Mathematical modeling and a experimental validation of a PCM storage tank in a solar cooling plant.

Solar energy use has increased considerably in the last decade but the intermittent character of solar radiation requires storage systems to shift the production when it is needed. Storage systems based on phase change materials (PCM) are becoming very popular because this technique offers “high storage density at small temperature changes”. This paper presents a simplified mathematical model of the PCM storage which is able to simulate the storage tank behavior accuracy. The analysis of PCM tanks are mainly performed using numerical models that in general provide detailed information and good accuracy. Nevertheless this type of model is not adequate when the requirement is to simulate a system where the PCM storage system is only-one equipment in the system. The reason is that they are computationally expensive and require a very wide definition of parameters. The models were validated with data from two experimental setups. In the storage system of experiments, HTF flows by tubes and PCM is in the shell side. Additionally this paper presents a sensibility study to show the behavior of the model when some parameters change.