PCM-BASED THERMAL STORAGE FOR SOLAR AIR SYSTEMS

摘要

Solar air systems (the systems where air is used as a heat carrier) are not as common as the water-based solar systems. Nevertheless, the solar air systems can be used in many applications including space heating of buildings. A general problem with the solar thermal systems is the need for thermal storage in order to balance supply and demand of heat over a certain period of time. A possibility to employ phase change materials (PCM) for such thermal storage was investigated using numerical simulation. A numerical model of the heat storage unit (air-PCM) was created as a type in the TRNSYS 17 simulation tool. The heat storage unit consists of aluminium containers filled with a PCM. The model allows specification of the thermo-physical properties of the PCM as well as other parameters. The results obtained from the numerical model will be validated by experiments performed on an experimental set-up that is currently under construction.