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

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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.

 

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