Abstract
A clear gap was identified in the literature regarding the in-depth evaluation of scaling up thermal energy storage components. To cover such a gap, a new methodological approach was developed and applied to a novel latent thermal energy storage module. The purpose of this paper is to identify some key aspects to be considered when scaling up the module from lab-scale to full-scale using different performance indicators calculated in both charge and discharge. Different normalization methods were applied to allow an appropriate comparison of the results at both scales. As a result of the scaling up, the theoretical energy storage capacity increases by 52% and 145%, the average charging power increases by 21% and 94%, while the average discharging power decreases by 16% but increases by 36% when mass and volume normalization methods are used, respectively. When normalization by the surface area of heat transfer is used, all of the above performance indicators decrease, especially the average discharging power, which decreases by 49%. Moreover, energy performance in charge and discharge decreases by 17% and 15%, respectively. However, efficiencies related to charging, discharging, and round-trip processes are practically not affected by the scaling up.
Highlights
The heating and cooling sector in buildings is crucial for the achievement of climate change mitigation targets worldwide [1,2]
performance indicators (PIs) were evaluated for both modules in the same temperature range corresponding to an average module temperature between 9 ◦ C and −2 ◦ C, for which most of the phase change material (PCM)
Based on the results presented in the section,corresponding the different PIs defined in
Summary
The heating and cooling sector in buildings is crucial for the achievement of climate change mitigation targets worldwide [1,2]. If an experimental approach is used, the problem is shifting to the proper methodology to be used, since full-scale testing is not feasible in several applications and there is a need to operate the design and component selection based on small-scale components intended for laboratory operation. The problem is issued by calibration, through lab-scale experiments, of complex and computationally expensive fluid dynamics models [16]. Such a route, is not efficient from an engineering perspective and the evaluation of proper methodological frameworks and parameters for the scaling up from lab-scale to pilot- or full-scale application is needed. The problem of the scale effect of heat transfer in thermal energy storage (TES) is quite new and has not been systematically evaluated so far
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