PumplessThermalStorageSystem

Abstract

One of the biggest consumer of energy is the HVAC industry, catering to the cooling demand, both
residential and industrial consumer. At majority sitesoversizedunitsareinstalledto meetthepeakload,which
is not only economically disadvantageous but invariably leads to wastage of energy. Thermal Storage Systems
(TSS) are a solution to such problems. TSS stores cold thermal energy in Phase Change Materials (PCM),
during off peak hours and utilize it during peak load time. Pump less
TSS have
a uniquepumplessoperation.
ThispaperexplainsthisuniqueoperationanddiscussesthetestperformedwithPTSSusingdifferentPCMs.

Key words
Pumpless Thermal Storage System (PTSS), Thermal Storage Systems (TSS), Phase Change Materials
(PCM),peakload.

I.INTRODUCTION

1.1

TheNeedofThermalStorageSystems(TSS)

The peak load during the entire day exists for only a small duration. To counter it most sites install over sized units
which run at part load for most of the day at lower efficiency.Moreovertheunitsupplieralso hasto installoversized
units to cater to the peak demand of the customers. One of the major contributors to the peak load is the cooling
demandofthebuildings.

The power consumption at any site is charged on two fronts. One is the demand charge which corresponds to the
peak demand at the site. Second is the consumption rate. The demand charge is a hefty price which contributes to a
chunk ofexpenseson power.Ifthepeak demand isflattened (Fig1)orthepeak load isshifted to thelowertarifftimeof
the day, substantial savings can be made. Also supplierssometimeshaveavariabletariffratesforthedifferenttimeof
the day, for instance the Thane district of Mumbai has substantially lower night time tariff of Rs 2.6 as compared to
thatduringdayofRs7

[1]
.Thisvariabletariffplancanalsobeexploitedtocutcostspentonpower.

A thermal storage system is an innovative way to store the thermal energy, either cold orhot,in orderto utilizeitata
later time. Since economically storing electricity is not a viableoption today,thermalstoragesystemsarean attractive
way of saving energy for future use. A thermalstoragesystemusepowerduring offpeak periodsto storecold thermal
energy in a phase change material as latent heat, which is then recovered during thepeak load hours.Thisflattensthe
peak demand and in places where thenighttimetariffsarelower,thermalstoragesystemcan help makegreatsavings!
Installation of thermal storage system at the site of end user also benefits theutility supplier.Thisisso becauseofthe
flatteningofthepeakdemand,thesurpluspower

Fig1.

FlatteningofthepeakdemandusingTSS.

supplycanbedistributedtoothersitesorusedforotherpurposes.Henceitisawinwinsituation!
The scope of thermal storage systemdoesnotend here.Itcan also beutilized asabackup to meetcooling loadsduring
power cuts. This in turn eliminates the need for DG sets.Thisnotonly reducesthedependenceon fossilfuelsbutalso
helpstheindustrialusertomeetthevariousenvironmentalnormsimposedontheusageofDGsets.

1.2
WhatisPumplessTSS(PTSS)?

PTSS is a unique thermal storage system which is designed to have a pump less operation. PTSS
stores
cold thermal
energy by freezing PCM within its system during the night time offpeak hours.Thiscold thermalenergy isharvested
during the day time peak load by melting the PCM, as seen in figure 2. Although PTSS
was originally developed to
work with water as the PCM, it works equally well with other PCMs. In either case itoffersan extremely simpleand
flexible design. As shown in the Fig 3 there are two refrigeration circuits. In the red circuit the condensing unit is
connected to PTSS
.
The condensing unit works during night or off peak period to freeze the PCM. This process is
termed as charging. The blue circuit illustrates the process of melting PCMs during thepeak hourto meetthecooling
load.
This process is called Discharging. This circuit connects the PTSS
with a room unit.
During Discharging the
condensing unit is not required and hence remains in the OFF state. The PTSS
u nit is installed atan elevated levelto
use gravity as an aid for the refrigerant flowin thedischarging.circuit.Thissimplebuteffectiveinstallation facilitates
apumplessoperationandthussavesvaluableenergy.

ThecapacityofPTSS

systemisestimatedinTRHrs.

Fig2.Assemblyofpipeswhoserecurrenceproducestheentiremodule

A system is designed to give the desired cooling for a fixed intervaloftime.Forinstanceaunitforstorageofthermal

energytomeet5kWloadfor4hrswillhaveacapacityof20kWhrsor6TRHrs

PTSS is essentially an insulated network of flexiblepipesfilled with phasechangematerial.Fig 2 showsan assembly

ofpipeswhosenetworkproducesthePTSS

Fig3.AbasiclayoutforPTSS

installation

module. The outer pipe is corrugated plastic pipe of 2 mean diameter. The plastic expands when the PCM within it
changes phase from liquid to solid. The other two pipes are part of the two refrigerant circuits which have been
mentioned aboveCircuit 1 being part ofthecharging processand Circuit2 thatofthedischarging.R22 isused in both
thecircuits.
During charging the condensing unit freezes the PCM by circulating refrigerant in Circuit 1. During discharging, the

refrigerant flows in the circuit between the HIMODER

and the room unit. The refrigerant vapors from the room

unit/evaporator rise up into the HIMODER

where it condenses by rejecting heat to the solid phase of PCM.

The
liquid refrigerant then flows back to the evaporator. The PCM in the PTSS in turn absorbs latent heat form the
refrigerant.DesiredcoolingintheroomisobtainedtillallthePCMinPTSSmelts.

1.3
PTSS

vs.

OtherTSS

ComparingFig.3andFig4[2]theadvantagesofHIMODER
areevident:

Fig4.AtypicallayoutofotherTSS

ItoffersaPUMPLESSoperationwhichisnotavailableinanyotherthermalstoragesystem(TSS).

M ostTSSproduceiceinalargetankanduseittochillwater.Thischilledwateristhencirculatedin
AHUstocoolthespace.Thisaddstothecostofpipingandothersophisticatedcontrols.PTSS

p rovidesdirect

coolingtothespaceusingasimplerefrigerantcircuitwithoutanysecondaryrefrigerant.Thusavoidinganyneed
ofsophisticatedcontrolsorcomplexnetworkofpiping.

TheconceptofstoringPCMinflexiblepipesallowsPTSS

tobeextremelyflexibleinitsinstallation.For
thesamecapacity,thesizeandarrangementofpipescanbemodifiedtofitintodifferentspaceconstraints.Afeat
whichisnearlyimpossiblewithbulkystoragetanks.

Italsohastheflexibilitytobeinstalledasonelargeunitandtherebytomeetcoolingloadsatdifferentlocations.

II.EXPERIMENTSCONDUCTED

2.1
S pecificationsoftheComponentsoftheTestSetup

A.

PTSS

3 2corrugatedPolyethylene(PE)pipesof2meandiameterand24inlength.

Thetotalinternalvolumeofthenetworkofpipesis42liters.

Theoveralldimensionsofthepipenetwork with thermocolinsulation770 x 320 x 65 (Alldimensionsin

mm).

IDCupipeusedfortherefrigerantcircuitconnectedwiththecondensingunit(Circuit1).

3 /8IDCupipeusedfortherefrigerantcircuitconnectedtotheroomunit.(Circuit2).

The PE pipes are set up on thermocol bases,stacked oneovertheother.Thesebaseshencealso perform
theroleoffirstlayerofinsulationforthepipes.

2 thick rubberpadding isthen used to coverthestack ofthermocolbases.Thisformsthesecond layerof

insulation.

B.CondensingUnit:

KCJ511HAE,Kirloskarmadereciprocatingcompressor.

C.RoomUnit:

Standard1TRHighwallroomunitwith350CFMairhandlingcapacity.

D.PipingandInsulation

3 /8IDCupipeForCircuit1and7/8IDCupipeforCircuit2.

3 /8IDRubberInsulationForCircuit1and7/8IDRubberInsulationforCircuit2.

Remark: The test apparatus has been set up with standard parts and not with an aim to optimize theresults.Thetests

conducted are qualitative in nature and not quantitative. The tests are an attempt to determine how well theassembly
respondsandup

towhatextentaretheexpectationsaremetintermsofdesignedsystemcapacity.

2.2
DifferentPCMstested

Originally PTSS
was developed to work with water as the PCM. However tests have also been conducted with
inorganic salt solutionsasPCM.Thesystemhasbeen tested with AcmeTelePowerLtd.,madePCM 25.With wateras
PCM, it was possible to maintain lower temperatures in the room. The properties of both PCM have been enlisted in
TableI.

TABLEI

PCM FreezingPt. MeltingPt. Latent Specific

Heatof gravity
fusion
Water
0C
0C
330kJ/kg
1
19C
25C 120kJ/kg 1.48
PCM25
[3]

PCM 25 has been tested specifically for Acme Tele Power Ltd., for the application in Telecom Shelters. With water
lower supply temperature (20C) in the room were targeted whereas with PCM 25 it is required to maintain a room
temperatureofnotmorethan38Cintheshelter.

2.2.1
TestwithwaterasPCM
ExperimentSetup:

PTSS has been placed at an elevated levelascompared to theroomunit.Theelevation hasbeen kept
tonotmorethanafoottotestthesystemunderminimumpossibleheadavailable.

Thecondensingunithasbeeninstalledontheoutside.

Therefrigerantcircuitsaremade.

Temperature sensors from data logger are connected to record thereturn and supply dry and wetbulb
temperatures.



Temperature sensors are also used to determinethetemperatureofwaterinsidetheHIMODERand
thatofcompressortopcell.

During the charging phase a power meter is used to estimatethepowerconsumed by thecondensing
unit.

Thesystemischargedto7Cafterwhichthecondensingunitiscutoff.

Thecompressortopcelltemperatureislimitedto55C.

Readings for dry and wet bulb temperaturesforsupply and return arerecorded afteratimeintervalof
1minute.

Test1:
The condensing unit is run and PTSS
is charged. The variation ofwatertemperature,insidePTSS,with timeisshown
inFig5.
Fig5.Temperaturechangesinwaterduringcharging

TABLEII

DATA
VALUE
WaterTemperatureinPTSS
69.8F(21C)
RoomTemperature
84.2F(29C),77F(25C)
WaterTemperatureattheend
5C
ofcharging
Timetakenforcharging
185mins
MassofWaterin
39kg
HIMODER

The variation in water temperature while discahrging are shown in Fig.6 The variation in theenthalapiesofthereturn
and supply air of the room are shown in Fig 7.Thecapacity obtained perminute(TRmins)isplotted vstimein Fig 8.
TheresultsaretabulatedinTableIII.
TABLEIII
DATA
RESULT
CHARGINGTIME(from
195MINS
21Cto7C)
DISCHARGINGTIME
165MINS
CAPACITY
1.17TRHRS
POWERCONSUMEDBY
0.8kW
COMPRESSOR
UNITSCONSUMEDBY
2.2kWhrs
COMPRESSOR
COP
1.87


Fig

6 .Temperaturechangesinwaterduringcharging

Fig7.Differenceinenthalpiesofreturnairandsupplyairoftheroomduringtheprocessofdischarging.

Fig

8 .TRMinsrecordedduringthedischargingprocess

Test 2: One of the mode of operation for PTSS

could be a situation wheresimultaneouscharging and discharging are
required. This test uses the same experiment setup as was used in Test 1 to simultaneously charge and discharge the
PTSS. The plot of enthalpies of return and supply air isshown in Fig 9.
Thevariation in TRMinsisplotted in plotted
in Fig 10.
The temperature of water inside the HIMODER stabilized to 5.4C. A continuous capacity of

approximately 0.47TR was obtained. Atthispointthecharging and discharging rateswereequaland thesystemsettled

intoequilibrium.

Fig

9 .Differenceinenthalpiesofreturnandsupplyairduringsimultaneouscharginganddischarging.

Fig

9 .TRMinsrecordedduringsimultaneouscharginganddischarging.

RemarksonResults:
1.

With water as PCM a COP of 1.87 is obtained which is slightly on the lower side. However the
system has not been optimized to enhance the COP. With a more efficient setup a higher COP is definitely
achievable.

2.

The charging and discharging rate of PCM can be varied depending upon thesystemrequirement.
One way ofdoing thisisto vary thesizesoftherefrigerantpiping in thePTSS
module.Ithasbeen established that
therateofformationoficeoverrefrigerantcoilincreaseswithincreaseinpipediameter[4].

3.

In viewoftheaboveinformation optimumsizecan beestablished which willfreezethewaterin the
pipesatthedesiredrate.

4.

It takes around 270 mins to equalizetherateofcharging and discharging.Thisisthecasewhen the
cooling is obtained directly from the compressor. Hence in case where direct cooling is desired and PTSS
is not
charged a smarter arrangement can be made to provide refrigerant directly to the room unit without entering the

PTSS.

TABLEIV

Data
CHARGINGTIME(from
29Cto0C)
Dischargingtime
Capacity
Powerconsumedby
compressor
Unitsconsumedby
compressor
COP
Mass

RESULT
120MINS
100MINS
0.6TRHRS
0.8kW
1.6kWhrs
1.3
63kg

2.2.2
TestwithPCM25

Experiment Setup: The requirement forusing PCM 25 in PTSSisdifferentfromthatofwaterasstated earlier.Hencea

certain modifications in the experimental setups are made. However one test is conducted with the original setup to
observethecapability ofsetup to work in an environmentdifferentfromtheonein which itisdesigned to perform.The
PCMfreezesat19C.HoweverforthereasonsmentionedabovePCMisfrozentill0C.

The difference of enthalpies isplotted in Fig 10.TheTRMinsrecorded areplotted in Fig.11.Theresultsaretabulated

inTABLEIV.

For the actual application in telecom shelters however the cooling obtained fromthemelting ofPCM 25 isrequired to
maintain a temperature of 38C. Moreover since the PCM freezes
atatemperatureof19Cthenexttestisconducted
byfreezingthePCMto13Cthedesiredtemperatureandsimulatingtheconditionsinsideatelecomshelter.
Theexperimentalsetupishencemodifiedasfollows:

Fig10.Differenceinenthalpiesofreturnandsupplyairfromthehighwallroomunit

Fig11.TRMinsrecordedwiththeoldsetup

TheAHUisnowenclosedinaninsulatedcasing.

The insulated casing consists of a 1kW heater. The current to the heater is controlled using a
modulatingcontroller.Thecurrentismonitoredusingapowermeter.

The output of the heater is so modulated that the temperature in the casing should not exceed
38C.

Akilowattmeterisusedtoobservethepowerconsumedbytheheaterduringtheentireoperation.

Fig 12 shows the variation in temperature of PCM 25 w.r.t time during thecharging phase.Fig 13 showsthereadings
from the kilo watt meter which signifies the power consumed by the heater while a temperature of NMT 38C was
maintained in the insulated chamber. The capacity of the system thus is the cumulative of the readings from the kilo
watt meter taken during the discharging phase. Table V
enlists the initial conditions whileTableVI
showstheresults
andendconditionsofthetest.

TABLEV

DATA
VALUE
PCM25Temperaturein
82.4F(28C)
PTSS
Temperatureofairinside
84.74F(29.3C)
theenclosure.
PCM25Temperatureatthe
19.0C
endofcharging
Evaporatingpressurefor
85psi
condensingunit
Refrigerantused
R22
Timeintervalforrecording
5min
chargingdata
Timeintervalforrecording
1min
dischargingdata
AmbientDry&WetBulb 85F(Dry),78F(Wet)
Temperatures

Mass

63kg

Fig12.VariationinTemperatureofPCM25duringCharging

Fig13.TRMinsrecorded

Remarks:
1.

The tests for PCM 25 have been conducted using the same demonstration unit which was built to
work with waterasPCM.Thecondensing unitused in thecurrentunitisforlowtemperatureairconditioning.This
condensing unit can be replaced by a new unit which works at higher evaporating temperatures. Thus, with the
implementationofthischangewecanexpectlowerpowerconsumptionandahigherCOP.

2.

M oreover it has been established using the test resultsthattheefficiency obtained fromPCM 25 is
of the order of 7075%. This is in sync with themanufacturer'sprovided efficiency of80%.Henceby making the
changessuggestedabovethehigherefficiencycanbeachieved.

3.

Whileusing inorganicsaltsasPCM itisobserved thatitfreezesoverarangeoftemperature.Oneof

the reasons attributed to this phenomenon is the separation ofsolid particulateofthesaltsolution.Thiscausesthe
solid and liquid phase to crystallize at different temperature. Hence sometimes a nucleating agent is added to the
salt solution to sharpen the freezing point. In absence of such a nucleating agent complete latent heat of the
solutioncannotbetapped.Henceapartoftheheatenergyharvestedisthatofsensiblenature.

[5].

IIICONCLUSION


Using TSS does not only make sense economically but also from the point of view of energy conservation. It helps
flatten the peak demand and hence avoiding hefty demand charge. A simple layout and an extremely flexible design

allows HIMODER

to be custom made for thedesired applications.Thecondensing unitworking atnightworksmore

efficiently due to the presence of cooler night time air available to the condenser. Furthermore there is reduce
dependenceon DGsets.Thenoiseand airpollution created by DGsetscan becontrolled significantly using TSS.Itnot
only benefits the end user but also theutility supplier.Thisisso sincebecausein theawakeofflattening ofpeak load,
thesurpluspowercanbedistributedtoothersitesorcanbeusedforotherpurposes.

The test results

indicate that the PTSS
d esign does perform to the meet the desired capacity to a certain extent.
The
PTSS module was designed to give a capacity of 1TRHr with water which was successfully obtained.Thesameunit
working for PCM 25 extracts latent heat from PCM 25 upto 75%. This can be further enhanced by optimizing the
setup.

At the heart of PTSS is a pump less operation. It avoids any unnecessary pumping of water for chilling purpose. In
particular this isan added advantagefortelecomshelterssincethispump lessoperation safeguardstheshelterfromany
waterseepingintothesensitivecircuitswithintheshelter.

IVREFERENCES

[1] Maharashtra Electricity Tariff Plan Listing, 200506, Publication of the Govt. ofMaharashtra,MaharashtraPower
Supplydivision.
[2]CourtesyEnergeticConsultingPvt.Ltd.
[3]CourtesyAcmeTelePowerPvt.Ltd.
[4] Adam CristopheModeling of Ice Storage System Proceedings of the Eighth International IBPSA Conference,
Netherlands,August2003.
[5] M.YamahaStudy of the Thermal Characteristic of the PCM for Buildings use. Takasago Thermal Engineering
Co.Ltd.,Tokyo

Japan.