Theoretical Analysis on the Solid Sensible and Latent Heat Storage in Building Cooling Heating and Power Systems

Abstract

Thermal Energy Storage (TES) is an important technology to balance the hourly energy supply and demand in Building Cooling Heating and Power (BCHP) systems, aiming to lower primary energy consumption. The solid sensible TES and latent TES, which are relatively developed, have the potential to be generalized in BCHP systems. However, design problems such as what are the key parameters or how to get the optimal value for this specific application remain unclear. The objective of this paper is to give a theoretical method to solve those two problems. The fixed storage period constraint is taken into consideration, which was important but not considered in the published articles. Firstly, a new evaluation index called the non-dimensional cooling capacity is defined to evaluate the thermal performance of TES. Secondly, the key non-dimensional design parameters are found based on the mathematical model. Finally, the sensitivity analysis of those parameters is studied. The results can be applied to further understand TES in BCHP systems and are helpful to design BCHP systems.