scholarly journals Application of Hybrid PCM Thermal Energy Storages with and without Al Foams in Solar Heating/Cooling and Ground Source Absorption Heat Pump Plant: An Energy and Economic Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 1007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renato Lazzarin ◽  
Marco Noro ◽  
Giulia Righetti ◽  
Simone Mancin
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Heat Pump ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
Metal Foam ◽  
Solar Heating ◽  
Plant Design ◽  
Absorption Heat Pump ◽  
Ground Source ◽  
Pump Plant

The use of phase change materials (PCM) can be considered an effective way to improve the energy storage capabilities of hybrid water thermal energy storage (TESs) in solar heating and cooling plants. However, due to a few shortcomings, their use is still limited. This paper aims to give a direct estimation of the considerable advantages achievable by means of these hybrid TESs by simulating the annual performance of an existing gymnasium building located in northern Italy. The solar heating/cooling and ground source absorption heat pump plant is simulated using Trnsys. A validated type allows for the simulation of the hybrid water TESs, and also includes the possibility to use aluminum foams to enhance the heat transfer capabilities of the paraffin waxes used as PCM. This paper presents an optimization of the plant design from both energy and economic points of view by considering different cases: all three tanks modeled as sensible (water) storage, or one of the tanks modeled as PCM storage, or as enhanced PCM with metal foam.

scholarly journals Environmental Performance of Innovative Ground-Source Heat Pumps with PCM Energy Storage

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emanuele Bonamente ◽  
Andrea Aquino
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Energy Storage ◽  
Heat Pump ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Heat Pumps ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
Maximum Efficiency ◽  
Ground Source Heat Pumps ◽  
Ground Source

Space conditioning is responsible for the majority of carbon dioxide emission and fossil fuel consumption during a building’s life cycle. The exploitation of renewable energy sources, together with efficiency enhancement, is the most promising solution. An innovative layout for ground-source heat pumps, featuring upstream thermal energy storage (uTES), was already proposed and proved to be as effective as conventional systems while requiring lower impact geothermal installations thanks to its ability to decouple ground and heat-pump energy fluxes. This work presents further improvements to the layout, obtained using more compact and efficient thermal energy storage containing phase-change materials (PCMs). The switch from sensible- to latent-heat storage has the twofold benefit of dramatically reducing the volume of storage (by a factor of approximately 10) and increasing the coefficient of performance of the heat pump. During the daily cycle, the PCMs are continuously melted/solidified, however, the average storage temperature remains approximately constant, allowing the heat pump to operate closer to its maximum efficiency. A life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed to study the environmental benefits of introducing PCM-uTES during the entire life cycle of the system in a comparative approach.

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