Parametric study of low-temperature thermal energy storage using carbon dioxide as the phase change material in pillow plate heat exchangers. (25th February 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mastani Joybari, Mahmood; Selvnes, Håkon; Vingelsgård, Erling; Sevault, Alexis; Hafner, Armin
• Is Part Of: Applied thermal engineering. Volume 221(2022)
• Publication Date: 2023-02-25
• Subjects: Thermal energy storage -- Carbon dioxide -- Phase change material -- Pillow-plate heat exchanger -- Parametric study -- Taguchi method; ANOVA Analysis of variance -- CTES Cold thermal energy storage -- DOR Degree of freedom -- GHG Greenhouse gas -- GWP Global warming potential -- HTF Heat transfer fluid -- LT Low temperature -- MS Mean squares -- ODP Ozone depletion potential -- PCM Phase change material -- PPHX Pillow plate heat exchanger -- SLE Solid-liquid equilibrium -- SS Sum of squares; Heat engineering -- Periodicals; Heating -- Equipment and supplies -- Periodicals; Periodicals; 621.40205
• DOI: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2022.119796
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1359-4311

Abstract

Highlights: Investigated carbon dioxide as phase change material for low temperatures. Considered few design and operational parameters in the pillow-plate heat exchanger. Utilized design of experiments to conduct the parametric study for two scenarios. Ranked the parameters according to their signal to noise ratio. Optimized for individual as well as both responses (equal weights) Abstract: Industrial low-temperature freezing applications are often batch processes, requiring a lot of energy, exerting stress on the electrical grid. To relieve this stress, thermal energy storage can be used. However, there is a lack of suitable storage material for low temperature applications (around −50 °C). Under high pressures, carbon dioxide can be used as the phase change material for storage temperatures around −55 °C. In this study, a parametric study was conducted on the design and operational parameters of an industrial-scale pillow plate heat exchanger with carbon dioxide. Two responses were selected for the analysis where R 1 considered the storage size over the phase change time (kWh/h), while R 2 indicated the cost over the storage size (USD/kWh). Using design of experiments, a total of 52 simulations were carried out to investigate the parameters under constant heat transfer surface area. Analysis of variance was then carried out followed by correlation development and optimization. It was found that regardless of the process (charging or discharging), for R 1 and R 2, the difference between refrigerant and carbon dioxide phase change temperatures followed by plate material had the highest significance. In contrast, the refrigerant flow rate had the lowest significance in almost all cases. Moreover, considering an equal weight for the responses, overall optimal conditions were determined for the processes. The recommended values for plate pitch, plate material, difference between refrigerant and carbon dioxide phase change temperatures and refrigerant flow rate were 25 mm, aluminum, 15 °C and 4 kg/s, respectively.