Assessing the impact of a novel hemispherical diffuser on a single-tank sensible thermal energy storage system

Parida, DR and Advaith, S and Dani, N and Basu, S (2022) Assessing the impact of a novel hemispherical diffuser on a single-tank sensible thermal energy storage system. In: Renewable Energy, 183 . pp. 202-218.

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Abstract

The effects of an inlet inertial jet on the thermal blending of hot and cold heat transfer fluid (molten salt) for a single tank sensible thermal energy storage system are studied using numerical simulations. The simulations show the evolution of the initial stratified layer (thermocline) for a temperature difference of 300 K with a corresponding Atwood number (At) of 0.066. Three diffuser arrangements are investigated: a flat plate solid diffuser, a coaxial ring diffuser with a solid center, and a proposed hemispherical diffuser. The thermal stratifications are examined by a mathematical model named Ideal stratification index (ISI). It is observed that the buoyancy-driven mixing is minimum for the hemispherical diffuser, and the resulting thermocline is 6 better compared to alternative diffusers at 27 l/min. Additionally, the working of the proposed diffuser is demonstrated via experiments with a saline-freshwater combination. These results reveal that the single tank thermocline storage performance can be improved for higher charging/discharging rates using hemispherical diffusers. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	Renewable Energy
Publisher:	Elsevier Ltd
Additional Information:	The copyright for this article belongs to Elsevier Ltd
Keywords:	Blending; Heat storage; Heat transfer; Stream flow; Tanks (containers); Thermal energy, Concentrated solar power; Distributor; Heat transfer fluids; Molten salt; Sensible TES; Stratified layers; Temperature differences; Thermal blending; Thermal energy storage systems; Thermocline, Solar energy, energy storage; heat transfer; instrumentation; Northern Hemisphere; perforation; performance assessment; simulation; solar power; stratification; thermocline
Department/Centre:	Division of Mechanical Sciences > Mechanical Engineering
Date Deposited:	19 May 2022 06:36
Last Modified:	19 May 2022 06:36
URI:	https://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/71862

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