An In-depth Analysis of Simulated Thermal

Energy Storage Using Ansys Fluent

1. Introduction to Thermal Energy Storage
The primary focus for this work is a transient simulation of a thermal energy storage system with solid
storage material using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software. To accomplish this goal, the
background theory of thermal energy storage (TES) and the Second Law of Thermodynamics are discussed,
apropos to the transient behavior of solid storage media. This work builds off previous work utilizing the
finite difference method to simulate TES systems. Second Law metrics of TES systems include the Exergy
Effectiveness of storage material and time varying Energy and Exergy Efficiencies of the cyclic rate
processes. Three case studies of Second Law metrics of TES systems are provided for the first time in the
literature. Together, this work is a methodology for TES designers to evaluate TES systems on performance
criteria regarding the Second Law (Scott Mulvey, 2003).

1.1. Importance and Applications

Energy storage is an important component of any power generation system. Thermal energy storage is
especially advantageous due to its high energy density, relative simplicity, and effectiveness. Understanding
and being able to optimize the charging and discharging of a thermal storage system is crucial for many
power generation systems. With this in mind, a 2D ANSYS computational model of a shell and tube heat
exchanger with a packed-bed of sandy stones for the solid media thermal storage has been developed, and a
Finite Volume numerical heat transfer analysis was conducted using ANSYS FLUENT in this study (Taheri et
al., 2015).

The second law efficiency, Exergy analysis, of the system was carried out at the end of each time history of
average energy recovery effectiveness (AERE), and various optimizing methods were investigated. To the
knowledge of the author, no experiment and CFD analyses simulating the time-variant AERE and its Exergy
associated with a packed bed using 2D model are available in open literature (Scott Mulvey, 2003). With
appropriate tuning of the empirical coefficients, it has shown a good agreement with the experimental data
over a range of inlet and outlet temperatures. The effects of various governing parameters such as input hot
oil temperature, flow rate of heat transfer fluid, packed material and its diameter are of interest and are
addressed in this paper.

1.2. Types of Thermal Energy Storage Systems

There are several types of thermal energy storage systems. The energy can be stored in solid media or in
relatively inactive gases or fluids. In the circulated burried bed system, solid material such as rock is heated
by fluid flowing through it and then released to the fluid (Scott Mulvey, 2003). In the packed bed system,
heat is stored by heating air or another fluid and flowing it through a bed of randomly packed particles. The
heat is then released by flowing air or another fluid through the same bed of particles, absorbing the energy
stored in the particles.

There are a number of simplifying assumptions that go into the model built, however when need arises, more
detailed models can be applied. The motivation for this investigation is to become familiar with available
computational tools to study a niche within analysis of the performance of packed bed fluidized thermal
energy storage which have not previously been utilized in the course. The overall objective is to gain an
understanding through the use of finite volume computational techniques of the transient heat transfer
processes of a new novel fluidized packed bed storage system design as part of a concentrating solar
thermal power plant. With this aim, a variety of scenarios can be examined, including how heat transfer is
affected by changing fluid flow patterns, porosity of the packed beds, dimensions of the enclosure,
temperatures, etc. Also, if time allows, the model will be expanded to try and quantify the losses in heat
storage efficiency due to other means of energy conversion, etc. For instance, continuous mechanical stirring
of the packed beds should increase the effective thermal conductivity of the bed significantly and so could be
quantified (Davenne et al., 2017).

2. Overview of Ansys Fluent Software

Fluent is a software used for Computational Fluid Dynamics. CFD deals with the problem of air flow or any
fluid flow. It can solve flow and heat transfer problems. Heat transfer is the warming or cooling of a region of
space as a result of energy being transferred between that region and its surroundings. There are three ways
in which this heat can be transferred: conduction, convection and radiation. CFD can handle cooling and
heating of a region as a result of heat transfer analysis. Ansys software in general is a multiphysics based
structural and thermal analysis software. CFD is part of analysis software. Ansys Fluent is basically useful in
the thermal analysis of heat transfer materials or the cooling of a component exposed to air flow. Streamline
is the path line of air flow on a 2D model. Using Ansys Fluent, the streamlines are plotted on a 2D model.
Various methods are applied to start the cooling of domain. Here the flow boundary condition is determined
as pressure. Inlet, outlet and environment temperature is determined. Outlet and environment pressure is
set to zero value. The heat conduction material, wall material, density, pull up etc., as a result energy can be
determined by using the Ansys Fluent when the air around the three sides is known.

2.1. Features and Capabilities

The present study investigates the thermal storage of electric power using fluidized beds. In a typical
system, a secondary fluid is heated in a central receiver and then stored as sensible energy in a fluidized
bed. The stored thermal energy is then used to generate steam and hence, power in a Rankine or Brayton
cycle, thermo-chemical reactions, etc. The various sources and sinks of energy are used to model this multi-
transient problem. The energy balance is discretized for a finite number of volumes and the energy
transients are solved relative to an initial cell temperature by implicit time advanced integration. This, in
turn, is used to solve for the transient outlet temperature of the heated fluid. The model is then validated
against the analytical two volume model for stratified tank storage (Scott Mulvey, 2003).

2.2. Applications in Thermal Engineering

Simulated thermal energy storage has been studied by researchers using numerical analysis. Simulated
thermal energy storage usually uses 2D or 3D models, yet the effects of the environment on the thermal
properties of the materials can be neglected with these models. However, sudden changes in boundary
conditions on actual storage tanks may cause additional heat transfer effects between the storage material
and the storage tank. Therefore, to analyze the effect of a simulated storage based on the properties of the
materials and the boundary conditions such as the methods of heat transfer, real environment’s shape
must be considered (PIZZOLATO et al., 2015). The main expectations of this study are as follows: (1) to
estimate the differences in temperature fluctuation within the storage tank under simulated conditions; (2)
to estimate the differences in temperature fluctuation of a simulated storage tank using water and oil to
store the same temperature; (3) to understand the heat transfer effects from different simulated storages.
Since it is difficult to obtain experimental data pertaining to this complex analysis, 3-D models will be created
using a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) program and simulations will be run on these models.

3. Fundamentals of Thermal Analysis in Ansys Fluent

Applying intended operating conditions, the thermal energy storage is analyzed. Heat transfer analysis is
performed with the commercial CFD code Ansys Fluent. The tubing is well suited for steam as a storage fluid.
Since high temperature steam is to be stored, the material of the tubes is stainless steel. For high power
levels, common thermal energy storages hold a capacity of several 100 MWh with a significant number of
modules. Nonetheless, maintaining high performance becomes more challenging with increasing modularity.
Accordingly, an in-depth analysis is performed. To achieve this goal, a detailed numerical investigation is
conducted. An existing model, which was developed to analyze the thermal properties of a simplified storage
module, is adjusted to the detailed structure. The description of this model is based on the work of (Johnson
et al., 2017), and an improved version is described. One feature of this work is the in-depth analysis of the
suitability of the storage tubes for mass production. Discharge times of different approaches are analyzed
and useful hints are given to find the optimal compromise between production expenses and charge
velocities.

A high temperature solar thermal power plant with particle based concentrate central receiver is to be
constructed. At the heart of the power plant is a cavity receiver, which captures the solar energy reflected by
a field of heliostats. Exposure to concentrated solar radiation brings a heat transfer medium, such as high-
temperature steam, to superheated conditions. The thermal energy is transmitted via heat exchangers and
steam turbines to generate electrical power. Exceeding the demand by the steam cycle, surplus heat is
conducted according to the heat transfer medium background either to the cold storage, or dissipated by a
dry cooling system. At sunset, in the absence of solar irradiation, thermal energy is extracted from the hot
storage by charging a thermal energy storage.

3.1. Heat Transfer Mechanisms

Different heat transfer mechanisms during both charging and discharging of a two-part TES unit have been
analyzed using the commercial CFD tool Ansys Fluent. The focus lies on the heat transfer from the heat
transfer fluid within the tubes to the encapsulated phase change material. The local heat transfer rate
between tube and shell for the investigated partially filled TES tank has been analyzed using a refined mesh.
Both procedures, the ANSYS setup of the simulation case and the gained results from these simulations, are
presented in detail (Johnson et al., 2017).

The process of charging and discharging of a tubular TES tank is part of an Adsorption Heat Pump with the
aim of storing low-grade heat collected by a Parabolic Trough Solar Collector. The main objective of this work
is to provide a detailed understanding of the different heat transfer mechanisms that occur during charging
and discharging, between the HTF in the tubes and the CPCM shell. This serves as a starting point for future
work and is applied to the case of an existing plant. The bulk of the work consists of descriptions of the
settings of the particulars in the Ansys Fluent setup as well as in the connection to Ansys Workbench in order
to simulate a two-part thermal energy storage unit. From these simulations, the impact of the encapsulation
of PCM on the heat transfer to the fluid in the core is derived. In addition, the temporal profile of average
Nusselt numbers for the storage unit and the SoC rate have been outlined in detail (Taheri et al., 2015).
Three individual steps lead to the final simulation result. First, a relatively simple heat transfer analysis of the
cross-section of one single tube has been conducted, with constant temperature and pressure boundary
conditions within an effective region that includes the whole tube. In a second step, the emphasis is on the
multidimensional character of the problem of selecting an appropriate coupled axial radial setup. In this step,
the heat flux from the thermal oil within the tubes is studied. Finally, the setup is extended to a 2D analysis
coupling the 1D axial flow of the thermal oil and the 1D radially symmetric heat transfer into the storage.

3.2. Material Properties and Boundary Conditions

A three-dimensional TES permanent containers were modeled in ANSYS, for the grid independence, the most
accurate and easiest to create models and the faster simulations. The chosen dimensions of PCS were 500 x
500 x 500 mm, 800 x 800 x 800 mm, and 1000 x 1000 x 1000 mm and ten independent grids were created
for each case (R. Rudonja et al., 2016). A thermal storage modeling was designed to investigate the effects
of various grid sizes and some containers of TES on heat transfer characteristics such as temperature,
velocity, and h-distribution in the labyrinth shaped fins and PCM.

Uniform heat generation was calculated by ANSYS as an input parameter related with the TES form directly.
Steady state results were applied for the further analysis. The latent heat between the solidification and
melting process is not included in the modeling because of the cartesian grid limitations of ANSYS FLUENT.
The representation of the solid fraction doesn’t show good results during the melting or solidification
process because of the cell shape. Three different numerical modeling approaches were undertaken to study
a well-defined reference case (Scott Mulvey, 2003). Model results using three codes are compared to
examine the trobustness of solutions for this case. Simulation optimization and uncertainty quantification
results for heat transfer characteristics are compared for two models at different stages of development.
Trends in Nusselt number with respect to key parameters are reviewed and the effect of Rayleigh number on
thermal performance and other property relationships is investigated.

4. Modeling Techniques in Ansys Fluent for Thermal Energy

Storage
Energy storage is a rapidly growing field of engineering that allows a proactive approach in mitigating global
issues such as pollution and environment degradation. Thermal energy storage (TES) is one type of energy
storage that allows stored energy to be utilized as heat or converted into electricity for later use.
Environmental aspects, urbanization, and economic activity have created a rapid increase in energy
demand. As current global resources dwindle, researchers seek greener, more efficient alternatives.

Modeling techniques, such as conduction-convection, enthalpies-porosity, and enthalpies-porosity-melt have

the capabilities for static and dynamic modeling of TES systems. A TES system was simulated in each case at
varied boundary conditions, initially charged to 477 K and discharged to 392 K. Results included the effects
of boundary conditions, material properties, and modeling techniques. Four configurations of TES systems
(Packed Bed, Shell and Tube, Sphere, and Encapsulated) were analyzed under different boundary conditions.
Most cities have a heating season in which energy demand is extremely high and a cooling season in which
the demand is moderately high. Two simple shapes of packed bed spheres and cylinders were analyzed to
simplify the heat transfer process. Uniform heat generation was applied to achieve a symmetrical and
realistic form of energy storage.

In conclusion, analyzing the results of all sixteen cases offers a better understanding of the most promising
shapes for further development and testing as energy storage systems. However, the models and results in
the current analyses do not account for several real world scenarios such as changing pressure during
charging/discharging or environmental wind.

4.1. Grid Generation and Meshing

For the purpose of extensive model validation, the focus here is to analyze a simulated TES (thermal-energy
storage) prototype composed of vertical tubes (Johnson et al., 2017). During charging, the interior volume of
the steel tubes is filled with a solid medium, which is heated. A working tube flows through the structure to
absorb the general energy in the storage prototype. The analysis chain includes heat transfer, heat
conduction, conjugate heat transfer, and heat exchanger analyses conducted in both 2D and 3D. The base
concept and geometry of the investigated TES is similar to the real thermal energy storage deployed in the
first real-world power plant. The comparison of the resulting temperature fields and the heat transfer rates
assess the validity and the reliability of the single simulations (Scott Mulvey, 2003). As such, a profound data
base is generated for the prevalent events of all components used to scrutinize the model adequateness.
Together with the partner, a multilayer finite elements model is developed avoiding constraints on the
geometry that is not realistically reproducible by the control-volume meshing approach. Because the partner
method is well-calibrated and well-verified by these analyses, it is safe to surmise that similar quality results
shall be generated by the TES-voucher.

Firstly, a two-dimensional heat transfer analysis of a detailed cross-section is done for the tubes to
understand general heat transfer characteristics of a fin in the shell. The second step is a transfer from a
detailed two-dimensional cross-section analysis to a simplified one-dimensional radial model of fin cells used
for a thermal storage device. Lastly the thermal storage is analyzed with a two-dimensional axis and radial
model of fin cells, which couples axial flow of a phase change material (PCM) with a temperature-dependent
latent heat of fusion, and radial heat transfer between the PCM and another concentric tube separated by a
thickness also comprised of a PCM.

4.2. Selection of Solver and Numerical Methods

A thermal energy storage system was modeled and simulated in the ANSYS Fluent CFD software package.
This system consisted of an assembly of solar panels, a storage tank, and a stand. The analysis focused on
the storage tank which contained phase change material (PCM). This medium stored and released thermal
energy via the process of latent heat storage. A key aim of the modeling was to predict the systems
performance under both transient, and stationary state conditions. The software settings for the simulations
are presented, these include an explanation of the selection of the solver and numerical methods (Scott
Mulvey, 2003).

The in-built ANSYS Fluent energy model was used to simulate heat transfer between the incoming solar
energy, the storage medium, and the air in the tank. Both conduction and convection thermal modes of heat
transfer were analyzed. However, radiation was not included in the analysis due to the low temperature of
the storage medium (predicting full melt temperatures < than 100 °C). The nature of the storage system is
such that the sun radiates on the PCM. This causes the medium to absorb and store heat. This stored energy
is later transferred to the air as a result of the convection heat transfer coefficient between the PCM, and the
air being above a critical value. However, the cooling down of the tank results in the PCM temperature being
below the tank air temperature. As a result, the PCM absorbs thermal energy in an attempt to reach thermal
equilibrium with the air in the tank.

5. Validation and Verification of Simulated Results

Numerical simulations are performed using commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software. The
numerical simulations are used to analyze the effects of many parameters, such as the melting temperature
of the PCM, the ambient temperature, the heat transfer coefficient between the containment material and
the surrounding environment, and the radius and thickness of the containment material on the melting
process of the entire setup. Some of the results are verified using the second law of thermodynamics. Grid
independence tests are conducted to validate the reproducibility of the numerical simulations. The validity of
the results is confirmed by several first and second laws of thermodynamics, including energy conservation,
passive heat transfer from hot to cold, and irreversibility.

Therefore, the combination of results will provide detailed insight into the melting process, including phase
change, direction of heat transfer, unavailable energy gain, and the effect of geometry on the melting
process. In the second law analysis results, a thorough analysis is provided with respect to aspects of
production, storage, and loss, as well as losses stemming from the containment and the PCM, and losses
expressed as the effect of power plant efficiency. The review represents a unique source of information
regarding the state of mathematical modeling and numerical simulations in this area with rudimentary
laboratory experimentation and real power plants, fueling an emerging interest in neglecting a second law
viewpoint in design and analysis of complicated energy systems, including conceptually and structurally
simple TES.

5.1. Benchmarking and Comparison Studies

Numerous CFD studies have been performed on energy storage and energy transfer systems covering the
whole range from low to high temperature levels (Scott Mulvey, 2003). In the present study, the energy is
stored in the form of thermal energy storage using encapsulated phase change materials (TESPCM). This
study compares the results with the study which involves a finite volume approach incorporating . The
fundamental aspects involving discretization and numerical algorithms are highly dependent on
computational resources and desired accuracy.

is a finite volume CFD code. This study uses the finite element method. solves the conservation equations by
using the finite volume method. It is important to point out where and the might differ when simulating these
type of problems. The storage medium is of rock-like material and is structured by using the . The software
allows to have a multi-layer medium, thus unlike the , it is possible to have a homogeneous conductivity
distribution across y-axis. A strategy to simulate the flow according to a specified volume fraction within a
certain HTF temperature range is performed by discretizing solid and fluid regions. During , the macro
function is used which gives information on the material in a specified cell. Thermal energy storage was
simulated by employing the enthalpy-porosity approach. There is a discrepancy between results of both
medias for high temperature HTF values, as it can be seen from Figures 4.7(d) and (e).

5.2. Sensitivity Analysis and Uncertainty Quantification

An in-depth analysis of a simulated thermal storage energy system is conducted in which Monte Carlo
simulations are coupled with ANOVA techniques to quantify uncertainties and sensitivities in the context of
thermal storage. Thermal storage is modeled by the enthalpy-porosity approach. The power cycle is sub-
model with restitution coefficients for the heat exchangers. Reheat is applied to the power cycle using a loss
factor. The combined cycle STES testbed is simulated with varying storage fluid flow rates and posed as a
comparison between Gross Power and Net Production functions. Recommended equipment and methodology
for the proposed final project are detailed. ANOVA concepts are reviewed with respect to the proposed final
analysis. Examples of thermal storage energy system experimental set-ups are provided including
methodologies.

Uncertainties in energy system performance can be quantified by constructing a model. Analyses of

observational data from the model are made in multiple instances. For each instance, estimated variations in
performance due to uncertainties in different model inputs are determined. Different inputs describe distinct
model parameters. Variations in performance are relatively high for one or more inputs. The variation is thus
dependent on the input being considered and is a sensitivity measure. Sensitivities represent the impact of
input uncertainties on performance uncertainties. Sensitivity analysis can be used to allocate resources
efficiently by focusing on the most important input uncertainties for a given model. This concept can be
applied to systems other than energy. A second focus of the review is to quantify uncertainties in model
observations due to uncertainties in model inputs. In the context of thermal energy storage systems
application, input uncertainty simply means the model does not have precise values for certain parameters.
Sensitivities indicate how the most uncertain inputs affect the overall level of uncertainty in the model
predictions.

6. Advanced Topics in Thermal Energy Storage Simulation

Heat storage has been recognized as a means of load shifting and a renewable related application. This work
provides a comprehensive review of the methods and techniques implemented for the analysis of packed
bed thermal energy storage as user guides and exemplars for use in developing research programs.
Discussions cover techniques included in Ansys Fluent not typically found in other Fluent tasks, such as
discrete phase modeling implementation and the ability to change porosity.

Modeling of a packed bed provides a means for analyzing parameters related to thermal energy storage that
are difficult or costly to achieve using conventional experimental techniques. Here, a numerical model to
analyze a packed bed system is developed using Ansys Fluent, a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code
capable of solving for complex geometries and heat conduction. Ansys Fluent has the capability to model
both of these heat transfer mechanisms at the same time. With the discrete phase modeling implementation
the packed bed can be defined either as a porous medium or as a dispersed material. Modeling as a
dispersed material allows individualized control of each bed module, and simulates every tube shown in
Figure 1 with high resolution of the volume changes (Scott Mulvey, 2003).

6.1. Phase Change Materials and Latent Heat Storage

As global energy demand continues to grow, emphasis is being placed on the search for alternative energy
sources. The fluctuating availability of numerous renewable energy sources, namely wind, solar and wave
energy, has led to calls for an array of thermal, electrical and chemical storage techniques to be developed.
Given that renewable energy systems mainly produce electricity or hot water and space heating, many have
resorted to the use of thermal energy storage (TES). TES systems have great potential to stabilize the
operation of renewable energy systems; essentially, TES involves storing surplus energy generated from
renewable systems and then supplying that energy when the renewable energy source is unable to satisfy
the load (power grid).

Phase Change Materials (PCMs) are used to store TES mainly due to their ability to store large amounts of
energy within a narrow temperature range. PCMs absorb and release thermal energy during the heating and
cooling process, resulting in a constant temperature storage; sensible heat storage is provided when a
solid/liquid melts, or a liquid/solid solidifies. This is advantageous over a sensible heat storage system that
relies solely on heat capacity, where there is a significant temperature variation during charging/discharging,
as PCMs are able to maintain a constant temperature during the melting/solidification process. PCMs can also
exhibit a very high energy storage density, potentially 14 times greater than other TES materials, such as
concrete (Johnson et al., 2017). Other advantages include: ease of installation, size/volume flexibility, lack of
moving parts, minimal maintenance and a long life span with no degradation issues (Lasmar, 2018). Recent
research has focussed on developing high net energy gains from concentrated solar power (CSP) with TES
units for the storage of sensible and latent heat, able to promote the on-demand creation of heat transfer
fluid (HTF) to superheat air and increase power cycle efficiency.

6.2. Thermal Energy Storage in Renewable Energy Systems

Energy consumption has been rapidly increased with improved devices and modern life style. As a solution,
thermal energy which is the most of the energy has widely used in various areas. For this reason, there are
some thermal energy systems including storage to use this efficient energy in a most efficient way. Although
growing interest has been in renewable energy systems, the biggest disadvantage is the instability and
intermittent performance (Scott Mulvey, 2003). So that, thermal energy storage is the most important part of
renewable energy systems to store surplus energy in a recovery system.

The aim of the study is to investigate thermal energy storage systems with computer-based ANSYS Fluent in
a numerical method. To reach the mentioned aim, various parameterized geometry models, working
features and operating conditions of surface geometry models are offered. It has been performed by the
assistance of the simulation, heat recovery efficiency, flow features, natural convection and energy
distribution. Thus, an in-depth analysis has been made in thermal energy storage systems to evaluate with a
different point of view and to construct a new design by available facilities. On the other hand, commercial
and home applications have been suggested in order to increase the use of thermal energy storage systems.

7. Case Studies and Practical Applications

CSP (concentrated solar power) plants allow for the generation of electricity through solar radiation. One of
the types of CSP plants uses the so-called solar tower system. Molten salt as heat transfer fluid is used for
the transfer of the solar heat to the power block which drives a steam generator. Additionally, thermal
energy storage using this molten salt should make it feasible to operate the facility at full load even when
there is no sun. For this, a second storage medium, which can store high amounts of energy in a low volume
in a cost-efficient way, is set up. Typically, this is a type of concrete storage with embedded tubes filled with
the PCM (phase change material) that is intended to act as a storage medium. CSP on a commercial scale is
still in the phase of break-through, so major cost reductions are expected in the near future (Johnson et al.,
2017). Before the construction of a commercial scale facility, many experimental setups are realized. Two
experimental storage setups in test facilities concerning the storage of both low and high power levels of
heat were designed. A final setup on a commercial scale, which has not been realized at that time, should
have a storage capacity of 50 MWh and be able to store heat with a power level of around 10 MW for at least
8 hours. This storage would be embedded in a concrete storage tank with minimal reset costs, a tank similar
to an established concrete storage tank, which is already in use for sensible storage. Thus, the design of the
storage includes additional operations, such as gate openings, specific to this geometry in order to evaluate
the system properties. The storage system is built with four sections with a total of 1773 tubes filled with the
PCM build-up the storage design. The facilities will be partially located inside the storage tanks to investigate
the effects to the surrounding material and to explore alternative solutions. This design exploits computing
possibilities by using a large amount of computational resources. Three steps lead to the final simulation
result: a heat transfer analysis of the cross-section of one tube without modeling the HTF, a transfer from the
cross-section to a simplified one-dimensional radial model and a two-dimensional analysis coupling the axial
flow of the HTF and the radial heat transfer into the storage.

7.1. Industrial Applications of Thermal Energy Storage

With the growing demands of energy, various energy storage systems have been proposed to alleviate the
power shortage. Among numerous options, thermal energy storage (TES) is an attractive solution in which
energy is first converted to heat and then stored. During the discharge process, this stored energy can be
used for power generation, heating, cooling, or desalination applications. There are numerous novel
applications of TES systems in various renewable energy plants. The plant uses molten salt as the heat
transfer medium and storage media, and it can store energy for approximately 10 hours at the rated power
of 110 MW. PTES can have a single tank with a thermocline for short-term storage of high temperature heat.

It is used to find the temperature distribution of phase change materials in thermal energy storage tank of
power thermal storage trough parabolic through solar thermal power plant. Drawbacks of low efficiency,
unpredictable electricity generation is making difficulties in dispatchability of wind energy. To short out these
problem energy storage system integrated with wind energy is the best solution. Conventional energy
storage batteries have higher costs. To reduce cost, the idea of using thermal energy storage of low cost
materials. Many industrial applications demand storage devices combining large storage capacity, fast
response and efficient heat transfer. The performance of a thermal storage system, containing a packed bed
and a PCM, has been analyzed. Containerized molten salt thermal energy storage systems are increasingly
being considered for industrial waste heat recovery applications. Optimizing the distribution of fill tubes
within these systems can significantly improve their performance.

7.2. Integration with HVAC Systems

With the support of dynamic tools, the design of a novel process for thermal energy storage in buildings is
presented. The stored thermal energy consists of hot water, refrigerated water, or ice slurry, produced
through the use of the power grid, solar collector, photovoltaic panel, and aerothermal heat exchangers. Two
modes of operation are considered: loading and discharge. During the loading mode, the objective is to store
enough energy during the day to provide heating, cooling or ventilation, or some combination of these,
during the evening and/or night. During the discharge mode, the stored thermal energy is transferred to the
cycle of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), cooling (CV), heated water (HW), or other energy
end-use process. Examples of integration of the energy storage concept into a working space or residence,
including electrification for a sports building, a local swimming pool, a family house, and a metro station are
presented (Frazzica et al., 2018).

The dynamic model utilizes speeded TRNSYS coupled with MATLAB and is experimentally validated. In order
to validate the model, a pilot installation located in Technological Park – The Recreation and Business
Center Energy (TBRC ENCORE) in Ravenna was installed. The case study consists of a group of fresh-water
tanks, a vapor compression chiller, an electrically heated low-temperature heater, a fan to help improving
heat exchange, and a heating fancoil. During the charging phase, the commercial system is operated within
power constraints imposed by the local utility. The battery is discharged at night, recharged during the lunch.
For low power, high number of cycles charge/discharge, the battery could only be loaded at its nominal
power. In order to consider the effects of a thermal energy storage, solar energy is increased by 2x. To be
cost effective, the storage system should be designed to store the maximum possible energy in a single
cycle. Thus the load curve should have a proper shape and last the required time to completely fill the
storage.

8. Challenges and Future Directions in Simulated Thermal

Energy Storage
When studying any system involving heat transfer, it is often useful to examine the system from a
thermodynamics-based point of view. One means of accomplishing this is to conduct First and Second Law
Exergy analyses (Scott Mulvey, 2003). Exergy, typically referred to as the measure of a system’s ability
to perform work, is destroyed as the system approaches equilibrium. Systems and flow streams with higher
availability have a greater potential to produce useful work. In general, heat exchangers and
thermostatically controlled surfaces have very low availability because the temperature difference across
them is quite low. Conversely, the availability of adiabatic or perfectly insulated surfaces is equal to that of
the surroundings, and such surfaces have an availability of zero.

If a two-phase flow is not modeled, the default components cannot compute the heat gained by the solid wax
during the phase change process. No method exists to script this functionality into the software. Review of
the literature reveals that experimental results involving the thermal energy storage of paraffin wax in a flat-
plate system agree well with the numerical predictions. Invested effort into the computational modeling of
the simulated thermal energy storage system is wasted since system validation efforts on the part of other
researchers are futile. With the modeling information documented herein, the research can focus on more
important matters concerning the simulated thermal energy storage system.

8.1. Emerging Technologies and Innovations

This section of the journal review will cover the official permission to use the software package, and the
successful generation of numerical heat transfer simulations for a simple cylindrical storage medium with a
limited study of code validation. An analysis of parameter effects on the effectiveness of SCC using heated
fluids will be discussed, and finally some proposed changes to the original schedule of project plan and
research timeline will be detailed.

Significant efforts have been made in recent years to enhance performance and improve system standpoints
of the exchanger modules in sensibly designed energy storage systems (Scott Mulvey, 2003). Nine existing
or new designs of cylinder arrays are numerically studied in three distinct fluids. Their thermal performance
and entropy generation are assessed in relation to analyze the effects of Reynolds number, emissivity,
Prandtl number, and the (k) ratio of fluids as well as number of cavity at a standard solid matrix temperature.
Turbulent fluid flow and heat transfer are simulated using commercial version of ANSYS Fluent package with
utilizing the multi-reference frame (MRF) model. It is understood that, the emittance or heat exchange
effectiveness of the surface of a cylinder is distinct from that of the surface of an infinite flat plate and fluids
with lower Prandtl numbers generally should be preferred (Johnson et al., 2017). On the basis of the results
from the invention under flow conditions, three additional recommendations were made to refine the original
project plan and they were to perform initial zero-recovery free convection simulations using ANSYS Fluent
simulations conditions, investigate the ad-hoc model using experimental data from the journal literature as
verification of code validity and to perform a unified design/study which are currently described in detail.

8.2. Sustainability and Environmental Impact

Society realizes the fact that the immoderate use of fossil fuels leads to environmental problems such as
global warming and climate change. Therefore, now it is more vital to supply energy needs from renewable
sources than before. Among many renewable energy options, solar energy has a major potential with values
higher than both the world’s current energy consumption and other renewable energy sources. The use
of the sun directly either as thermal or electrical energy production in all heating and power generation
systems is included in the scope of solar energy. In solar thermal applications, there are two types of
systems namely concentrating and flat plate systems. Photovoltaic systems directly convert sunlight into
electricity with photoelectric materials. The average annual insolation values of the world is 1773.6 kWh/m2.
The countries with the best insolation values have potential in these systems as the solar energy can either
concentrate or produce energy directly. Meanwhile, despite the great potential in solar systems, hurdles and
challenges for the widespread installation of these systems are seen as one of the other energy sources. So,
the development of these systems is necessary for the sustainability of human society and economic growth.
Heat storage systems are important to supply the continuity of an energy production and conversion process
in places where solar energy uninterruptedly prevails, despite the presence of daytime and seasonal
variations. Media such as air, water, oil, molten salt, latent heat and sensible thermal energy storage
materials are used widely to store this heat. Open or closed cycle Rankine, gigas and sterilized steam
systems are employed to convert this heat into mechanical power in power production systems. Additionally,
in the last 30 years, renewable energy power generation in the form of wind and PV have been developed
rapidly in order to satisfy the energy demand of rural and remote regions beyond the grid networks. Thermal
energy storage has been conducted widely to make it possible to use these power generation systems as
base-load power plants.

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