Integration Of Thermal Energy Storage Research Articles

Optimization of solid oxide electrolysis cells using concentrated solar-thermal energy storage: A hybrid deep learning approach

The Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell (SOEC) represents a cutting-edge solution for the conversion of CO2 and H2O into syngas, offering significant economic and environmental benefits. However, the process requires substantial high-temperature heat inputs, traditionally supplied by electricity. This study introduces a novel approach leveraging concentrated solar radiation as a renewable heat source for SOEC, addressing the challenge of its inherent fluctuations through the integration of Thermal Energy Storage (TES) systems. We propose a hybrid model that combines multi-physics simulation with a deep learning algorithm, enabling rapid optimization of the electrolysis process under real-time direct normal irradiance conditions. Our findings demonstrate that the inclusion of TES within the system architecture results in a remarkable 53 % reduction in temperature variation rate at the SOEC inlet, ensuring operational stability and efficiency. Furthermore, by fine-tuning capacity parameters, we have developed a control strategy that harmonizes efficiency with safety performance. The robustness of our system is underscored by its resilience to step changes, achieving a 75 % reduction in temperature fluctuations. This research contributes a pioneering method for the real-time optimization and control of SOEC systems, harnessing the power of TES to drive sustainable energy conversion with enhanced reliability and economic viability, facilitating precise and swift predictive capabilities even under dynamic operating conditions.

Comprehensive analysis of waste heat recovery and thermal energy storage integration in air conditioning systems

The proposed work aims to address the challenge of effectively recovering and storing wasted heat in air conditioning (AC) systems, which is crucial for improving energy efficiency and system stability. This study focuses on the comprehensive analysis of a Waste Heat Recovery (WHR) system integrated with Thermal Energy Storage (TES) tanks. A lumped-dynamic thermal model was developed and validated against literature data to accurately simulate the system’s performance. Through a detailed parametric study, the research explores how factors like WHR effectiveness, TES type, PCM type, and TES volume influence the system. The results demonstrate that recovering and storing wasted heat from AC systems significantly enhances operational stability and performance. Notably, increasing WHR effectiveness from 0.55 to 0.85 extends the duration of constant thermal power recovery and also results in higher recovered water temperatures with reduced water pump energy consumption. Furthermore, latent heat storage (PCM tank) extends the duration of stable thermal power recovery by over 61 % compared to sensible storage. Using PCM RT 44HC is more effective for WHR in AC units compared to RT 50 and RT 54HC. Finally, it was shown that increasing PCM tank volume from 2 to 4 m3 improves the duration of constant thermal power recovery by up to 52 % while stabilizing the recovered water temperature.

Integration of thermal energy storage for sustainable energy hubs in the forest industry: A comprehensive analysis of cost, thermodynamic efficiency, and availability

Thermal energy storage (TES) offers a practical solution for reducing industrial operation costs by load-shifting heat demands within industrial processes. In the integrated Thermomechanical pulping process, TES systems within the Energy Hub can provide heat for the paper machine, aiming to minimize electricity costs during peak hours. This strategic use of TES technology ensures more cost-effective and efficient energy consumption management, leading to overall operational savings. This research presents a novel method for optimizing the design and operation of an Energy Hub with TES in the forest industry. The proposed approach for the optimal design involves a comprehensive analysis of the dynamic efficiency, reliability, and availability of system components. The Energy Hub comprises energy conversion technologies such as an electric boiler and a steam generator heat pump. The study examines how the reliability of the industrial Energy Hub system affects operational costs and analyzes the impact of the maximum capacities of its components on system reliability. The method identifies the optimal design point for maximizing system reliability benefits. To optimize the TES system's charging/discharging schedule, an advanced predictive method using time series prediction models, including LSTM (Long Short-Term Memory) and GRU (Gated Recurrent Unit), has been developed to forecast average daily electricity prices. The results highlight significant benefits from the optimal operation of TES integrated with Energy Hubs, demonstrating a 4.5–6 percent reduction in system operation costs depending on the reference year. Optimizing the Energy Hub design improves system availability, reducing operation costs due to unsupplied demand penalty costs. The system's peak availability can reach 98 %, with a maximum heat pump capacity of 2 MW and an electric boiler capacity of 3.4 MW. The GRU method showed superior accuracy in predicting electricity prices compared to LSTM, indicating its potential as a reliable electricity price predictor within the system.

Performance Assessment of Cold Thermal Storage-Based Building Air-Conditioning Layouts for Different Climates

In this work, a detailed study is done to explore thermal features and operational aspects of thermal energy storage (TES)-based air-conditioning strategies. Three approaches, such as traditional air-conditioning, radiant air-conditioning unit (RACU) and desiccant-incorporated radiant air-conditioning unit (DRACU) have been undertaken by assimilating them with the TES. A validated triple-floor building with 10,690 m2 floor space is studied under warm-humid, composite, and hot-dry climates. Validated strategies with TES and non-TES based techniques were then compared for exploring parametric trends defined by temperature, humidity, electricity consumption, thermal load, coefficient of performance (COP), and other aspects. In comparison with traditional non-TES strategy, results disclose that electrical energy savings offered by the TES vary between 7.6 and 11.4% for the traditional system, 4.8 and 8.6% for RACU, and 3.8 and 6.1% for DRACU, based on the subjected climate. For all of the considered systems, it is further projected that adoption of the TES although causes an increased thermal energy gain, but the same causes declination in the chiller’s overall cooling load, as well as improves the net COP. Both of these factors contribute in reducing the electricity consumption. The integration of TES has revealed opposite trends for the radiant chiller attached to RACU and DRACU.

Energy, exergy and sustainability analysis of a photovoltaic-thermal solar system with nano-enhancement and thermal energy storage integration

As a result of using various energy sources such as fossil fuels, harmful gases emerge and endanger the world's future. The search for different energy sources is to diminish the dangers that may arise in the future. Renewable energy sources are also the most basic for a sustainable future. This study aims to increase the performance of photovoltaic thermal collectors (PVT), which are used to obtain thermal energy from solar energy and produce electrical energy. The novelties of this experimental work are the analysis of a combination of a solar air heater and thermal energy storage via a phase change material technology and surface modifications on absorber plates, including a nanotechnological amendment. Furthermore, the adverse impacts on the environment of the manufactured systems were taken into account with the help of such parameters as waste exergy ratio and sustainability index. Initially, PVT with a V-grooved absorber surface (V-PVT) was built. In the second stage, nano-enhanced V-grooved PVT (NE/V-PVT) was produced, in which the absorber plate was coated by graphene nanoparticles. Then, a thermal energy storage entity was mounted onto the system, and the V-grooved PVT with the thermal energy storage entity (TS/V-PVT) was developed. 40 W absorber fans were used to provide airflow in these manufactured collectors. In addition, Styrofoam insulation material was used for the collector case, and a low-cost system was designed. Simultaneous experiments for each PVT were carried out. The waste exergy ratio (WER) and the sustainability index (SI) were also considered. Based on the experimental results, thermal efficiency was calculated as 40.60%, 54.01%, and 53.90% for V-PVT, NE/V-PVT, and TS/V-PVT, respectively. Furthermore, the coefficient of performance (COP) values were obtained as 2.67 for V-PVT, 4.28 for NE/V-PVT, and 3.49 for TS/V-PVT. The findings illustrated that nano-coating and V-grooved modifications on solar collectors substantially increased the system performance.

Thermo-economic optimization of an innovative integration of thermal energy storage and supercritical CO2 cycle using artificial intelligence techniques

This research delves into the integration of Thermal Energy Storage (TES) and Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (s-CO2) in an innovative Energy Recycling System (ERS) that aims to improve overall system efficiency. The combination of TES and s-CO2 is a promising solution to address modern energy challenges and promote a sustainable and efficient energy future. For this research, the TES system is based on a packed bed of stones (PBS). This approach has several benefits, such as the use of inexpensive and readily available materials for storage, a broad range of operating temperatures, allowing for direct heat transfer, and the ability to achieve high maximum temperatures. The simulation methodology for TES is based on Schumann's approach, and energy and exergy analysis are used for thermodynamic modeling. Additionally, levelized costs are employed for the economic modeling of the system. Through rigorous thermos-economic modeling and simulation, operational parameters are optimized using genetic algorithms and neural network techniques to balance thermodynamic efficiency, energy storage, and economic feasibility. The findings reveal exceptional energy and exergy efficiencies, exceeding expectations, and suggest the ERS, with grid-scale energy storage, as a cost-effective solution. The simulations demonstrate remarkable energy and exergy efficiencies of 92.15% and 49.66%, respectively, with levelized costs of 104.69 €/MWh for heat, 135.20 €/MWh for electricity, and 65.7€/MWh for storage.

Thermal energy storage integration for increased flexibility of a power plant with post-combustion CO2 capture

Flexible operation of thermal power plants will become increasingly relevant in the coming years. This work evaluates the effect of integrating a steam accumulator into a 598 MW supercritical coal-fired power plant with moving bed temperature-swing adsorption CO2 capture. Charging the accumulator with reheat steam from the turbine train can reduce the net power output by up to 1.4 % (8.2 MW) for around 200 min. Small charging flow rates are recommended to maximize the final pressure of the accumulator. Covering the sorbent regeneration duty and meeting the demand of two feedwater heaters were considered as alternatives for discharging of the accumulator. Thermal storage discharging was found to give relative power plant load increases between 1.7 and 11.2 % (10.2–66.9 MW) for up to 37.5 min, which exceeds the requirement for primary reserve. Increases in the electrical energy output of 10.5–11 MWh were achieved. The flexibility modes studied in this work are compatible with high CO2 recovery rates.

Compatibility assessment of thermal energy storage integration into industrial heat supply and recovery systems

Thermal energy storage (TES) systems can be used for recovering industrial waste heat and increasing energy efficiency, especially when coupled to batch thermal processes. Stratified water thermal storage tanks are the preferred technology for low-temperature applications, while molten salts are commonly used in medium and high-temperature applications with large storage capacities. No clear consensus exists on the appropriate TES technology for different industrial demands characteristics and their respective heat supply systems for medium and high-temperature applications. The present study analyzes several industrial sectors and their thermal processes, analyzing their temperature ranges, heat demands, and available TES technologies, which are classified by their operational conditions. The study presents two novel indicators for a preliminar compatibility assessment between TES and industrial sectors: a temperature compatibility indicator and exergy efficiency for TES and thermal processes. The results show that low and medium-temperature applications such as food, chemical, or textile industries exhibit high compatibilities with water (over 64%), high-temperature PCM (over 61%), and solid-state TES (100%), whereas molten salts and chemical looping demonstrate lower compatibility (below 24%). The exergy analysis for industrial cases shows that a lower temperature operating range for a TES induces low exergy efficiency. Regarding this scenario, high-temperature cPCM reaches efficiencies of over 44% for mid and high-temperature processes. Conversely, solid-state TES emerges as the most viable option for integration in high-temperature industries, exhibiting an efficiency of 62% with minimal exergy losses. The indicators defined in this study can be used for an early evaluation of TES integration in industrial applications, thus promoting emerging technologies selection through a quantitative comparison of the compatibility metrics.

Design and performance evaluation of thermal energy storage system with hybrid heat sources integrated within a coal-fired power plant

The operational flexibility of coal-fired power plants (CFPPs) should be effectively enhanced to accommodate large-scale photovoltaic and wind power within the power grid. The integration of thermal energy storage (TES) systems is a potential way to enlarge the load-cycling range of CFPPs. To achieve high operational flexibility of CFPPs and high round-trip efficiency of TES systems, TES systems with hybrid heat sources including the heat converted from power by power-to-heat (P2H) devices and transferred from the reheat steam integrated into CFPP were proposed. Then, simulation and thermo-economic analysis models were developed, and the system design procedure was provided. Results show the minimum power load ratio is decreased from 30 % to about 16 % by storing heat from the reheat steam within the TES system, and then to zero by converting electricity to heat with P2H devices. The mode P-basic constitutes two double-tank molten salt TES systems, which are charged by the heat converted from power by P2H devices and the heat transferred from the reheat steam, respectively. It is discharged by releasing the heat to water/steam cycle of CFPP, and the highest equivalent round-trip efficiency of mode P-basic is up to 62.97 %. Moreover, mode P-basic exhibits the largest total cost of the equipment and storage materials at $58.26 million while it has the largest net present value at $103.79 million and the corresponding payback period is 5 years.

Thermal performance of parabolic trough integrated with thermal energy storage using carbon dioxide, molten salt, and oil

Finding clean and affordable energy sources is the focus of extensive research efforts globally. A primary approach to achieving that is through improving the performance and economic competitiveness of renewable energy systems. Parabolic trough collector (PTC) solar plants are mature renewable solutions to reduce current dependence on fossil fuels. However, in these plants, heat is transferred within the subsystems using a heat transfer fluid (HTF) that is primarily molten salt or synthetic oil. These HTF options play an important role in the thermal and economic performance of the solar power plant. In this paper, supercritical carbon dioxide (s-CO2) is investigated as an economical alternative to the costly molten salt and Therminol-PV1. Therefore, comparative heat transfer, energy, and exergy analyses are conducted for a PTC plant with s-CO2, Therminol-VP1, and molten salt as an HTF. A heat transfer model is developed for the PTC in one- and two-dimensions to accurately evaluate heat losses. In addition, the energy and exergy concepts are used to compare the thermal performance of these HTFs. In contrast to previous studies that were limited to PTC, we considered the integration of thermal energy storage (TES) with both Therminol-PV1 and molten salt as a storage medium for a full-day operating cycle. The PTC performance while using these HTFs under various operating and design conditions is examined, including variation in wind velocity, beam radiation, and pressurized s-CO2 operation. The results show that the considered HTFs are achieving comparable energy and exergy efficiencies within the PTC. Furthermore, the Therminol-PV1 has an advantage of compact storage volume compared with molten salt, about one-third; nevertheless, the latter exhibits higher TES energy and exergy efficiencies. This comparative analysis reveals that the s-CO2 can replace synthetic oil and molten salt in the PTC loop.

Experimental Study on Performance of a Solar Thermal-Driven Vapor Absorption System Integrated with Hot Thermal Energy Storage for Milk Chilling

Abstract Solar-powered vapor absorption system has proven to be a feasible and viable cooling source. However, most reported installations for milk chilling applications are equipped with an auxiliary heater that consumes significant electricity/gas, making it economically unviable. In this study, the experimental investigation of the performance of a solar-powered vapor absorption chiller has been reported for milk chilling applications as per standard ISO 5708 – 2 II. It has been identified that the performance of the vapor absorption chiller is quite uncertain and underperforming while operated with the heat directly fed through the evacuated tube compound parabolic concentrator solar field due to diurnal and seasonal variations of solar radiation intensity. Therefore, a hot thermal energy storage integration has been studied and analyzed in this study. The performance of the vapor absorption chiller has improved significantly with the use of hot thermal energy storage in the solar circuit as the coefficient of performance of the vapor absorption chiller improved up to 0.4, which was earlier around 0.25. Further, hot thermal energy storage provides better thermal management to increase the productivity and performance of the vapor absorption chiller, and the cooling time for the first milking is 2 hours and 45 minutes. The energy efficiency ratio has a maximum value of 6.1 with an average of 4.3, whereas the thermal COP has an average of 0.35 and a maximum value of 0.52 when run with thermal energy storage alone.

Decarbonising energy supply: the potential impact on district heating networks of the integration of thermal energy storage and substitution of peak load with base load

In 2021, district heating networks provided 6.4 TWh of thermal demand in Switzerland, representing a market share of about 6%. This share is forecast to reach 38% by 2050. More than 50% of those networks rely on base load provided by biomass, complemented by fossil fuel peak load. This paper describes a strategy that would see storage being integrated to substitute peak load with base load. A university campus in Scotland acts as the reference use case to test the suggested fixed-order control strategy. Given these study conditions, the capacities of different storage systems are varied, and their potential for substitution and decarbonisation is accounted for. The study indicates that the integration of small storage volumes seems very promising albeit leading to limited results pertaining to decarbonisation. Depending on fossil fuel prices, a full decarbonisation potential depending on large seasonal storage volumes could be found and a value of 0.14 €/kWh could be calculated as economic threshold to fully decarbonise the reference case.

Transient analysis and techno-economic assessment of thermal energy storage integrated with solar air heater for energy management in drying

The integration of thermal energy storage (TES) system with solar air heater holds an immense potential for optimising the energy management in drying application. In this pioneer research, a transient thermodynamic model of conical shaped rock bed TES has been developed, and the economic analysis of hybrid V-groove double pass solar air heater (SAH)-TES has been studied, offering a unique perspective on the feasibility and economic viability of hybrid SAH-TES for drying application. By considering the time dependent dynamics of energy demand, the model predicts energy stored and released by the system during charging and discharging with a considerable error of 9.9%, as validated with a pilot scale experimental setup. The numerical and experimental results showed that the stored and recovered energy is highly dependent on the inlet temperature and flow rate of air. Notably, the optimised conical shaped TES has the capacity of storing 15.6 kWh of energy during six-hour charging period enabling the recovery of 33% of the stored energy to power the dryer during the discharge period. Moreover, the pressure drop across the TES observed to be 1306.37 Pa/m at 0.050 kg/s, which quantify the power required for fan to overcome such pressure drop to be 4.22 kW Furthermore, the economic assessment showcased remarkable reduction in energy payback period, dropping from 0.7 years to 0.5 years using hybrid SAH-TES dryer compared to SAH dryer. This demonstrates the superior economic value of the hybrid SAH-TES dryer paving the way for the scalability and widespread adoption of low-carbon drying industry.

Thermal energy storage based on cold phase change materials: Discharge phase assessment

In an energy scenario characterized by strong requirements in terms of flexibility and readiness, the integration of thermal energy storage in energy systems could play an important role in demand-supply management and allows novel operational schemes. Thermal Energy Storages based on latent heat are characterized by their compactness and small temperature swing. However, there is still a lack of performance analysis on large-scale setups. This work aims to fill this gap. In this paper, a shell & tube latent heat-based cold thermal energy storage was characterized in the discharge configuration, considering different temperatures and mass flow of the heat transfer fluid, representing an opportunity to understand the behavior of a full-scale system in different operative conditions. Sensitivity analyses on heat transfer fluid flow rate, flow direction, and inlet temperature were performed. The results show that peak power increases by approximately 25 % with doubled mass flow rate, and it doubles with increased inlet temperature by 6 °C. Since the impact of the buoyancy effect occurs when the liquid phase is predominant over the solid one, there is no strong impact on the direction of the Heat Transfer Fluid, from top to bottom or viceversa. Despite no metastability phase being detected, many discontinuities in the thermal power and temperature profiles were identified and analyzed, providing new insights into full scale latent heat storage. Finally, in this work, the thermal round-trip efficiency was estimated to reach above 90 %.

Modeling, simulating, and validating a novel three-fluid heat exchanger (TriCoil™) for a residential heating and air-conditioning system integrating water-based thermal energy storage

An experimentally-validated novel three-fluid fin-and-tube heat exchanger (TriCoil™) is proposed for water-based thermal energy storage integration with ducted split systems (DSS) for residential heating and air-conditioning applications. TriCoil™ was modeled and simulated considering three circuitry layouts. The simulations showed that the capacity of the considered coils varied from around 4.5 to 13 kW depending on the operational mode and circuitry layout. With the capacity range of the considered coils, TriCoil™ can be a replacement to an A-shape indoor coil of DSS considering its dimensions with respect to its capacity. Also, fin density and thickness effects on TriCoil™ were investigated to improve its performance. For charging TES mode, the capacity increases by around 95% by increasing the Fin-Tube Ratio by 11%. For modes other than the charging mode, the change in the capacity mostly follows the trend of the air-side effectiveness when changing fin density and fin thickness; the capacity is more responsive to increasing fin density than increasing fin thickness. The TriCoil™ model was validated experimentally for different operational modes, and the average mean absolute error (normalized bias error) among different operational modes compared to the experimental data was 1.3% (0.17%) for the R410A side, 4.2% (-3.03%) for the water side, and 1.4% (-0.03%) for the air side.

Sustainable Energy Progress via Integration of Thermal Energy Storage and Other Performance Enhancement Strategies in FPCs: A Synergistic Review

Flat plate collectors (FPCs) are the leading solar thermal technology for low-medium range temperature applications. However, their expansion in developing countries is still lacking because of their poor thermal performance. Improving the thermal performance of flat plate collectors (FPCs) is a crucial concern addressed in this review This study comprehensively discussed the performance improvement methods of FPCs, such as design modification, reflectors, working fluid, and energy storage materials, by covering current issues and future recommendations. Design factors such as coating and glass cover thickness, thickness of absorber plate and material, air gap between the glass cover and absorber plate, and riser spacing, along with insulation materials, are examined for their impact on FPC performance. Absorber design changes with selective coatings for improving the heat transmission rate between the working fluid and absorber are critical for enhancing collectors’ thermal output. The nanofluids utilization improved FPC’s thermal performance in terms of energetic and exergetic outcomes in the 20–30% range. Moreover, adding a heat storage unit extends the operating hours and thermal output fluctuations of FPCs. Research suggests that employing turbulators and nanofluids as heat transfer fluids are particularly effective for enhancing heat transfer in FPCs. This comprehensive review serves as a critical tool for evaluating and comparing various heat transfer augmentation techniques, aiding in the selection of the most suitable option.

A simplified method for exergy assessment of thermal energy storage tanks: Comparative performance of tanks containing a phase-change material and water

The integration of thermal energy storage (TES) units into thermal systems can be strategic to increase the renewable energy contribution and overall system performance as a result of the greater operational flexibility provided. On the other hand, the integration of a TES unit also involves an intermediary step between the heat source and sink that adds some irreversibility to the system operation for a number of reasons, such as the increased heat losses to surroundings and the pressure drop, the influence of inner heat exchangers (thus, involving a finite temperature difference), or associated fluid mixing. To properly model these complex phenomena, designers should incorporate a Second-Law approach in their designs to assess the exergy losses (degraded useful work) that a TES unit integration entails. This work assesses the entropy generated by four different TES units: three different water tanks (most typical configurations) and an experimentally validated TES tank containing a phase-change material (PCM), when they undergo a complete heat storage and recovery cycle, using a simplified and computationally efficient method in the TRNSYS simulation program to quantify the entropies generated. The TRNSYS simulation results revealed that the greater temperature difference required between the fluid and the PCM, due to its low thermal conductivity, was the main reason for the entropy generation of the PCM tank, while heat losses to the surroundings represented no less than one-half of the total entropy generated by all water tank configurations.

Impact of optimal sizing and integration of thermal energy storage in solar assisted energy systems

It is becoming increasingly important for human societies to use renewable energy. More effective energy storage solutions are crucial to increase the share of renewable energy in the domestic and industrial sectors, which consumes a large amount of thermal energy for heating and cooling purposes. There has been little quantitative analysis of thermal energy storage in solar-based cold production units. An efficient method of designing heat and/or cold storage systems and smart operation planning can help a cooling/heating system to be smaller for the same capacity of supply and thereby reducing the costs of initial investment and costs of operation. This paper attempts to show how the size of a heat and cold storage system affects its thermal performance and how it can lower costs and emissions. For this, a solar-assisted thermally driven cooling supply system with various designs and integrations of their cold storage unit is simulated dynamically through a whole year in Qassim region as the case study. The results show that a system design with double solar heat storage and double cold storage in parallel arrangement results in the best techno-economic-environmental performance. For this case, the levelized cost of cooling will be 383 USD/MWhr, which will be at least 3% lower than the typical hot/cold buffer tank design scenario.

Experimental study in a compound parabolic solar concentrator with different configurations of thermal energy storage system

ABSTRACT This study explores the integration of thermal energy storage (TES) systems with solar water heating systems to increase their utilization time. While solar water heating systems are effective for low-temperature applications, they become less efficient at higher heat transfer fluid (HTF) temperatures. To solve this problem, the study suggests combining a compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) solar collector with a TES system to improve heat transfer rates and minimize heat loss. The study examines the effect of different mass flow rates and HTF inlet temperatures on the integrated system's performance, evaluating energy efficiency, exergy efficiency, and overall loss coefficient. The results reveal that the six-phase change materials (PCMs) configuration achieves the highest intercept line efficiency of 72%, with a heat transfer rate 1.7 times higher than that of the single PCM configuration. Moreover, the exergy analysis shows superior performance compared to commonly used flat collectors. Overall, the proposed CPC solar collector integrated with a TES system is suitable for low-temperature applications with an inlet HTF temperature not exceeding 65°C.

Thermal energy storage based on cold phase change materials: Charge phase assessment

• Experimental study of water–ice energy storage behavior at density inversion temperature . • Experimental analysis of a finned shell & tube latent heat thermal energy storage . • Effect of temperature, mass flow rate and charge direction on storage performance. • Presence of metastable phase is confirmed. Integration of thermal energy storage in energy systems provides flexibility in demand–supply management and in supporting novel operational schemes. In a combined heat and power cycle, it has been shown that integration of cold thermal energy storage is beneficial to fine-tune electric power and heating/cooling production profiles to better match the load demand. Latent heat storage systems have the advantage of compactness and low temperature swing, however storage performance analysis on large scale setup operating around the density inversion temperature is still limited. In this work, a shell & tube, latent heat based cold thermal energy storage was studied around the density inversion temperature of ice-water at 4 °C and the performance was characterized. Sensitivity analyses on heat transfer fluid flow rate, flow direction and inlet temperature were performed. The results show 27% power increase with doubled mass flow and 18% shorter charge time with 2 °C lower charge temperature. Contrary to general expectations during solidification, the cold thermal energy storage actually shows between 5% and 6% better thermal performance and reducing instant icing power jump of 36% due to supercooling with downwards cold heat transfer fluid flow in cooling charge cycle due to buoyancy change around density inversion temperature. This fact highlights the importance of accounting for the buoyancy effect due to density inversion when designing the operational schemes of large size cold thermal energy storage.