Is this project an undergraduate, graduate, or faculty project?
Graduate
Project Type
group
Campus
Daytona Beach
Authors' Class Standing
Andrew Heiles, Graduate Jennifer Perskin, Graduate
Lead Presenter's Name
Jennifer Perskin
Lead Presenter's College
DB College of Arts and Sciences
Faculty Mentor Name
Sandra Boetcher
Abstract
The increasing desire to shift towards renewable energy sources and reduce waste heat across various industries has led to new developments within energy storage technologies. One such technology is thermal energy storage (TES), identified by the Department of Energy due to its applications within buildings. Phase change materials (PCM) are one such method of TES, and provide energy storage at a set temperature through the material's latent heat. Various PCMs have been studied within different geometries and simplified boundary conditions to better understand the materials' behavior during melting and solidification. This study aims to replicate a realistic boundary condition, similar to one found in a residential air-condition system, by means of a heat exchanger test loop which will provide temperature controlled air flow to an acrylic test section. This section will consist of a channel that will remain connected to the flow loop, and an interchangeable container for PCM storage. Image collection and liquid crystal thermography will be used to analyze the melting and track the temperature distribution along the boundary condition. This will display the interaction between forced convection within the working fluid and natural convection in PCM, and will help inform future designs of TES systems.
Did this research project receive funding support (Spark, SURF, Research Abroad, Student Internal Grants, Collaborative, Climbing, or Ignite Grants) from the Office of Undergraduate Research?
Yes, Student Internal Grants
Investigation of Thermal Energy Storage in Residential Air-Conditioning Systems
The increasing desire to shift towards renewable energy sources and reduce waste heat across various industries has led to new developments within energy storage technologies. One such technology is thermal energy storage (TES), identified by the Department of Energy due to its applications within buildings. Phase change materials (PCM) are one such method of TES, and provide energy storage at a set temperature through the material's latent heat. Various PCMs have been studied within different geometries and simplified boundary conditions to better understand the materials' behavior during melting and solidification. This study aims to replicate a realistic boundary condition, similar to one found in a residential air-condition system, by means of a heat exchanger test loop which will provide temperature controlled air flow to an acrylic test section. This section will consist of a channel that will remain connected to the flow loop, and an interchangeable container for PCM storage. Image collection and liquid crystal thermography will be used to analyze the melting and track the temperature distribution along the boundary condition. This will display the interaction between forced convection within the working fluid and natural convection in PCM, and will help inform future designs of TES systems.