Thermocline control through multi-tank thermal-energy storage systems

Philipp Roos and Andreas Haselbacher

Applied Energy, 2021, vol. 281, issue C, No S0306261920314215

Abstract: Thermal-energy storage systems consisting of multiple tanks allow the implementation of thermocline-control methods, which can reduce the drop in the outflow temperature during discharging and increase the volumetric storage density and utilization factor. Multi-tank systems based on the extraction and mixing thermocline-control methods were assessed using simulations assuming fluvial rocks as storage material and compressed air as heat-transfer fluid. For adiabatic conditions, the simulations showed improved performance for all multi-tank systems, with diminishing improvements as the number of tanks increases. The mixing method performed better than the extraction method. The mixing method delivered an outflow temperature drop of 5.1% using two tanks whose total volume was 2.15 times smaller than that of the single-tank system. For diabatic conditions, more than three tanks were not beneficial. With two tanks, the mixing method attained a temperature drop of 5.8% with a volume that is 2.5 times smaller than that of the single-tank system. The exergy efficiency of the two-tank system was 91.3% compared to 98.1% of the single-tank system. The specific material costs of the two-tank system were 1.5 times lower than those of the single-tank system.

Keywords: Thermal-energy storage; Thermocline storage; Thermocline control; Multi-tank storage; Compressed air energy storage; Simulation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.115971

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