1st Asian Conference on Cold Chain (ACCC2019)

47 / 2019-07-24 16:14:55

Experimental Study on Melting Process of Vacuum Insulated Cold Thermal Energy Storage Panel Based on Embedded Heat Pipes

phase change material,heat pipe,melting behaviour,cold thermal energy storage

Plenary track > Renewable energies in the cold chain

It is refrigeration which is responsible for more than 15% of total electricity consumption in China. The latent cold energy storage uses phase change material (PCM) is an energy saving technology that has always been attracted interest in refrigeration applications. By recent interest in overcoming the heat transfer limitations of PCMs, thermal energy storage process that enhanced by embedded heat pipes has received much attention. In the present paper, a vacuum insulated cold thermal energy storage panel that embedded with heat pipes and PCMs are investigated experimentally. The evaporator section of heat pipes is exposed in air. By applying different air speed and air temperature, melting process of PCM and the cold thermal energy supply performance of the panel are analysed. The temperature difference between the inlet and the outlet of the air side increases with the increase of the inlet temperature and decreases with the increase of the wind speed. The refrigeration capacity of the panel has a linear relationship with the inlet air temperature and corresponding to the ratio of different air velocities. The study also provides a framework for designing of portable cold thermal energy storage device with controllable energy supply.