Experimental investigation of heat dispatch controllability through simultaneous charging-discharging and stand-alone discharging operations in vertical cylindrical sensible heat storage tank

Abstract

Using a vertical cylindrical thermal energy storage (TES) tank with helical discharging coil fitted inside, the present study experimentally investigates the scarcely studied simultaneous charging and discharging (SCAD) mode, as well as the discharging-alone operation following a substantial stand-alone period. The temperature distributions within the tank, coil outlet temperature and primary thermocline thickness serve as the key performance trackers for the storage tank. The primary thermocline thickness increases with increasing coil side flow rate during the SCAD operation. The SCAD operation exhibited the splitting of the primary thermocline, leading to the formation of a secondary thermocline in the lower half of the tank. The sustenance of secondary thermocline, thermal gradients across the tank height, and the discharging efficiency are found to decrease with increasing charging flow rate, whereas the coil outlet temperature and the primary thermocline thickness increase. The highest average discharging efficiency of 80.1 % is observed for the TES charging at 0.5 L/min at 70 °C, accompanied by the 2 L/min discharging flow rate. The average thermal energy stored is the maximum (1758 kJ) for the TES charging at 1.25 L/min at 70 °C, with discharging rate of 0.5 L/min. The stand-alone period prior to the discharging-alone operation exhibits the heat content retention capability of the storage and allows for the thermocline formation. The time required for thermal stratification is more with the higher initial charging temperature. The time required for the complete discharging of the TES storage tank decreases with increasing coil-side flow rate. These modes provide ample operational flexibility and heat content dispatch controllability, resulting in the versatility of the system.