as a topic in secondary mathematics classrooms

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brinkmann, A.; Brinkmann, K. [EnviPro Environmental Process Engineering Prof. Dr. Klaus Brinkmann, Iserlohn (Germany)

    2004-07-01

    One of the most effective methods to achieve a sustainable change of our momentary existing power supply system to a system mainly based on renewable energy conversion is the education of our children. For this purpose the compulsory school subject mathematics appears to be suitable. In order to promote renewable energy issues in mathematics classrooms, the authors have developed a special didactical concept to open this field for students, as well as for their teachers. The aim of this paper is to present firstly an overview of our concept and secondly examples of problems to the special topic of solar thermal energy, developed on the basis of our concept. (orig.)

  15. Thermally responsive polymer electrolytes for inherently safe electrochemical energy storage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelly, Jesse C.

    Electrochemical double layer capacitors (EDLCs), supercapacitors and Li-ion batteries have emerged as premier candidates to meet the rising demands in energy storage; however, such systems are limited by thermal hazards, thermal runaway, fires and explosions, all of which become increasingly more dangerous in large-format devices. To prevent such scenarios, thermally-responsive polymer electrolytes (RPEs) that alter properties in electrochemical energy storage devices were designed and tested. These RPEs will be used to limit or halt device operation when temperatures increase beyond a predetermined threshold, therefore limiting further heating. The development of these responsive systems will offer an inherent safety mechanism in electrochemical energy storage devices, while preserving the performance, lifetimes, and versatility that large-format systems require. Initial work focused on the development of a model system that demonstrated the concept of RPEs in an electrochemical device. Aqueous electrolyte solutions of polymers exhibiting properties that change in response to temperature were developed for applications in EDLCs and supercapacitors. These "smart materials" provide a means to control electrochemical systems where polymer phase separation at high temperatures affects electrolyte properties and inhibits device performance. Aqueous RPEs were synthesized using N-isopropylacrylamide, which governs the thermal properties, and fractions of acrylic acid or vinyl sulfonic acids, which provide ions to the solution. The molecular properties of these aqueous RPEs, specifically the ionic composition, were shown to influence the temperature-dependent electrolyte properties and the extent to which these electrolytes control the energy storage characteristics of a supercapacitor device. Materials with high ionic content provided the highest room temperature conductivity and electrochemical activity; however, RPEs with low ionic content provided the highest "on

  16. Performance of stratified thermal-storage system for Oliver Springs Elementary School. Progress report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reid, R.L.; Bedinger, A.F.G.

    1981-01-01

    A progress report is given on the performance of a stratified thermal storage system coupled with a heat recovery refrigeration machine designed to provide space heating, cooling and service water heating. Water storage tanks utilizing a flexible membrane to resist temperature blending will be used as the thermal storage element. The two design goals of the heat recovery and thermal energy storage system are (1) to minimize the need to purchase energy for space heating and cooling and water heating and (2) to minimize electrical demand. An automatic data acquisition system will be used for system performance and data gathering. Data collection is expected to begin in September, 1981.

  17. Thermal conductivity in one-dimensional nonlinear systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Politi, Antonio; Giardinà, Cristian; Livi, Roberto; Vassalli, Massimo

    2000-03-01

    Thermal conducitivity of one-dimensional nonlinear systems typically diverges in the thermodynamic limit, whenever the momentum is conserved (i.e. in the absence of interactions with an external substrate). Evidence comes from detailed studies of Fermi-Pasta-Ulam and diatomic Toda chains. Here, we discuss the first example of a one-dimensional system obeying Fourier law : a chain of coupled rotators. Numerical estimates of the thermal conductivity obtained by simulating a chain in contact with two thermal baths at different temperatures are found to be consistent with those ones based on linear response theory. The dynamics of the Fourier modes provides direct evidence of energy diffusion. The finiteness of the conductivity is traced back to the occurrence of phase-jumps. Our conclusions are confirmed by the analysis of two variants of the rotator model.

  18. Effect of carbon nanospheres on shape stabilization and thermal behavior of phase change materials for thermal energy storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mehrali, Mohammad; Tahan Latibari, Sara; Mehrali, Mehdi; Mahlia, Teuku Meurah Indra; Cornelis Metselaar, Hendrik Simon

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Introducing novel form-stable PCM of stearic acid (SA)/carbon nanospheres (CNSs). • The highest stabilized SA content is 83 wt% in the SA/CNS composites. • Increasing thermal conductivity of composite phase change material with high amount of latent heat. - Abstract: Stearic acid (SA) is one of the main phase change materials (PCMs) for medium temperature thermal energy storage systems. In order to stabilize the shape and enhance the thermal conductivity of SA, the effects of adding carbon nanospheres (CNSs) as a carbon nanofiller were examined experimentally. The maximum mass fraction of SA retained in CNSs was found as 80 wt% without the leakage of SA in a melted state, even when it was heated over the melting point of SA. The dropping point test shows that there was clearly no liquid leakage through the phase change process at the operating temperature range of the composite PCMs. The thermal stability and thermal properties of composite PCMs were investigated with a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), respectively. The thermal conductivity of the SA/CNS composite was determined by the laser flash method. The thermal conductivity at 35 °C increased about 105% for the highest loading of CNS (50 wt%). The thermal cycling test proved that form-stable composite PCMs had good thermal reliability and chemical durability after 1000 cycles of melting and freezing, which is advantageous for latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES)

  19. IEA SHC Task 42 / ECES Annex 29 - Working Group B: Applications of Compact Thermal Energy Storage

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Helden, W. van; Yamaha, M.; Rathgeber, C.; Hauer, A.; Huaylla, F.; Le Pierrès, N.; Stutz, B.; Mette, B.; Dolado, P.; Lazaro, A.; Mazo, J.; Dannemand, M.; Furbo, S.; Campos-Celador, A.; Diarce, G.; Cuypers, R.; König-Haagen, A.; Höhlein, S.; Brüggemann, D.; Fumey, B.; Weber, R.; Köll, R.; Wagner, W.; Daguenet-Frick, X.; Gantenbein, P.; Kuznik, F.

    2016-01-01

    The IEA joint Task 42 / Annex 29 is aimed at developing compact thermal energy storage materials and systems. In Working Group B, experts are working on the development of compact thermal energy storage applications, in the areas cooling, domestic heating and hot water and industry. The majority of

  20. Review of the integrated thermal and nonthermal treatment system studies. Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1996-10-01

    This report contains a review and evaluation of three systems analysis studies performed by LITCO on integrated thermal treatment systems and integrated nonthermal treatment systems for the remediation of mixed low-level waste stored throughout the US Department of Energy weapons complex. The review was performed by an independent team of nine researchers from the Energy and Environmental Research Center, Science Applications International Corporation, the Waste Policy Institute, and Virginia Tech. The three studies reviewed were as follows: Integrated Thermal Treatment System Study, Phase 1 -- issued July 1994; Integrated Thermal Treatment System Study, Phase 2 -- issued February 1996; and Integrated Nonthermal Treatment System Study -- drafted March 1996. The purpose of this review was to (1) determine whether the assumptions of the studies were adequate to produce an unbiased review of both thermal and nonthermal systems, (2) to identify the critical areas of the studies that would benefit from further investigation, and (3) to develop a standard template that could be used in future studies to assure a sound application of systems engineering.

  1. Review of the integrated thermal and nonthermal treatment system studies. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1996-10-01

    This report contains a review and evaluation of three systems analysis studies performed by LITCO on integrated thermal treatment systems and integrated nonthermal treatment systems for the remediation of mixed low-level waste stored throughout the US Department of Energy weapons complex. The review was performed by an independent team of nine researchers from the Energy and Environmental Research Center, Science Applications International Corporation, the Waste Policy Institute, and Virginia Tech. The three studies reviewed were as follows: Integrated Thermal Treatment System Study, Phase 1 -- issued July 1994; Integrated Thermal Treatment System Study, Phase 2 -- issued February 1996; and Integrated Nonthermal Treatment System Study -- drafted March 1996. The purpose of this review was to (1) determine whether the assumptions of the studies were adequate to produce an unbiased review of both thermal and nonthermal systems, (2) to identify the critical areas of the studies that would benefit from further investigation, and (3) to develop a standard template that could be used in future studies to assure a sound application of systems engineering

  2. THERMAL: A routine designed to calculate neutron thermal scattering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cullen, D.E.

    1995-01-01

    THERMAL is designed to calculate neutron thermal scattering that is isotropic in the center of mass system. At low energy thermal motion will be included. At high energies the target nuclei are assumed to be stationary. The point of transition between low and high energies has been defined to insure a smooth transition. It is assumed that at low energy the elastic cross section is constant in the center of mass system. At high energy the cross section can be of any form. You can use this routine for all energies where the elastic scattering is isotropic in the center of mass system. In most materials this will be a fairly high energy

  3. A comparative study on the modeling of a latent heat energy storage system and evaluating its thermal performance in a greenhouse

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mirahmad, A.; Sadrameli, S. M.

    2018-03-01

    Thermal Energy Storage (TES) systems can be compared with batteries. As batteries can be charged when electricity is available for using during the power failure, TES systems can do the same for the thermal energy, i.e., they can absorb the available heat in one cycle, called charge cycle, and release it in a consecutive cycle, called discharge cycle. Among different kinds of TES systems, Phase Change Materials (PCM) have drawn considerable attention, since by changing from one phase to another, they can exchange a significant amount of energy in a small temperature difference. In this quest, a one dimensional mathematical model is solved using two different techniques and the results are compared together; one method is based on the enthalpy and the other is based on the effective heat capacity as well. Secondly, through eight experiments designed by using factorial approach, effects of inlet air velocity and temperature on the outlet stream has been investigated. The results proved that having a determined temperature difference between the inlet air and the PCM in both hot and cold cycles can enhance the efficiency. Finally, the feasible applications of a LHTES system for reducing the temperature swing in a greenhouse is studied numerically and the results are compared with experimental values. As a result, by using this passive coolant system diurnal internal temperature can be reduced for 10 °C.

  4. Candidate thermal energy storage technologies for solar industrial process heat applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Furman, E. R.

    1979-01-01

    A number of candidate thermal energy storage system elements were identified as having the potential for the successful application of solar industrial process heat. These elements which include storage media, containment and heat exchange are shown.

  5. Thermal energy storage using phase change materials fundamentals and applications

    CERN Document Server

    Fleischer, Amy S

    2015-01-01

    This book presents a comprehensive introduction to the use of solid‐liquid phase change materials to store significant amounts of energy in the latent heat of fusion. The proper selection of materials for different applications is covered in detail, as is the use of high conductivity additives to enhance thermal diffusivity. Dr. Fleischer explores how applications of PCMS have expanded over the past 10 years to include the development of high efficiency building materials to reduce heating and cooling needs, smart material design for clothing, portable electronic systems thermal management, solar thermal power plant design and many others. Additional future research directions and challenges are also discussed.

  6. Thermal Energy Storage for Building Load Management: Application to Electrically Heated Floor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hélène Thieblemont

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available In cold climates, electrical power demand for space conditioning becomes a critical issue for utility companies during certain periods of the day. Shifting a portion or all of it to off-peak periods can help reduce peak demand and reduce stress on the electrical grid. Sensible thermal energy storage (TES systems, and particularly electrically heated floors (EHF, can store thermal energy in buildings during the off-peak periods and release it during the peak periods while maintaining occupants’ thermal comfort. However, choosing the type of storage system and/or its configuration may be difficult. In this paper, the performance of an EHF for load management is studied. First, a methodology is developed to integrate EHF in TRNSYS program in order to investigate the impact of floor assembly on the EHF performance. Then, the thermal comfort (TC of the night-running EHF is studied. Finally, indicators are defined, allowing the comparison of different EHF. Results show that an EHF is able to shift 84% of building loads to the night while maintaining acceptable TC in cold climate. Moreover, this system is able to provide savings for the customer and supplier if there is a significant difference between off-peak and peak period electricity prices.

  7. Experimental study on the thermal performance of a new type of thermal energy storage based on flat micro-heat pipe array

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Feng-fei; Diao, Yan-hua; Zhao, Yao-hua; Zhu, Ting-ting; Liu, Jing

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • A novel thermal energy storage based on flat micro-heat pipe array is proposed. • The thermal storage shows excellent thermal performance in the working process. • The novel thermal storage has the advantage of low flow resistance. - Abstract: The thermal performance of an air-based phase change storage unit is analyzed and discussed in this study. The thermal energy storage uses flat micro-heat pipe array (FMHPA) as the core heat transfer component and lauric acid as phase change material (PCM). An experimental system is devised to test the heat storage–release property of the storage unit under different inlet temperatures and flow rates of the heat transfer medium. The performance of the storage unit and the melting/solidification curves of the phase change material are obtained based on extensive experimental data. Experimental results indicate that the flat micro-heat pipe array exhibits excellent temperature uniformity in the heat storage–release process, and the performance of the storage unit is efficient and steady.

  8. EINSTEIN - Expert system for an Intelligent Supply of Thermal Energy in Industry. Audit methodology and software tool

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schweiger, Hans; Danov, Stoyan (energyXperts.NET (Spain)); Vannoni, Claudia; Facci, Enrico (Sapienza Univ. of Rome, Dept. of Mechanics and Aeronautics, Rome (Italy)); Brunner, Christoph; Slawitsch, Bettina (Joanneum Research, Inst. of Sustainable Techniques and Systems - JOINTS, Graz (Austria))

    2009-07-01

    For optimising thermal energy supply in industry, a holistic integral approach is required that includes possibilities of demand reduction by heat recovery and process integration, and by an intelligent combination of efficient heat and cold supply technologies. EINSTEIN is a tool-kit for fast and high quality thermal energy audits in industry, composed by an audit guide describing the methodology and by a software tool that guides the auditor through all the audit steps. The main features of EINSTEIN are: (1) a basic questionnaire helps for systematic collection of the necessary information with the possibility to acquire data by distance; (2) special tools allow for fast consistency checking and estimation of missing data, so that already with very few data some first predictions can be made; (3) the data processing is based on standardised models for industrial processes and industrial heat supply systems; (4) semi-automatization: the software tool gives support to decision making for the generation of alternative heat and cold supply proposals, carries out automatically all the necessary calculations, including dynamic simulation of the heat supply system, and creates a standard audit report. The software tool includes modules for benchmarking, automatic design of heat exchanger networks, and design assistants for the heat and cold supply system. The core of the expert system software tool is available for free, as an open source software project. This type of software development has shown to be very efficient for dissemination of knowledge and for the continuous maintenance and improvement thanks to user contributions.

  9. Thermal conductivity and latent heat thermal energy storage properties of LDPE/wax as a shape-stabilized composite phase change material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Trigui, Abdelwaheb; Karkri, Mustapha; Krupa, Igor

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • This study deals with the comparison of experimental results for different PCM composite to be used in passive solar walls. • This paper reports on the successful use of a specific experimental method in order to characterize the phase change effects. • The results have shown that most important thermal properties of these composites at the solid and liquid states. • Results indicate the thermal effectiveness of phase change material and significant amount of energy saving can be achieved. • Heat flux measurements are a very interesting experimental source of data which comes to complete the calorimetric device (DSC). - Abstract: Phase change material (PCM) composites based on low-density polyethylene (LDPE) with paraffin waxes were investigated in this study. The composites were prepared using a meltmixing method with a Brabender-Plastograph. The LDPE as the supporting matrix kept the molten waxes in compact shape during its phase transition from solid to liquid. Immiscibility of the PCMs (waxes) and the supporting matrix (LDPE) is a necessary property for effective energy storage. Therefore, this type paraffin can be used in a latent heat storage system without encapsulation. The objective of this research is to use PCM composite as integrated components in a passive solar wall. The proposed composite TROMBE wall allows daily storage of the solar energy in a building envelope and restitution in the evening, with a possible control of the air flux in a ventilated air layer. An experimental set-up was built to determine the thermal response of these composites to thermal solicitations. In addition, a DSC analysis was carried out. The results have shown that most important thermal properties of these composites at the solid and liquid states, like the “apparent” thermal conductivity, the heat storage capacity and the latent heat of fusion. Results indicate the performance of the proposed system is affected by the thermal effectiveness of

  10. Mathematical modeling of photovoltaic thermal PV/T system with v-groove collector

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zohri, M.; Fudholi, A.; Ruslan, M. H.; Sopian, K.

    2017-07-01

    The use of v-groove in solar collector has a higher thermal efficiency in references. Dropping the working heat of photovoltaic panel was able to raise the electrical efficiency performance. Electrical and thermal efficiency were produced by photovoltaic thermal (PV/T) system concurrently. Mathematical modeling based on steady-state thermal analysis of PV/T system with v-groove was conducted. With matrix inversion method, the energy balance equations are explained by means of the investigative method. The comparison results show that in the PV/T system with the V-groove collector is higher temperature, thermal and electrical efficiency than other collectors.

  11. Rethinking the Future Grid: Integrated Nuclear Renewable Energy Systems: Preprint

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bragg-Sitton, S. M.; Boardman, R.; Ruth, M.; Zinaman, O.; Forsberg, C.

    2015-01-01

    The U.S. DOE is supporting research and development that could lead to more efficient utilization of clean energy generation sources, including renewable and nuclear options, to meet both grid demand and thermal energy needs in the industrial sector. One concept under consideration by the DOE-NE and DOE-EERE is tighter coupling of nuclear and renewable energy sources in a manner that better optimizes energy use for the combined electricity, industrial manufacturing, and transportation sectors. This integration concept has been referred to as a 'hybrid system' that is capable of apportioning thermal and electrical energy to first meet the grid demand (with appropriate power conversion systems), then utilizing excess thermal and, in some cases, electrical energy to drive a process that results in an additional product.

  12. Modeling thermal effects in braking systems of railway vehicles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Milošević Miloš S.

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The modeling of thermal effects has become increasingly important in product design in different transport means, road vehicles, airplanes, railway vehicles, and so forth. The thermal analysis is a very important stage in the study of braking systems, especially of railway vehicles, where it is necessary to brake huge masses, because the thermal load of a braked railway wheel prevails compared to other types of loads. In the braking phase, kinetic energy transforms into thermal energy resulting in intense heating and high temperature states of railway wheels. Thus induced thermal loads determine thermomechanical behavior of the structure of railway wheels. In cases of thermal overloads, which mainly occur as a result of long-term braking on down-grade railroads, the generation of stresses and deformations occurs, whose consequences are the appearance of cracks on the rim of a wheel and the final total wheel defect. The importance to precisely determine the temperature distribution caused by the transfer process of the heat generated during braking due to the friction on contact surfaces of the braking system makes it a challenging research task. Therefore, the thermal analysis of a block-braked solid railway wheel of a 444 class locomotive of the national railway operator Serbian Railways is processed in detail in this paper, using analytical and numerical modeling of thermal effects during long-term braking for maintaining a constant speed on a down-grade railroad.

  13. Photoprotection in an ecological context: the remarkable complexity of thermal energy dissipation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Demmig-Adams, Barbara; Adams, William W

    2006-01-01

    This review places photoprotection into the context of ecology and species diversity. The focus is on photoprotection via the safe removal - as thermal energy - of excess solar energy absorbed by the light collecting system, which counteracts the formation of reactive oxygen species. An update on the surprisingly complex, multiple variations of thermal energy dissipation is presented, placing these different forms into ecological and genetic contexts. Zeaxanthin-facilitated, flexible thermal dissipation associated with the PsbS protein and controlled by the trans-thylakoid pH gradient apparently occurs ubiquitously in plants, and can become sustained (and thus less flexible) at low temperatures. Long-lived, slow-growing plants with low intrinsic capacities for photosynthesis have greater capacities for this flexible dissipation than short-lived, fast-growing species. Furthermore, potent, but inflexible (zeaxanthin-facilitated) thermal dissipation, prominent in evergreen species under prolonged environmental stress, is characterized with respect to the involvement of photosystem II core rearrangement and/or degradation as well as the absence of control by trans-thylakoid pH and, possibly, PsbS. A role of PsbS-related proteins in photoprotection is discussed.

  14. Influence of accelerated thermal charging and discharging cycles on thermo-physical properties of organic phase change materials for solar thermal energy storage applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Raam Dheep, G.; Sreekumar, A.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Identification of organic phase change materials namely benzamide and sebacic acid. • Thermal reliability studies on identified phase change materials. • Measurement of phase transition temperature and latent heat of fusion. • Analysis of relative percentage difference (RPD%) in heat of fusion and melting temperature of benzamide and sebacic acid. - Abstract: Integration of appropriate thermal energy storage system plays a predominant role in upgrading the efficiency of solar thermal energy devices by reducing the incongruity between energy supply and demand. Latent heat thermal energy storage based on phase change materials (PCM) is found to be the most efficient and prospective method for storage of solar thermal energy. Ensuring the thermal reliability of PCM through large number of charging (melting) and discharging (solidification) cycles is a primary prerequisite to determine the suitability of PCM for a specific thermal energy storage applications. The present study explains the experimental analysis carried out on two PCM’s namely benzamide and sebacic acid to check the compatibility of the material in solar thermal energy storage applications. The selected materials were subjected to one thousand accelerated melting and solidification cycles in order to investigate the percentage of variation at different stages on latent heat of fusion, phase transition temperature, onset and peak melting temperature. Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) was used to determine the phase transition temperature and heat of fusion upon completion of every 100 thermal cycles and continued up to 1000 cycles. Relative Percentage Difference (RPD%) is calculated to find out the absolute deviation of melting temperature and latent heat of fusion with respect to zeroth cycle. The experimental study recorded a melting temperatures of benzamide and sebacic acid as 125.09 °C and 135.92 °C with latent heat of fusion of 285.1 (J/g) and 374.4 (J/g). The

  15. Heat recovery subsystem and overall system integration of fuel cell on-site integrated energy systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mougin, L. J.

    1983-01-01

    The best HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning) subsystem to interface with the Engelhard fuel cell system for application in commercial buildings was determined. To accomplish this objective, the effects of several system and site specific parameters on the economic feasibility of fuel cell/HVAC systems were investigated. An energy flow diagram of a fuel cell/HVAC system is shown. The fuel cell system provides electricity for an electric water chiller and for domestic electric needs. Supplemental electricity is purchased from the utility if needed. An excess of electricity generated by the fuel cell system can be sold to the utility. The fuel cell system also provides thermal energy which can be used for absorption cooling, space heating and domestic hot water. Thermal storage can be incorporated into the system. Thermal energy is also provided by an auxiliary boiler if needed to supplement the fuel cell system output. Fuel cell/HVAC systems were analyzed with the TRACE computer program.

  16. Fiscal 1997 survey report. Preparatory survey for a manual on the introduction of high efficiency thermal utilization systems; 1997 nendo chosa hokokusho. Kokoritsu netsu riyo system donyu manual no sakusei choa

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1998-03-01

    To cope with the energy issue and global environmental issue, it is necessary to forcibly promote energy conservation. In the light of the present situation that in Japan only 1/3 of the primary energy consumed is effectively used, policies are being prepared for promotion of the introduction of high efficiency thermal utilization systems including `a project for formation of the environmentally friendly type energy community` promoted by NEDO. However, it is hard to say that the introduction is being actively promoted. The cause is that they do not fully understood the present status of high efficiency thermal utilization systems, procedures for introduction, subsidy system, etc. Therefore, a manual was made to present to self governments and enterprisers who are planning to introduce the system. To be concrete, there are the six systems: cogeneration use thermal supply system, unused energy use thermal supply system, heat storage use thermal supply system, waste use thermal supply system, plant surplus energy use thermal supply system, and cascade type thermal supply system. 28 refs., 38 figs., 42 tabs.

  17. Aquifer thermal energy storage. International symposium: Proceedings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1995-05-01

    Aquifers have been used to store large quantities of thermal energy to supply process cooling, space cooling, space heating, and ventilation air preheating, and can be used with or without heat pumps. Aquifers are used as energy sinks and sources when supply and demand for energy do not coincide. Aquifer thermal energy storage may be used on a short-term or long-term basis; as the sole source of energy or as a partial storage; at a temperature useful for direct application or needing upgrade. The sources of energy used for aquifer storage are ambient air, usually cold winter air; waste or by-product energy; and renewable energy such as solar. The present technical, financial and environmental status of ATES is promising. Numerous projects are operating and under development in several countries. These projects are listed and results from Canada and elsewhere are used to illustrate the present status of ATES. Technical obstacles have been addressed and have largely been overcome. Cold storage in aquifers can be seen as a standard design option in the near future as it presently is in some countries. The cost-effectiveness of aquifer thermal energy storage is based on the capital cost avoidance of conventional chilling equipment and energy savings. ATES is one of many developments in energy efficient building technology and its success depends on relating it to important building market and environmental trends. This paper attempts to provide guidance for the future implementation of ATES. Individual projects have been processed separately for entry onto the Department of Energy databases.

  18. Review of the integrated thermal and nonthermal treatment system studies. Topical Report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Durrani, H.A.; Schmidt, L.J.; Erickson, T.A.; Sondreal, E.A.; Erjavec, J.; Steadman, E.N.; Fabrycky, W.J.; Wilson, J.S.; Musich, M.A.

    1996-07-01

    This report analyzes three systems engineering (SE) studies performed on integrated thermal treatment systems (ITTSs) and integrated nonthermal treatment systems (INTSs) for the remediation of mixed low-level waste (MLLW) stored throughout the US Department of Energy (DOE) weapons complex. The review was performed by an independent team of nine researchers from the Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC), Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), the Waste Policy Institute (WPI), and Virginia Tech (VT). The three studies reviewed were as follows: Integrated Thermal Treatment System Study, Phase 1--issued July 1994; Integrated Thermal Treatment System Study, Phase 2--issued February 1996; and Integrated Nonthermal Treatment System Study--drafted March 1996. The purpose of this review was to (1) determine whether the assumptions taken in the studies might bias the resulting economic evaluations of both thermal and nonthermal systems, (2) identify the critical areas of the studies that would benefit from further investigation, and (3) develop a standard template that could be used in future studies to produce sound SE applications

  19. Thermal mixing in T-junction piping system concerned with high-cycle thermal fatigue in structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanaka, Masaaki; Ohshima, Hiroyuki; Monji, Hideaki

    2008-01-01

    In Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), a numerical simulation code 'MUGTHES' has been developed to investigate thermal striping phenomena caused by turbulence mixing of fluids in different temperature and to provide transient data for an evaluation method of high-cycle thermal fatigue. MUGTHES adopts Large Eddy Simulation (LES) approach to predict unsteady phenomena in thermal mixing and employs boundary fitted coordinate system to be applied to complex geometry in a power reactor. Numerical simulation of thermal striping phenomena in a T-junction piping system (T-pipe) is conducted. Boundary condition for the simulation is chosen from an existing water experiment in JAEA, named as WATLON experiment. In the numerical simulation, standard Smagorinsky model is employed as eddy viscosity model with the model coefficient of 0.14 (=Cs). Numerical results of MUGTHES are verified by the comparisons with experimental results of velocity and temperature. Through the numerical simulation in the T-pipe, applicability of MUGTHES to the thermal striping phenomena is confirmed and the characteristic large-scale eddy structure which dominates thermal mixing and may cause high-cycle thermal fatigue is revealed. (author)

  20. An Approximate Ablative Thermal Protection System Sizing Tool for Entry System Design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dec, John A.; Braun, Robert D.

    2006-01-01

    A computer tool to perform entry vehicle ablative thermal protection systems sizing has been developed. Two options for calculating the thermal response are incorporated into the tool. One, an industry-standard, high-fidelity ablation and thermal response program was integrated into the tool, making use of simulated trajectory data to calculate its boundary conditions at the ablating surface. Second, an approximate method that uses heat of ablation data to estimate heat shield recession during entry has been coupled to a one-dimensional finite-difference calculation that calculates the in-depth thermal response. The in-depth solution accounts for material decomposition, but does not account for pyrolysis gas energy absorption through the material. Engineering correlations are used to estimate stagnation point convective and radiative heating as a function of time. The sizing tool calculates recovery enthalpy, wall enthalpy, surface pressure, and heat transfer coefficient. Verification of this tool is performed by comparison to past thermal protection system sizings for the Mars Pathfinder and Stardust entry systems and calculations are performed for an Apollo capsule entering the atmosphere at lunar and Mars return speeds.

  1. Heating technologies for limiting biomass consumption in 100% renewable energy systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mathiesen, Brian Vad; Lund, Henrik; Connolly, David

    2011-01-01

    district heating enables the use of combined heat and power production (CPH) and other renewable resources than biomass such as large-scale solar thermal, large-heat pumps, geothermal heat, industrial surplus heat etc. which is important for reducing the biomass consumption. Where the energy density......The utilisation of biomass poses large challenges in renewable energy systems and buildings account for a substantial part of the energy supply also in 100% renewable energy systems. The analyses of heating technologies show that district heating systems are especially important in limiting...... the dependence on biomass resources and to create cost effective systems. District heating systems are especially important in renewable energy systems with large amounts of fluctuating renewable energy sources as it enables fuel efficient and lower cost energy systems with thermal heat storages. And also...

  2. Thermal stability evaluation of palm oil as energy transport media

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wan Nik, W.B.; Ani, F.N.; Masjuki, H.H.

    2005-01-01

    The thermal stability of palm oil as energy transport media in a hydraulic system was studied. The oils were aged by circulating the oil in an open loop hydraulic system at an isothermal condition of 55 deg. C for 600 h. The thermal behavior and kinetic parameters of fresh and degraded palm oil, with and without oxidation inhibitor, were studied using the dynamic heating rate mode of a thermogravimetric analyser (TGA). Viscometric properties, total acid number and iodine value analyses were used to complement the TGA data. The thermodynamic parameter of activation energy of the samples was determined by direct Arrhenius plot and integral methods. The results may have important applications in the development of palm oil based hydraulic fluid. The results were compared with commercial vegetable based hydraulic fluid. The use of F10 and L135 additives was found to suppress significantly the increase of acid level and viscosity of the fluid

  3. Advances in Thermal Insulation. Vacuum Insulation Panels and Thermal Efficiency to Reduce Energy Usage in Buildings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Thorsell, Thomas

    2012-07-01

    We are coming to realize that there is an urgent need to reduce energy usage in buildings and it has to be done in a sustainable way. This thesis focuses on the performance of the building envelope; more precisely thermal performance of walls and super insulation material in the form of vacuum insulation. However, the building envelope is just one part of the whole building system, and super insulators have one major flaw: they are easily adversely affected by other problems in the built environment. Vacuum Insulation Panels are one fresh addition to the arsenal of insulation materials available to the building industry. They are composite material with a core and an enclosure which, as a composite, can reach thermal conductivities as low as 0.004 W/(mK). However, the exceptional performance relies on the barrier material preventing gas permeation, maintaining a near vacuum into the core and a minimized thermal bridge effect from the wrapping of barrier material round the edge of a panel. A serpentine edge is proposed to decrease the heat loss at the edge. Modeling and testing shows a reduction of 60 % if a reasonable serpentine edge is used. A diffusion model of permeation through multilayered barrier films with metallization coatings was developed to predict ultimate service life. The model combines numerical calculations with analytical field theory allowing for more precise determination than current models. The results using the proposed model indicate that it is possible to manufacture panels with lifetimes exceeding 50 years with existing manufacturing. Switching from the component scale to the building scale; an approach of integrated testing and modeling is proposed. Four wall types have been tested in a large range of environments with the aim to assess the hydrothermal nature and significance of thermal bridges and air leakages. The test procedure was also examined as a means for a more representative performance indicator than R-value (in USA). The

  4. Stochastic control and real options valuation of thermal storage-enabled demand response from flexible district energy systems

    OpenAIRE

    Kitapbayev, Yerkin; Moriarty, John; Mancarella, Pierluigi

    2014-01-01

    In district energy systems powered by Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plants, thermal storage can significantly increase CHP flexibility to respond to real time market signals and therefore improve the business case of such demand response schemes in a Smart Grid environment. However, main challenges remain as to what is the optimal way to control inter-temporal storage operation in the presence of uncertain market prices, and then how to value the investment into storage as flexibility enabler...

  5. Computational Analysis on Performance of Thermal Energy Storage (TES) Diffuser

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adib, M. A. H. M.; Adnan, F.; Ismail, A. R.; Kardigama, K.; Salaam, H. A.; Ahmad, Z.; Johari, N. H.; Anuar, Z.; Azmi, N. S. N.

    2012-09-01

    Application of thermal energy storage (TES) system reduces cost and energy consumption. The performance of the overall operation is affected by diffuser design. In this study, computational analysis is used to determine the thermocline thickness. Three dimensional simulations with different tank height-to-diameter ratio (HD), diffuser opening and the effect of difference number of diffuser holes are investigated. Medium HD tanks simulations with double ring octagonal diffuser show good thermocline behavior and clear distinction between warm and cold water. The result show, the best performance of thermocline thickness during 50% time charging occur in medium tank with height-to-diameter ratio of 4.0 and double ring octagonal diffuser with 48 holes (9mm opening ~ 60%) acceptable compared to diffuser with 6mm ~ 40% and 12mm ~ 80% opening. The conclusion is computational analysis method are very useful in the study on performance of thermal energy storage (TES).

  6. Flexible hybrid energy cell for simultaneously harvesting thermal, mechanical, and solar energies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Ya; Zhang, Hulin; Zhu, Guang; Lee, Sangmin; Lin, Zong-Hong; Wang, Zhong Lin

    2013-01-22

    We report the first flexible hybrid energy cell that is capable of simultaneously or individually harvesting thermal, mechanical, and solar energies to power some electronic devices. For having both the pyroelectric and piezoelectric properties, a polarized poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) film-based nanogenerator (NG) was used to harvest thermal and mechanical energies. Using aligned ZnO nanowire arrays grown on the flexible polyester (PET) substrate, a ZnO-poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) heterojunction solar cell was designed for harvesting solar energy. By integrating the NGs and the solar cells, a hybrid energy cell was fabricated to simultaneously harvest three different types of energies. With the use of a Li-ion battery as the energy storage, the harvested energy can drive four red light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

  7. Thermal Analysis of the Receiver of a Standalone Pilot Solar Dish–Stirling System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ehsan Gholamalizadeh

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Recent developments in solar thermal systems have aroused considerable interest in several countries with high solar potential. One of the most promising solar driven technologies is the solar thermal dish-Stirling system. One of the main issues of the solar dish–Stirling system is thermal losses from its components. The majority of the thermal losses of the system occur through its receiver before the thermal energy is converted to electrical energy by the Stirling engine. The goal of this investigation is to analyze the thermal performance of the receiver of a standalone pilot solar dish–Stirling system installed in Kerman City, Iran, to be used in remote off-grid areas of the Kerman Province. An analytical model was developed to predict the input energy, thermal losses, and thermal efficiency of the receiver. The receiver thermal model was first validated by comparing simulation results to experimental measurements for the EuroDish project. Then, the incident flux intensity intercepted by the receiver aperture, the thermal losses through the receiver (including conduction, convection, and radiation losses, and the power output during daytime hours (average day of each month for a year were predicted. The results showed that the conduction loss was small, while the convection and radiation losses played major roles in the total thermal losses through the receiver. The convection loss is dominant during the early morning and later evening hours, while radiation loss reaches its highest value near midday. Finally, the thermal efficiency of the receiver and the power output for each working hour throughout the year were calculated. The maximum performance of the system occurred at midday in the middle of July, with a predicted power output of 850 W, and a receiver efficiency of about 60%. At this time, a conduction loss of about 266 W, a convection loss of 284 W, and a radiation loss of about 2000 W were estimated.

  8. Understanding renewable energy systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Quaschning, Volker

    2005-01-15

    Beginning with an overview of renewable energy sources including biomass, hydroelectricity, geothermal, tidal, wind and solar power, this book explores the fundamentals of different renewable energy systems. The main focus is on technologies with high development potential such as solar thermal systems, photovoltaics and wind power. This text not only describes technological aspects, but also deals consciously with problems of the energy industry. In this way, the topics are treated in a holistic manner, bringing together maths, engineering, climate studies and economics, and enabling readers to gain a broad understanding of renewable energy technologies and their potential. The book also contains a free CD-ROM resource, which includes a variety of specialist simulation software and detailed figures from the book. (Author)

  9. Thermodynamic aspects of power production in thermal, chemical and electrochemical systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sieniutycz, Stanisław; Poświata, Artur

    2012-01-01

    We apply optimization methods to study power generation limits for various energy converters, such as thermal, solar, chemical, and electrochemical engines. Methodological similarity is observed when analysing power limits in thermal machines and fuel cells which are electrochemical flow engines. Operative driving forces and voltage are suitable indicators of imperfect phenomena in energy converters. The results obtained generalize our previous findings for power yield limits in purely thermal systems with finite rates. While temperatures T i of participating media were only necessary variables in purely thermal systems, in the present work both temperatures and chemical potentials μ k are essential. This case is associated with engines propelled by fluxes of both energy and substance. In dynamical systems downgrading or upgrading of resources may occur. Energy flux (power) is created in the generator located between the resource fluid (‘upper’ fluid 1) and the environmental fluid (‘lower’ fluid, 2). Fluid properties, transfer mechanisms and conductance values of dissipative layers or conductors influence the rate of power production. Numerical approaches to the dynamical solutions are based on the dynamic programming or maximum principle. Here we focus especially on the latter method, which involves discrete algorithms of Pontryagin’s type. Downgrading or upgrading of resources may also occur in electrochemical systems of fuel cell type. Yet, in this paper we restrict ourselves to the steady-state fuel cells. We present a simple analysis showing that, in linear systems, only at most ¼ of power dissipated in the natural transfer process can be transformed into the noble form of mechanical power.

  10. Cumulative energy demand and global warming potential of a building-integrated solar thermal system with/without phase change material.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lamnatou, Chr; Motte, F; Notton, G; Chemisana, D; Cristofari, C

    2018-04-15

    Building-integrated solar thermal (BIST) systems are a specific type of solar thermal systems which are integrated into the building and they participate in building functionality. The present article is about the life-cycle assessment of different options of a BIST system (Mediterranean climatic conditions: Ajaccio, France). The environmental profile of the studied configurations is assessed by means of CED (cumulative energy demand), GWP (global warming potential) and EPBT (energy payback time). The proposed configurations (for the collector) include: i) a system without PCM (phase change material) using only rock wool as insulation and ii) a system with PCM (myristic acid) and rock wool. Concerning life-cycle results based on CED and GWP 100a (scenario without recycling), the configuration without PCM shows 0.67 MJ prim /kWh and 0.06 kg CO 2.eq /kWh while the configuration with PCM presents 0.74 MJ prim /kWh and 0.08 kg CO 2.eq /kWh. Regarding EPBT, if the inputs for pumping/auxiliary heating are not taken into account, both configurations (with/without PCM) have almost the same EPBT (about 1.3 years). On the other hand, if the inputs for pumping/auxiliary heating are considered, EPBT is lower for the system with PCM. In addition, scenarios with recycling have been examined and the results demonstrate that recycling considerably improves the environmental profile of the studied configurations. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHP-THERMAL SCHEMES IN CONTEXTS OF THE CONSOLIDATED ENERGY SYSTEM OF BELARUS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. N. Romaniuk

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper deals with the structural specifics of the Belarus Consolidated Energy System capacities in view of their ongoing transfer to the combined-cycle technology, building the nuclear power plant and necessity for the generating capacity regulation in compliance with the load diagram. With the country’s economic complex energy utilization pattern being preserved, the generating capacities are subject to restructuring and the CHP characteristics undergo enhancement inter alia a well-known increase of the specific electricity production based on the heat consumption. Because of this the steam-turbine condensation units which are the traditional capacity regulators for the energy systems with heat power plants dominance are being pushed out of operation. In consequence of this complex of changes the issue of load diagram provision gains momentum which in evidence is relevant to the Consolidated Energy System of Belarus. One of the ways to alleviate acuteness of the problem could be the specific electric energy production cut on the CHP heat consumption with preserving the heat loads and without their handover to the heat generating capacities of direct combustion i.e. without fuel over-burning. The solution lies in integrating the absorption bromous-lithium heat pump units into the CHP thermal scheme. Through their agency low-temperature heat streams of the generator cooling, the lubrication and condensation heat-extraction of steam minimal passing to the condenser systems are utilized. As a case study the authors choose one of the CHPs in the conditions of which the corresponding employment of the said pumps leads to diminution of the fuel-equivalent specific flow-rate by 20−25 g for 1 kW⋅h production and conjoined electric energy generation capacity lowering. The latter will be handed over to other generating capacities, and the choice of them affects economic expediency of the absorption bromous-lithium heat pump-units installation

  12. Impact of kiln thermal energy demand and false air on cement kiln flue gas CO2 capture

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Arachchige, Udara S.P.R.; Kawan, Dinesh; Tokheim, Lars-Andre [Telemark University College, Porsgrunn (Norway); Melaaen, Morten C. [Telemark University College, Porsgrunn (Norway); (Tel-Tek, Porsgrunn (Norway)

    2013-07-01

    The present study is focused on the effect of the specific thermal energy demand and the false air factor on carbon capture applied to cement kiln exhaust gases. The carbon capture process model was developed and implemented in Aspen Plus. The model was developed for flue gases from a typical cement clinker manufacturing plant. The specific thermal energy demand as well as the false air factor of the kiln system were varied in order to determine the effect on CO2 capture plant performance, such as the solvent regeneration energy demand. In general, an increase in the mentioned kiln system factors increases the regeneration energy demand. The reboiler energy demand is calculated as 3270, 3428 and 3589 kJ/kg clinker for a specific thermal energy of 3000, 3400 and 3800 kJ/kg clinker, respectively. Setting the false air factor to 25, 50 or 70% gives a reboiler energy demand of 3428, 3476, 3568 kJ/kg clinker, respectively.

  13. Photovoltaic Thermal panels in collective thermal solar systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elswijk, M.J.; Strootman, K.J.; Jong, M.J.M.; De Lange, E.T.N.; Smit, W.F.

    2003-12-01

    A feasibility study has been carried out to assess the options to apply photovoltaic/thermal panels (PVT-panels) in collective solar thermal systems in urban areas in the Netherlands. The study was focused on the technical (architecture and installations) and the economical feasibility of collective PVT-systems in comparison with conventional solar thermal systems and combinations of photovoltaic (PV) panels and solar collectors. The results of the study also give insight into cost and the market for PVT-panels. Three case studies in which collective solar collector systems were applied are analyzed again by simulating the installation of a PVT-panels system and a separate solar thermal PV system [nl

  14. Modelling study, efficiency analysis and optimisation of large-scale Adiabatic Compressed Air Energy Storage systems with low-temperature thermal storage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luo, Xing; Wang, Jihong; Krupke, Christopher; Wang, Yue; Sheng, Yong; Li, Jian; Xu, Yujie; Wang, Dan; Miao, Shihong; Chen, Haisheng

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • The paper presents an A-CAES system thermodynamic model with low temperature thermal energy storage integration. • The initial parameter value ranges for A-CAES system simulation are identified from the study of a CAES plant in operation. • The strategies of system efficiency improvement are investigated via a parametric study with a sensitivity analysis. • Various system configurations are discussed for analysing the efficiency improvement potentials. - Abstract: The key feature of Adiabatic Compressed Air Energy Storage (A-CAES) is the reuse of the heat generated from the air compression process at the stage of air expansion. This increases the complexity of the whole system since the heat exchange and thermal storage units must have the capacities and performance to match the air compression/expansion units. Thus it raises a strong demand in the whole system modelling and simulation tool for A-CAES system optimisation. The paper presents a new whole system mathematical model for A-CAES with simulation implementation and the model is developed with consideration of lowing capital cost of the system. The paper then focuses on the study of system efficiency improvement strategies via parametric analysis and system structure optimisation. The paper investigates how the system efficiency is affected by the system component performance and parameters. From the study, the key parameters are identified, which give dominant influences in improving the system efficiency. The study is extended onto optimal system configuration and the recommendations are made for achieving higher efficiency, which provides a useful guidance for A-CAES system design.

  15. THERMAL: A routine designed to calculate neutron thermal scattering. Revision 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cullen, D.E.

    1995-01-01

    THERMAL is designed to calculate neutron thermal scattering that is elastic and isotropic in the center of mass system. At low energy thermal motion will be included. At high energies the target nuclei are assumed to be stationary. The point of transition between low and high energies has been defined to insure a smooth transition. It is assumed that at low energy the elastic cross section is constant in the relative system. At high energy the cross section can be of any form. You can use this routine for all energies where the elastic scattering is isotropic in the center of mass system. In most materials this will be a fairly high energy, e.g., the keV energy range. The THERMAL method is simple, clean, easy to understand, and most important very efficient; on a SUN SPARC-10 workstation, at low energies with thermal scattering it can do almost 6 million scatters a minute and at high energy over 13 million. Warning: This version of THERMAL completely supersedes the original version described in the same report number, dated February 24, 1995. The method used in the original code is incorrect, as explained in this report

  16. Sustainability assessment of a hybrid energy system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Afgan, Nain H.; Carvalho, Maria G.

    2008-01-01

    A hybrid energy system in the form of the Object structure is the pattern for the structure of options in the evaluation of a hybrid system. The Object structure is defined as: Hybrid Energy System {[production (solar, wind, biomass, natural gas)] [utilization(electricity, heat, hydrogen)]}. In the evaluation of hybrid energy systems only several options are selected to demonstrate the sustainability assessment method application in the promotion of the specific quality of the hybrid energy system. In this analysis the following options are taken into a consideration: 1.Solar photo-voltaic power plant (PV PP), wind turbine power plant (WTPP) biomass thermal power plant (ThSTPP) for electricity, heat and hydrogen production. 2.Solar PV PP and wind power plant (WPP) for electricity and hydrogen production. 3.Biomass thermal steam turbine power plant (BThSTPP) and WPP for heat and hydrogen production. 4.Combined cycle gas turbine power plant for electricity and hydrogen production. 5.Cogeneration of electricity and water by the hybrid system. The sustainability assessment method is used for the evaluation of quality of the selected hybrid systems. In this evaluation the following indicators are used: economic indicator, environment indicator and social indicator

  17. Heat exchange studies on coconut oil cells as thermal energy storage for room thermal conditioning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sutjahja, I. M.; Putri, Widya A.; Fahmi, Z.; Wonorahardjo, S.; Kurnia, D.

    2017-07-01

    As reported by many thermal environment experts, room air conditioning might be controlled by thermal mass system. In this paper we discuss the performance of coconut oil cells as room thermal energy storage. The heat exchange mechanism of coconut oil (CO) which is one of potential organic Phase Change Material (PCM) is studied based on the results of temperature measurements in the perimeter and core parts of cells. We found that the heat exchange performance, i.e. heat absorption and heat release processes of CO cells are dominated by heat conduction in the sensible solid from the higher temperature perimeter part to the lower temperature core part and heat convection during the solid-liquid phase transition and sensible liquid phase. The capability of heat absorption as measured by the reduction of air temperature is not influenced by CO cell size. Besides that, the application of CO as the thermal mass has to be accompanied by air circulation to get the cool sensation of the room’s occupants.

  18. Development and analysis of sustainable energy systems for building HVAC applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khalid, F.; Dincer, I.; Rosen, M.A.

    2015-01-01

    The main HVAC applications considered in this paper are heating and cooling. Three newly developed systems for heating and cooling applications in buildings are proposed and assessed. Energy and exergy analyses are performed to assess the performance of heating, cooling and overall systems for each case, and the effects of various parameters on the energy and exergy efficiencies are examined. Also, the effect of changing the energy input for each system is also found in terms of overall efficiency. The overall system energy efficiency is found to be highest for the natural gas operated system with a vapour absorption chiller (system 1) at 27.5% and lowest for the photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal operated system with vapour compression chiller (system 3) at 19.9%. The overall system exergy efficiency is found to be highest for the PV and solar thermal operated system with vapour compression chiller (system 3) at 3.9% and lowest for the PV and solar thermal operated system with heat pump (system 2) at 1.2%, respectively. - Highlights: • Three HVAC systems for buildings using renewable energy sources are proposed and assessed. • A performance improvement study is undertaken. • Parametric studies are carried out to determine the effects of various parameters on energy and exergy efficiencies

  19. Optimization of thermal systems based on finite-time thermodynamics and thermoeconomics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Durmayaz, A. [Istanbul Technical University (Turkey). Department of Mechanical Engineering; Sogut, O.S. [Istanbul Technical University, Maslak (Turkey). Department of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering; Sahin, B. [Yildiz Technical University, Besiktas, Istanbul (Turkey). Department of Naval Architecture; Yavuz, H. [Istanbul Technical University, Maslak (Turkey). Institute of Energy

    2004-07-01

    The irreversibilities originating from finite-time and finite-size constraints are important in the real thermal system optimization. Since classical thermodynamic analysis based on thermodynamic equilibrium do not consider these constraints directly, it is necessary to consider the energy transfer between the system and its surroundings in the rate form. Finite-time thermodynamics provides a fundamental starting point for the optimization of real thermal systems including the fundamental concepts of heat transfer and fluid mechanics to classical thermodynamics. In this study, optimization studies of thermal systems, that consider various objective functions, based on finite-time thermodynamics and thermoeconomics are reviewed. (author)

  20. Energy and exergy analysis of photovoltaic-thermal collector with and without glass cover

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chow, T.T.; Pei, G.; Fong, K.F.; Lin, Z.; Chan, A.L.S.; Ji, J.

    2009-01-01

    In photovoltaic-thermal (PV/T) technology, the use of glass cover on the flat-plate hybrid solar collector is favorable to the photothermic process but not to the photovoltaic process. Because of the difference in the usefulness of electricity and thermal energy, there is often no straight forward answer on whether a glazed or unglazed collector system is more suitable for a specific application. This glazing issue was tackled in this paper from the viewpoint of thermodynamics. Based on experimental data and validated numerical models, a study of the appropriateness of glass cover on a thermosyphon-based water-heating PV/T system was carried out. The influences of six selected operating parameters were evaluated. From the first law point of view, a glazed PV/T system is found always suitable if we are to maximize the quantity of either the thermal or the overall energy output. From the exergy analysis point of view however, the increase of PV cell efficiency, packing factor, water mass to collector area ratio, and wind velocity are found favorable to go for an unglazed system, whereas the increase of on-site solar radiation and ambient temperature are favorable for a glazed system

  1. High-frequency thermal-electrical cycles for pyroelectric energy conversion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bhatia, Bikram; Damodaran, Anoop R.; Cho, Hanna; Martin, Lane W.; King, William P.

    2014-01-01

    We report thermal to electrical energy conversion from a 150 nm thick BaTiO 3 film using pyroelectric cycles at 1 kHz. A microfabricated platform enables temperature and electric field control with temporal resolution near 1 μs. The rapid electric field changes as high as 11 × 10 5  kV/cm-s, and temperature change rates as high as 6 × 10 5  K/s allow exploration of pyroelectric cycles in a previously unexplored operating regime. We investigated the effect of phase difference between electric field and temperature cycles, and electric field and temperature change rates on the electrical energy generated from thermal-electrical cycles based on the pyroelectric Ericsson cycle. Complete thermodynamic cycles are possible up to the highest cycle rates tested here, and the energy density varies significantly with phase shifts between temperature and electric field waveforms. This work could facilitate the design and operation of pyroelectric cycles at high cycle rates, and aid in the design of new pyroelectric systems

  2. Thermal Comfort and Strategies for Energy Conservation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rohles, Frederick H., Jr.

    1981-01-01

    Discusses studies in thermal comfort which served as the basis for the comfort standard. Examines seven variables in the human response to the thermal environment in terms of the ways in which they can be modified to conserve energy. (Author/MK)

  3. Near-field thermal upconversion and energy transfer through a Kerr medium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khandekar, Chinmay; Rodriguez, Alejandro W

    2017-09-18

    We present an approach for achieving large Kerr χ (3) -mediated thermal energy transfer at the nanoscale that exploits a general coupled-mode description of triply resonant, four-wave mixing processes. We analyze the efficiency of thermal upconversion and energy transfer from mid- to near-infrared wavelengths in planar geometries involving two slabs supporting far-apart surface plasmon polaritons and separated by a nonlinear χ (3) medium that is irradiated by externally incident light. We study multiple geometric and material configurations and different classes of intervening mediums-either bulk or nanostructured lattices of nanoparticles embedded in nonlinear materials-designed to resonantly enhance the interaction of the incident light with thermal slab resonances. We find that even when the entire system is in thermodynamic equilibrium (at room temperature) and under typical drive intensities ~ W/μm 2 , the resulting upconversion rates can approach and even exceed thermal flux rates achieved in typical symmetric and non-equilibrium configurations of vacuum-separated slabs. The proposed nonlinear scheme could potentially be exploited to achieve thermal cooling and refrigeration at the nanoscale, and to actively control heat transfer between materials with dramatically different resonant responses.

  4. The impact of low-temperature seasonal aquifer thermal energy storage (SATES) systems on chlorinated solvent contaminated groundwater: Modeling of spreading and degradation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zuurbier, K.G.; Hartog, N.; Valstar, J.; Post, V.E.A.; Breukelen, B.M. van

    2013-01-01

    Groundwater systems are increasingly used for seasonal aquifer thermal energy storage (SATES) for periodic heating and cooling of buildings. Its use is hampered in contaminated aquifers because of the potential environmental risks associated with the spreading of contaminated groundwater, but

  5. Investigation of Solar and Solar-Gas Thermal Energy Sources

    OpenAIRE

    Ivan Herec; Jan Zupa

    2003-01-01

    The article deals with the investigation of solar thermal sources of electrical and heat energy as well as the investigation of hybrid solar-gas thermal sources of electrical and heat energy (so called photothermal sources). Photothermal sources presented here utilize computer-controlled injection of the conversion fluid into special capillary porous substance that is adjusted to direct temperature treatment by the concentrated thermal radiation absorption.

  6. Study of Thermally Responsive Ionic Liquids for Novel Water Desalination and Energy Conversion Applications

    KAUST Repository

    Zhong, Yujiang

    2018-04-01

    The rapidly expanding of the global population in the 21st-century forces people facing two serious problems: water scarcity and energy shortage. Enormous continuous studies focus on providing enough fresh water and energy in a sustainable way. This thesis aims at exploring novel membrane processes based on thermally responsive ionic liquids with the upper critical solution temperature (UCST ILs) for water desalination and energy conversion from low-grade heat energy to electricity. A UCST IL protonated betaine bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([Hbet][Tf2N]) was first experimentally studied as a novel draw solute in a thermal forward osmosis (FO). A 3.2 M [Hbet][Tf2N] solution can be obtained via spontaneous phase separation from an IL and water mixture at room temperature. By heating and maintaining the temperature above 56°C, this solution can draw water from high-salinity solution up to 3.0 M, 5 times salty as the sea water. The IL draw solution can be easily regenerated by phase separation. Conducting the FO process at higher temperatures can also increase the water flux. According to the different choices of the freshwater polishing step, the electric energy consumption in this novel process was estimated as 26.3% to 64.2% of conventional one-step sea water reverse osmosis. Two UCST ILs with better performance, [Hbet][Tf2N] and choline bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([Choline][Tf2N]), were selected as the agents in a novel closed-loop thermally responsive IL osmotic heat engine (TRIL-OHE) to convert low-grade thermal energy to electricity. The specific energies of the [Hbet][Tf2N] system and the [Choline][Tf2N] system are 2500 kJ/t and 3700 kJ/t, which are 2.7 and 4.0 times of the seawater and river water system, respectively. The maximum power density measured from a commercial FO membrane is 1.5 W/m2 for the [Hbet][Tf2N] system and 2.3 W/m2 for the [Choline][Tf2N] system, leaving a big room to improve if highly permeable membranes are used. Another

  7. Preparation, characterization, and thermal properties of microencapsulated phase change material for thermal energy storage

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alkan, Cemil; Sari, Ahmet; Karaipekli, Ali [Department of Chemistry, Gaziosmanpasa University, 60240 Tokat (Turkey); Uzun, Orhan [Department of Physics, Gaziosmanpasa University, 60240 Tokat (Turkey)

    2009-01-15

    This study is focused on the preparation, characterization, and determination of thermal properties of microencapsulated docosane with polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) as phase change material for thermal energy storage. Microencapsulation of docosane has been carried out by emulsion polymerization. The microencapsulated phase change material (MEPCM) was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Thermal properties and thermal stability of MEPCM were measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). DSC analysis indicated that the docosane in the microcapsules melts at 41.0 C and crystallizes at 40.6 C. It has latent heats of 54.6 and -48.7 J/g for melting and crystallization, respectively. TGA showed that the MEPCM degraded in three distinguishable steps and had good chemical stability. Accelerated thermal cycling tests also indicated that the MEPCM had good thermal reliability. Based on all these results, it can be concluded that the microencapsulated docosane as MEPCMs have good potential for thermal energy storage purposes such as solar space heating applications. (author)

  8. Experimental investigation of thermal de-stratification in rock bed TES systems for high temperature applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okello, Denis; Nydal, Ole J.; Banda, Eldad J.K.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • High thermal stratifications exists rock bed TES when charge with high temperature heat. • Faster thermal degradation occurs in highly stratified bed irrespective of the bed length. • Average rate of heat loss as a function of storage time increases with increasing average bed temperature. - Abstract: Solar energy fluctuates so much that it cannot promote continuous use. Integration of Thermal Energy Storage (TES) with solar energy collection devices has the potential of making solar energy available on demand. Thermal energy can be stored in a bed of rocks at temperatures suitable for applications like cooking, boiling space heating, etc. During charging, temperature stratification is observed in the bed. In a stratified system, if the heat is used immediately, then it is possible to extract heat at reasonably high temperature from the top. For cases where the system is to be used after sometime (later at night or the following morning), the high temperature heat at the top is observed to degrade as the system tries to establish thermal equilibrium irrespective of the bed height. The average rate of heat loss from the TES unit to the ambient is found to increase with increasing average bed temperatures

  9. Market potential for solar thermal energy supply systems in the United States industrial and commercial sectors: 1990--2030

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1991-12-01

    This report revises and extends previous work sponsored by the US DOE on the potential industrial market in the United States for solar thermal energy systems and presents a new analysis of the commercial sector market potential. Current and future industrial process heat demand and commercial water heating, space heating and space cooling end-use demands are estimated. The PC Industrial Model (PCIM) and the commercial modules of the Building Energy End-Use Model (BEEM) used by the DOE's Energy Information Administration (EIA) to support the recent National Energy Strategy (NES) analysis are used to forecast industrial and commercial end-use energy demand respectively. Energy demand is disaggregated by US Census region to account for geographic variation in solar insolation and regional variation in cost of alternative natural gas-fired energy sources. The industrial sector analysis also disaggregates demand by heat medium and temperature range to facilitate process end-use matching with appropriate solar thermal energy supply technologies. The commercial sector analysis disaggregates energy demand by three end uses: water heating, space heating, and space cooling. Generic conceptual designs are created for both industrial and commercial applications. Levelized energy costs (LEC) are calculated for industrial sector applications employing low temperature flat plate collectors for process water preheat; parabolic troughs for intermediate temperature process steam and direct heat industrial application; and parabolic dish technologies for high temperature, direct heat industrial applications. LEC are calculated for commercial sector applications employing parabolic trough technologies for low temperature water and space heating. Cost comparisons are made with natural gas-fired sources for both the industrial market and the commercial market assuming fuel price escalation consistent with NES reference case scenarios for industrial and commercial sector gas markets

  10. Review of the integrated thermal and nonthermal treatment system studies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1996-10-01

    This report contains a review and evaluation of three systems analysis studies performed by LITCO on integrated thermal treatment systems and integrated nonthermal treatment systems for the remediation of mixed low-level waste stored throughout the US Department of Energy weapons complex. The review was performed by an independent team of nine researchers from the Energy and Environmental Research Center, Science Applications International Corporation, the Waste Policy Institute, and Virginia Tech. The purpose of this review was to (1) determine whether the assumptions of the studies were adequate to produce an unbiased review of both thermal and nonthermal systems, (2) to identify the critical areas of the studies that would benefit from further investigation, and (3) to develop a standard template that could be used in future studies to assure a sound application of systems engineering.

  11. Review of the integrated thermal and nonthermal treatment system studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1996-01-01

    This report contains a review and evaluation of three systems analysis studies performed by LITCO on integrated thermal treatment systems and integrated nonthermal treatment systems for the remediation of mixed low-level waste stored throughout the US Department of Energy weapons complex. The review was performed by an independent team of nine researchers from the Energy and Environmental Research Center, Science Applications International Corporation, the Waste Policy Institute, and Virginia Tech. The purpose of this review was to (1) determine whether the assumptions of the studies were adequate to produce an unbiased review of both thermal and nonthermal systems, (2) to identify the critical areas of the studies that would benefit from further investigation, and (3) to develop a standard template that could be used in future studies to assure a sound application of systems engineering

  12. Application of multiple-point geostatistics to simulate the effect of small-scale aquifer heterogeneity on the efficiency of aquifer thermal energy storage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Possemiers, Mathias; Huysmans, Marijke; Batelaan, Okke

    2015-08-01

    Adequate aquifer characterization and simulation using heat transport models are indispensible for determining the optimal design for aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) systems and wells. Recent model studies indicate that meter-scale heterogeneities in the hydraulic conductivity field introduce a considerable uncertainty in the distribution of thermal energy around an ATES system and can lead to a reduction in the thermal recoverability. In a study site in Bierbeek, Belgium, the influence of centimeter-scale clay drapes on the efficiency of a doublet ATES system and the distribution of the thermal energy around the ATES wells are quantified. Multiple-point geostatistical simulation of edge properties is used to incorporate the clay drapes in the models. The results show that clay drapes have an influence both on the distribution of thermal energy in the subsurface and on the efficiency of the ATES system. The distribution of the thermal energy is determined by the strike of the clay drapes, with the major axis of anisotropy parallel to the clay drape strike. The clay drapes have a negative impact (3.3-3.6 %) on the energy output in the models without a hydraulic gradient. In the models with a hydraulic gradient, however, the presence of clay drapes has a positive influence (1.6-10.2 %) on the energy output of the ATES system. It is concluded that it is important to incorporate small-scale heterogeneities in heat transport models to get a better estimate on ATES efficiency and distribution of thermal energy.

  13. A hybrid method of incorporating extended priority list into equal incremental principle for energy-saving generation dispatch of thermal power systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheng, Chuntian; Li, Shushan; Li, Gang

    2014-01-01

    The energy-saving generation dispatch (ESGD) policy released by Chinese Government in 2007 is a new code for optimally dispatching electric power generation portfolio in the country with the dual objectives of improving energy efficiency and reducing environmental pollution. The ESGD is substantially different from the competitive market in the developed economies, the traditional economic dispatching or the rational dispatching principle implemented in China prior to the new policy. This paper develops a hybrid method that integrates the extended priority list (EPL), the equal incremental principle (EIP) and a heuristic method to optimize daily generation schedules under ESGD. The EPL is presented to search desirable units set that satisfies the complicated duration period requirements based on thermal unit generation priority list. The EIP is developed to allocate load among the committed units within the combined set. A heuristic method is proposed to deal with inequality constraints, which usually result in difficulty for power allocation, and used to improve these results. The algorithm has been embedded into a newly developed decision support system that is currently being used by operators of the Guizhou Province Power Grid to make day-ahead quarter-hourly generation schedules. - Highlights: • Electric power industry is one of key and important fields for energy conservation and emission reduction in China. • The energy-saving generation dispatch policy was released by Chinese government in 2007. • A Hybrid algorithm for energy-saving generation dispatch scheduling of thermal power system is presented. • The algorithm has been embedded into a newly developed decision support system

  14. Computational Analysis on Performance of Thermal Energy Storage (TES) Diffuser

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adib, M A H M; Ismail, A R; Kardigama, K; Salaam, H A; Ahmad, Z; Johari, N H; Anuar, Z; Azmi, N S N; Adnan, F

    2012-01-01

    Application of thermal energy storage (TES) system reduces cost and energy consumption. The performance of the overall operation is affected by diffuser design. In this study, computational analysis is used to determine the thermocline thickness. Three dimensional simulations with different tank height-to-diameter ratio (HD), diffuser opening and the effect of difference number of diffuser holes are investigated. Medium HD tanks simulations with double ring octagonal diffuser show good thermocline behavior and clear distinction between warm and cold water. The result show, the best performance of thermocline thickness during 50% time charging occur in medium tank with height-to-diameter ratio of 4.0 and double ring octagonal diffuser with 48 holes (9mm opening ∼ 60%) acceptable compared to diffuser with 6mm ∼ 40% and 12mm ∼ 80% opening. The conclusion is computational analysis method are very useful in the study on performance of thermal energy storage (TES).

  15. Monitoring solar-thermal systems: An outline of methods and procedures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rosenthal, A. [New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces, NM (United States). Southwest Technology Development Inst.

    1994-04-01

    This manual discusses the technical issues associated with monitoring solar-thermal systems. It discusses some successful monitoring programs that have been implemented in the past. It gives the rationale for selecting a program of monitoring and gives guidelines for the design of new programs. In this report, solar thermal monitoring systems are classified into three levels. For each level, the report discusses the kinds of information obtained by monitoring, the effort needed to support the monitoring program, the hardware required, and the costs involved. Ultimately, all monitoring programs share one common requirement: the collection of accurate data that characterize some aspect or aspects of the system under study. This report addresses most of the issues involved with monitoring solar thermal systems. It does not address such topics as design fundamentals of thermal systems or the relative merits of the many different technologies employed for collection of solar energy.

  16. Optimal Sizing of Energy Storage for Community Microgrids Considering Building Thermal Dynamics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, Guodong [ORNL; Li, Zhi [ORNL; Starke, Michael R. [ORNL; Ollis, Ben [ORNL; Tomsovic, Kevin [University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK)

    2017-07-01

    This paper proposes an optimization model for the optimal sizing of energy storage in community microgrids considering the building thermal dynamics and customer comfort preference. The proposed model minimizes the annualized cost of the community microgrid, including energy storage investment, purchased energy cost, demand charge, energy storage degradation cost, voluntary load shedding cost and the cost associated with customer discomfort due to room temperature deviation. The decision variables are the power and energy capacity of invested energy storage. In particular, we assume the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems can be scheduled intelligently by the microgrid central controller while maintaining the indoor temperature in the comfort range set by customers. For this purpose, the detailed thermal dynamic characteristics of buildings have been integrated into the optimization model. Numerical simulation shows significant cost reduction by the proposed model. The impacts of various costs on the optimal solution are investigated by sensitivity analysis.

  17. Molecularly Engineered Azobenzene Derivatives for High Energy Density Solid-State Solar Thermal Fuels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cho, Eugene N; Zhitomirsky, David; Han, Grace G D; Liu, Yun; Grossman, Jeffrey C

    2017-03-15

    Solar thermal fuels (STFs) harvest and store solar energy in a closed cycle system through conformational change of molecules and can release the energy in the form of heat on demand. With the aim of developing tunable and optimized STFs for solid-state applications, we designed three azobenzene derivatives functionalized with bulky aromatic groups (phenyl, biphenyl, and tert-butyl phenyl groups). In contrast to pristine azobenzene, which crystallizes and makes nonuniform films, the bulky azobenzene derivatives formed uniform amorphous films that can be charged and discharged with light and heat for many cycles. Thermal stability of the films, a critical metric for thermally triggerable STFs, was greatly increased by the bulky functionalization (up to 180 °C), and we were able to achieve record high energy density of 135 J/g for solid-state STFs, over a 30% improvement compared to previous solid-state reports. Furthermore, the chargeability in the solid state was improved, up to 80% charged from 40% charged in previous solid-state reports. Our results point toward molecular engineering as an effective method to increase energy storage in STFs, improve chargeability, and improve the thermal stability of the thin film.

  18. Application of multiple-point geostatistics to simulate the effect of small scale aquifer heterogeneity on the efficiency of Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Possemiers, Mathias; Huysmans, Marijke; Batelaan, Okke

    2015-04-01

    Adequate aquifer characterization and simulation using heat transport models are indispensible for determining the optimal design for Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) systems and wells. Recent model studies indicate that meter scale heterogeneities in the hydraulic conductivity field introduce a considerable uncertainty in the distribution of thermal energy around an ATES system and can lead to a reduction in the thermal recoverability. In this paper, the influence of centimeter scale clay drapes on the efficiency of a doublet ATES system and the distribution of the thermal energy around the ATES wells are quantified. Multiple-point geostatistical simulation of edge properties is used to incorporate the clay drapes in the models. The results show that clay drapes have an influence both on the distribution of thermal energy in the subsurface and on the efficiency of the ATES system. The distribution of the thermal energy is determined by the strike of the clay drapes, with the major axis of anisotropy parallel to the clay drape strike. The clay drapes have a negative impact (3.3 - 3.6%) on the energy output in the models without a hydraulic gradient. In the models with a hydraulic gradient, however, the presence of clay drapes has a positive influence (1.6 - 10.2%) on the energy output of the ATES system. It is concluded that it is important to incorporate small scale heterogeneities in heat transport models to get a better estimate on ATES efficiency and distribution of thermal energy.

  19. An Optimisation Study on Integrating and Incentivising Thermal Energy Storage (TES in a Dwelling Energy System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gbemi Oluleye

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available In spite of the benefits from thermal energy storage (TES integration in dwellings, the penetration rate in Europe is 5%. Effective fiscal policies are necessary to accelerate deployment. However, there is currently no direct support for TES in buildings compared to support for electricity storage. This could be due to lack of evidence to support incentivisation. In this study, a novel systematic framework is developed to provide a case in support of TES incentivisation. The model determines the costs, CO2 emissions, dispatch strategy and sizes of technologies, and TES for a domestic user under policy neutral and policy intensive scenarios. The model is applied to different building types in the UK. The model is applied to a case study for a detached dwelling in the UK (floor area of 122 m2, where heat demand is satisfied by a boiler and electricity imported from the grid. Results show that under a policy neutral scenario, integrating a micro-Combined Heat and Power (CHP reduces the primary energy demand by 11%, CO2 emissions by 21%, but with a 16 year payback. Additional benefits from TES integration can pay for the investment within the first 9 years, reducing to 3.5–6 years when the CO2 levy is accounted for. Under a policy intensive scenario (for example considering the Feed in Tariff (FIT, primary energy demand and CO2 emissions reduce by 17 and 33% respectively with a 5 year payback. In this case, the additional benefits for TES integration can pay for the investment in TES within the first 2 years. The framework developed is a useful tool is determining the role TES in decarbonising domestic energy systems.

  20. Semiconductor-based Multilayer Selective Solar Absorber for Unconcentrated Solar Thermal Energy Conversion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Nathan H; Chen, Zhen; Fan, Shanhui; Minnich, Austin J

    2017-07-13

    Solar thermal energy conversion has attracted substantial renewed interest due to its applications in industrial heating, air conditioning, and electricity generation. Achieving stagnation temperatures exceeding 200 °C, pertinent to these technologies, with unconcentrated sunlight requires spectrally selective absorbers with exceptionally low emissivity in the thermal wavelength range and high visible absorptivity for the solar spectrum. In this Communication, we report a semiconductor-based multilayer selective absorber that exploits the sharp drop in optical absorption at the bandgap energy to achieve a measured absorptance of 76% at solar wavelengths and a low emittance of approximately 5% at thermal wavelengths. In field tests, we obtain a peak temperature of 225 °C, comparable to that achieved with state-of-the-art selective surfaces. With straightforward optimization to improve solar absorption, our work shows the potential for unconcentrated solar thermal systems to reach stagnation temperatures exceeding 300 °C, thereby eliminating the need for solar concentrators for mid-temperature solar applications such as supplying process heat.