Experimental Study Based On Thermal Cycles On A PCM Sample For Cold Storage In An AC System
Résumé
Air conditioning (AC) systems consume around 60 % of electric energy in hotels in tropical regions. The proposed system uses solar photovoltaic (PV) panels to supply electricity to chiller during the day. The main part of the cooling energy is delivered to the building and the rest is stored in a PCM tank. This energy storage is used for cold restitution during the night. The PCM material is a eutectic mixture of two fatty acids from coconut oil impregnated in a compressed expanded graphite matrix. The cubic samples have an edge length of 10 cm. They were placed in an experimental setup in which hot or cold water can be circulated in thermal contact with four surfaces of the sample. Thermocouples were placed on the surfaces and inside the cubic sample in order to observe the evolution of the temperature affected by the phase changes during heating and cooling processes. The results enable to assess the heat losses of the setup and the heat transfers between the sample and the water. The dynamic behaviour of the PCM sample can also be approached in order to characterize the material. Its integration in a PCM storage tank will help deploying solar AC systems and act for decarbonisation of the air-conditioned building sector.
Domaines
Sciences de l'ingénieur [physics]
Origine : Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s)