Experimental and numerical study of ice storage and melting process of external melting ice coil

Abstract

Ice storage air conditioning technology could achieve “peak cut” by storing ice during the valley period, melting ice during the peak period to achieve the role of peak load regulation. At the same time, it can promote consumption of renewable energy. This study deals with the experimental and numerical analysis of the solidification and melting processes of coiled ice storage. From the experimental observation, it was observed that the outer surface of the lower side of the coil was the first to form an ice layer. Then the outer surface of the upper side begins to form an ice layer, and the growth rate of the ice layer is faster than that of the lower side. The average growth rates of the ice layer on the upper and lower side are 0.112 mm/min and 0.079 mm/min, respectively. The density variation of water and natural convection were considered in this analysis. The numerical simulation results well match the phenomena and results of experimental research. The influence of different directions of cooling water inlet on the melting rate was also compared in this paper. Under the same initial conditions and boundary conditions, the melting process in the Mode 1 (along the coil) cools down faster; The ice melting process in Mode 2 (perpendicular to the coil) can provide more stable cooling, and the cooling duration is 130 s longer than that in Mode 1.