Development and implementation of a 3D numerical code for designing and predicting performances of PCM thermal energy storage systems

ARENA, SIMONE;CAU, GIORGIO;PALOMBA C.

2014-01-01

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Abstract

The present work is focused on the development of thermal energy storage systems (TES) based on phase changing materials (PCM), to be used as back-up devices during transient operations of small and medium scale concentrated solar plants (CSP). The development of the storage device will be performed recurring to numerical simulation and experimental testing in the laboratory. At the current stage the laboratory is being built, while the implementation of a numerical tool to simulate the behaviour of tanks with different geometries and different working materials has started. The preliminary development of the storage device is carried out by means of a 3D numerical simulation code specifically implemented in the COMSOL Multiphysics environment. The code is used to solve direct (design) and indirect (analysis) problems considering heat storage tanks with different geometries and different working materials. The geometry chosen for this preliminary analysis is the shell and tube heat exchanger, whose shell is filled with PCM and the working fluid flows on the tube side (up to 200-220°C to simulate the heat transfer fluid from the solar field). The system is designed for a heat storage capacity of 36 MJ.