Evaluation Method and Analysis on Performance of Diffuser in Heat Storage Tank

Lihua Cao, Jingwen Yu (), Xifeng Liu and Zhanzhou Wang
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Lihua Cao: Department of Energy and Power Engineering, Northeast Electric Power University, Jilin 132013, China
Jingwen Yu: Department of Energy and Power Engineering, Northeast Electric Power University, Jilin 132013, China
Xifeng Liu: Department of Energy and Power Engineering, Northeast Electric Power University, Jilin 132013, China
Zhanzhou Wang: Department of Energy and Power Engineering, Northeast Electric Power University, Jilin 132013, China

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 3, 1-15

Abstract: The diffuser is a critical component in a heat storage tank, and its structure has an important influence on the thermal performance of the heat storage tank. At present, research on the structure of diffusers often focuses on the change of one single parameter, which results in the need for a comprehensive structure analysis of diffusers in heat storage tanks. This paper comprehensively considers the inlet diameter, hole distance, and hole diameter of the diffuser and the inlet conditions of the heat storage tank. Then, a new evaluation index, namely the non-uniformity coefficient of the diffuser, is proposed. The experiments verify the accuracy of numerical calculation, and the related empirical formula is summarized finally. The results show that the diffuser with a small non-uniformity coefficient can achieve thin temperature stratification and higher exergy efficiency. In other words, the non-uniformity coefficient is in good agreement with temperature stratification and the exergy efficiency of the heat storage tank. When the flow rate of the inlet device is 0.5 m/s, the exergy efficiency increases by nearly 30 percentage points and the non-uniformity coefficient of the No. 4 diffuser is 3.39%. In contrast, that of the No. 8 diffuser is 75.17%. This evaluation index is suitable for different diffuser types with high accuracy. It provides the theoretical and experimental basis for the structural design and selection of diffusers for heat storage tanks.

Keywords: heat storage; diffuser; non-uniformity coefficient of diffuser; exergy efficiency; thermal stratification (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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