Experimental and numerical characterization of sub-zero phase change materials for cold thermal energy storage

Latent heat thermal energy storage systems are gaining increasing attention due to their high energy density and ability to discharge at near isothermal temperatures. A good understanding of the thermal behaviour of phase change materials (PCMs) used in these systems and therefore, a methodology for...

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Main Authors: Borri, Emiliano, Sze, Jia Yin, Tafone, Alessio, Romagnoli, Alessandro, Li, Yongliang, Comodi, Gabriele
Other Authors: School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: 2022
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Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/155502
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Institution: Nanyang Technological University
Language: English
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spelling sg-ntu-dr.10356-1555022022-03-03T05:56:53Z Experimental and numerical characterization of sub-zero phase change materials for cold thermal energy storage Borri, Emiliano Sze, Jia Yin Tafone, Alessio Romagnoli, Alessandro Li, Yongliang Comodi, Gabriele School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Interdisciplinary Graduate School (IGS) Energy Research Institute @ NTU (ERI@N) Engineering::Mechanical engineering Cold Storage Subzero Latent heat thermal energy storage systems are gaining increasing attention due to their high energy density and ability to discharge at near isothermal temperatures. A good understanding of the thermal behaviour of phase change materials (PCMs) used in these systems and therefore, a methodology for the characterisation of the phase change behaviour of storage media during charge and discharge phases is important for an optimised storage design. In this work, an experimental rig in a cylindrical shape container was designed to obtain the thermal profiles of different category of sub-zero PCMs. The experimental measurement of deionised water (ice) was first used to calibrate and validate a numerical 1-D model. Three types of sub-zero PCMs were further tested including aqueous sodium chloride, aqueous ethylene glycol and decane. The numerical results showed that aqueous alcohol had the best agreement with the experiments. In the case of paraffin and aqueous sodium chloride, a discrepancy between numerical and experimental results was found. In particular, during the melting phase, the discrepancy was due to the effect of natural convection while, during the solidification phase, it was due to the effect of supercooling. This highlights the importance of correct estimation of those effects for an accurate prediction. However, due to its simplicity, the 1-D model can be considered a valid method to approximate behavior of the different PCM and to compare the thermal profiles of different materials. National Research Foundation (NRF) This research is supported by the National Research Foundation, Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore under its Energy NIC grant (NRF Award No.: NRF-ENIC-SERTD-SMES-NTUJTCI3C-2016) 2022-03-03T05:56:53Z 2022-03-03T05:56:53Z 2020 Journal Article Borri, E., Sze, J. Y., Tafone, A., Romagnoli, A., Li, Y. & Comodi, G. (2020). Experimental and numerical characterization of sub-zero phase change materials for cold thermal energy storage. Applied Energy, 275, 115131-. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.115131 0306-2619 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/155502 10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.115131 2-s2.0-85087214019 275 115131 en NRF-ENIC-SERTD-SMES-NTUJTCI3C-2016) Applied Energy © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
institution Nanyang Technological University
building NTU Library
continent Asia
country Singapore
Singapore
content_provider NTU Library
collection DR-NTU
language English
topic Engineering::Mechanical engineering
Cold Storage
Subzero
spellingShingle Engineering::Mechanical engineering
Cold Storage
Subzero
Borri, Emiliano
Sze, Jia Yin
Tafone, Alessio
Romagnoli, Alessandro
Li, Yongliang
Comodi, Gabriele
Experimental and numerical characterization of sub-zero phase change materials for cold thermal energy storage
description Latent heat thermal energy storage systems are gaining increasing attention due to their high energy density and ability to discharge at near isothermal temperatures. A good understanding of the thermal behaviour of phase change materials (PCMs) used in these systems and therefore, a methodology for the characterisation of the phase change behaviour of storage media during charge and discharge phases is important for an optimised storage design. In this work, an experimental rig in a cylindrical shape container was designed to obtain the thermal profiles of different category of sub-zero PCMs. The experimental measurement of deionised water (ice) was first used to calibrate and validate a numerical 1-D model. Three types of sub-zero PCMs were further tested including aqueous sodium chloride, aqueous ethylene glycol and decane. The numerical results showed that aqueous alcohol had the best agreement with the experiments. In the case of paraffin and aqueous sodium chloride, a discrepancy between numerical and experimental results was found. In particular, during the melting phase, the discrepancy was due to the effect of natural convection while, during the solidification phase, it was due to the effect of supercooling. This highlights the importance of correct estimation of those effects for an accurate prediction. However, due to its simplicity, the 1-D model can be considered a valid method to approximate behavior of the different PCM and to compare the thermal profiles of different materials.
author2 School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
author_facet School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Borri, Emiliano
Sze, Jia Yin
Tafone, Alessio
Romagnoli, Alessandro
Li, Yongliang
Comodi, Gabriele
format Article
author Borri, Emiliano
Sze, Jia Yin
Tafone, Alessio
Romagnoli, Alessandro
Li, Yongliang
Comodi, Gabriele
author_sort Borri, Emiliano
title Experimental and numerical characterization of sub-zero phase change materials for cold thermal energy storage
title_short Experimental and numerical characterization of sub-zero phase change materials for cold thermal energy storage
title_full Experimental and numerical characterization of sub-zero phase change materials for cold thermal energy storage
title_fullStr Experimental and numerical characterization of sub-zero phase change materials for cold thermal energy storage
title_full_unstemmed Experimental and numerical characterization of sub-zero phase change materials for cold thermal energy storage
title_sort experimental and numerical characterization of sub-zero phase change materials for cold thermal energy storage
publishDate 2022
url https://hdl.handle.net/10356/155502
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