The aim of this study was to investigate the economic and energy-efficiency potentials for configuring thermal energy storage (TES) units in Swedish residential buildings. Consequently, the goal was to carry out economical and energy calculations over two applications of coupling two different types of heat pumps with a TES unit (water tank) for providing space heating in a detached single-family house in Stockholm, Sweden during winter time. The heating systems with the heat pumps and TES unit were modeled and simulated using the software MATLAB. Different criteria were applied to govern when the heat pumps would charge the TES unit, for example one criterion stated that the charging process would only occur if the electricity price was lower than a certain value. The results showed that there were savings both in terms of energy and economy for coupling a TES unit with a heat pump, for both types of heat pumps and regardless of criteria selection. The conclusions of the study is that there is potential for configuring TES units with heat pumps in detached single-family households in Sweden. However, since the models in this study included several simplifications, it is necessary to perform similar simulations with wider and more accurate models. / Energieffektivisering i byggnader är ett mycket aktuellt område i miljödiskussioner idag. Den totala energianvändningen i villor i Sverige 2014 motsvarade 31.2 TWh. Ett av forskningsområdena inom energieffektivisering i villor är värmelagringssystem (thermal energy storage systems, TES). Med TES kan man lagra energi och således uppstår möjligheten att frikoppla energianvändningen från energiproduktionen. Det finns olika typer av lagringsmetoder men denna rapport fokuserade på sensibel värmelagring i form av en tank, med vatten som lagringsmedium, kopplad till en värmepump. Syftet var att undersöka både ekonomisk- och energipotential för att konfigurera TES-enheter i fristående svenska villor. Således var målet att utföra beräkningar för ekonomiska- och energibesparingar för de två olika typer av värmepumpar kopplade med TES-enheten som tillgodoser värmebehovet för en fristående villa i Sverige under en vintervecka i februari. Värmebehovet för hushållet räknades fram timvis för den vecka som studerades. Utifrån detta behov bestämdes värmepumpens uteffekt per dag. För timmar där effekten producerad av värmepumpen översteg värmebehovet laddades TES-enheten för senare användning vid timmar med värmebehov som översteg effekten producerad av värmepumpen. TES-enheten som var en vattentank dimensionerades utefter det största värmebehovet under  veckan. De två värmesystemskonfigurationer presenterades som case A och B, där case A inkluderade en TES-enhet kopplad med en bergvärmepump med ett konstant COP-värde och case B en luftvattenvärmepump med ett varierande COP-värde kopplad med en TES-enhet. För att kunna utföra beräkningar användes datorprogrammet MATLAB, där olika kriterier styrde hur värmepumparna laddade TES-enheten. Båda casen undersöktes med och utan hänsyn till ett elektricitet-prisvariationskriterium samt ett COP-variationskriterium för case B. Resultatet indikerade att för ett värmesystem med en TES-enhet kopplad till en värmepump finns både ekonomisk-och energibesparing. Besparingarna varierade beroende på typ av värmepump och kriterier som togs till hänsyn. Men oavsett typen av värmesystem och kriterier fanns det besparingspotential. Slutsatserna är att det finns potential att implementera TES-enheter med värmepump i fristående svenska villor men att det behövs undersökningar med noggrannare modeller för att erhålla ett mer ackurat resultat. Detta då flera förenklingar och antaganden har gjorts i denna studie.

The International Energy Agency’s Global Status Report 2017 estimates that existing buildings must undergo deep energy renovations, which reduce the energy intensity of buildings by 50% - 70% in order to achieve the “Beyond 2°C” scenario [1]. Many buildings in Bitola, The Republic of North Macedonia, will need considerable upgrades to meet these goals. Among them, health care facilities and education centers have the greatest potential, with energy savings that could reach 35 to 40% [2]. PHI Clinical Hospital Bitola is the largest health care facility in the southwestern region of North Macedonia with a capacity of 500 beds, providing care to almost 300.000 patients annually. It has a heating system based on heavy fuel oil, and an inefficient distribution system which has not been upgraded since the 1970s. There is no centralized ventilation or cooling systems, making it necessary to open and close windows in order to regulate the indoor temperature and generate natural ventilation. This study aims to replace the use of heavy fuel oil (HFO), reduce building related GHG emissions, and increase the primary renewable energy fraction of PHI Clinical Hospital Bitola, by investigating a replacement energy system using heat pumps and solar energy. Special consideration is given to increasing the level of comfort of patients and improving the safety of the indoor environment. Space conditioning, domestic hot water, and electricity demands for three critical buildings are considered in Polysun over a 1-year period. The costs and benefits of technologies including air and ground source heat pumps, solar photovoltaics, and ice thermal energy storage are analyzed. It is determined which of these technologies can be implemented in an energy and cost-efficient manner in the Republic of North Macedonia, thus contributing to the reduction of building related greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants that contribute to poor air quality. Ground source heat pumps perform superior to air source heat pumps, however, the total life cycle costs of ground source heat pump systems are much higher than air source heat pump systems, making the marginal gains in the technical performance not worth the investment in a borehole field. When using ice thermal energy storage within the cooling and domestic hot water systems the benefits of improved heat pump performance and reduced electricity consumption are not observed. The configuration of thermal storage tested here uses the domestic hot water system to withdraw heat from the thermal storage tank, creating ice, which is then used to decrease the need for cooling using the chiller. However, the cooling load is much larger than the hot water demand, and so any ice generated in the tank is depleted within the first few days of cooling. Many other configurations and control strategies for thermal storage exist which could be the subject of further research. When selecting a renewable energy system that could replace the current HFO boiler in the hospital, the results of this study suggest that an air source heat pump system with solar PV is the recommended solution. For buildings 1 and 2, the final results achieved a primary renewable energy fraction of 62%, a GHG emissions savings of 840 tons of CO2eq equating to a 26% reduction, coming at a capital cost of nearly 2,7 million €, and reducing annual energy expenses by 47%. For building 4 the final system delivers a primary renewable energy fraction of 64%, GHG emissions savings of 109 tons CO2eq or 17%, while costing 0,67 million € in capital expenses and lowering annual energy expenses by 50%. / Den internationella energi byråns globala status rapport 2017 uppskattar att existerande byggnader måste undergå djupgående energi renovationer, som ska reducera byggnadernas energiintensitet med 50% - 70% för att uppnå i scenariot “Beyond 2°C” [1]. Många byggnader i Bitola (Republiken av nora Makedonien), kommer att behöva betydande uppgraderingar för att uppfylla dessa mål. Bland dem har hälsovårdsanläggningar och utbildningscenter den största potentialen, med energi besparingar där dessa kan uppnå 35% till 40% [2]. PHI Kliniskt Sjukhus Bitola är den största sjukvårdsanläggningen i den sydvästra regionen av Nora Makedonien med en kapacitet på 500 sängplatser, som ger vård till nästan 300.000 patienter årligen. Det nuvarande värmesystemet är baserat på tung eldningsolja och ett ineffektivt distributionssystem som inte har uppdaterats sedan 1970-talet. Det finns inga centraliserade ventilations- och kylsystem, vilket gör det nödvändigt att öppna och stänga fönster för att reglera inomhustemperaturen och generera naturlig ventilation. Denna studie syftar till att ersätta användningen av tung eldningsolja, minska byggnadsrelaterade växthusutsläpp och öka den primära förnyelsebara energifraktionen av Kliniskt Sjukhus Bitola. Genom att undersöksöka ett ersättande energisystem med värmepumpar och solenergi. Särskild hänsyn tas till öka patienternas komfort och förbättra säkerheten i inomhusmiljön. Värme och kyla, varmvatten och el-krav för tre kritiska byggnader betraktas i Polysun under en 1- års period. Kostnaderna och fördelarna med tekniken inklusive luft och markvärmepumpar, solceller och termisk energilagring analyseras. Det fastställs vilken av dessa tekniker som kan implementeras på ett energi- och kostnadseffektivt sätt i Republiken av nora Makedonien, vilket bidrar till att minska byggnadsrelaterade växthusgasutsläpp och andra föroreningar som kan bidra till dålig luftkvalitet. Markvärmepumpar har högre prestanda än luftvärmepumpar, men de totala livscykelkostnaderna för ett markvärmepumpsystem är mycket högre än för ett luftvärmepumpsystem. Vilket gör den marginella vinsterna för den tekniska prestandan inte värda investeringen av ett borrhåls fält. Vid användning av is som termisk energilagring och kylning och varmvattensanläggningar, tog ingen hänsyn till fördelarna med en förbättrad värmepumps prestanda och minskad elförbrukning. Konfigurationen av termisk lagring som testas här använder det inhemska varmvattensystemet för att ta bort värme från den termiska lagringstanken, vilket skapar is som sedan används för att minska behovet av nedkylning av byggnaden. Kylbelastningen är emellertid mycket större än varmvattenbehovet. Vilket betyder att all is som genereras i tanken används upp efter några dagar av kylning. Många andra konfigurationer och styrstrategier för termisk lagring finns och kan vara till ändamål för framtida forskning. När val av ett förnybart energisystem görs som ska kunna ersätta den nuvarande tung eldningsolja pannan på sjukhuset antyder resultatet av denna studie att ett värmepumpsystem med luftkälla och sol-PV är den rekommenderade lösningen. För byggnad 1 och 2 uppnådde det slutliga resultatet en primär förnyelsebar energifraktion på 62%, vilket skulle innebära en besparing av växthusgasutsläpp med 840 ton CO2 ekvivalenter. Vilket motsvarar en minskning med 26%, med en kapitalkostnad på nästan 2,7 miljoner €. Samt minskade årliga energikostnader med 47%. För byggnad 4 levererar det slutliga systemet en primär förnybar energifraktion på 64%, med en -5- besparing av växthusutsläpp på 109 ton CO2 ekvivalenter eller 17%. Medan det kostar 0,67 miljoner € i kapitalutgifter och sänker den årliga energikostnaden med 50%.

This study encompasses various aspects of corrosion in chloride molten salt environments, employing electrochemical techniques and a forced convection loop. It explores corrosion thermodynamic properties, electrochemical corrosion kinetics, and flow-induced dynamic corrosion. The study developed a novel electrochemical method for measuring thermodynamic properties of corrosion products and develops a new analysis theory for potentiodynamic polarization data obtained from cathodic diffusion-controlled reactions. Additionally, the design and operation experience of a forced convection chloride molten salt loop is shared. Particularly, the study presents novel findings on the turbulent flow-induced corrosion phenomenon and mechanism of Fe-based alloys in Mg-based chloride molten salt. These outcomes provide valuable insights into the corrosion mechanisms and flow-induced corrosion of Fe-based alloys in chloride molten salt. The results and experiences shared in this paper have implications for the successful implementation of molten salt as an advanced heat transfer fluid and thermal energy storage material in high-temperature applications, benefiting the nuclear and concentrating solar communities. / Doctor of Philosophy / This study explores the corrosion behavior of materials chloride molten salt, which is used in advanced energy systems. By using advanced techniques, the researchers investigated how these materials react and corrode in different conditions. They developed new methods to measure the properties of the corrosion products and analyzed how different factors affect the corrosion process. Additionally, they shared their experiences in building and operating a flow loop to simulate these conditions. The study discovered interesting phenomena, such as how the flow of molten salt can cause corrosion in certain types of metals. These findings provide important insights for improving the use of molten salt as a heat transfer fluid and energy storage material in advanced energy technologies.

With the growing capacity of renewable energy production sources, nuclear energy, once a mainstay of power generation, faces challenges due to its limited adaptability to fluctuating energy demands. This inherent rigidity makes it less desirable than the more flexible renewable sources. However, integrating thermal energy storage (TES) systems offers a promising avenue, enabling nuclear power plants (NPPs) to enhance their operational flexibility and remain competitive in an evolving renewable market. A comprehensive ranking methodology has been introduced, delineating the criteria and processes to determine the most synergistic TES/NPP design couplings. This methodology considers the unique characteristics of both current and prospective reactor fleets, ensuring broad applicability across various nuclear technologies. Economic analysis further supports the case for TES integration. Findings indicate that when equipped with TES systems, NPPs can remain price competitive, even with carbon-neutral alternatives like solar power generation. A lab-scale TES system was meticulously designed and constructed to validate these theoretical propositions. For its control, the Python GEKKO model predictive control (MPC) was employed, a decision influenced by the proven efficacy of GEKKO in managing complex systems. Tests conclusively demonstrated the feasibility and efficiency of using GEKKO for MPC of TES systems. A novel methodology for the MPC of a RELAP5-3D input deck has been proposed and elaborated upon. This methodology was rigorously tested at two distinct scales. The initial focus was on a thermal-hydraulic model of the lab-scale TES system. Subsequent efforts scaled up to control a more intricate thermal-hydraulic model, representing a small modular reactor (SMR) paired with an oil-based TES system. In both scenarios, GEKKO exhibited exemplary performance, controlling the RELAP5-3D models with precision and ensuring they met the stipulated demand parameters. The research underscores the potential of RELAP5-3D MPC in streamlining the licensing process for TES systems intended for NPP coupling. This approach could eliminate the need for expensive and time-consuming experiments, paving the way for more efficient and cost-effective nuclear energy solutions.

The closed greenhouse is an innovative concept in sustainable energy management. The closed greenhouse can be considered as a large commercial solar building. In principle, it is designed to maximize the utilization of solar energy through seasonal storage. In a fully closed greenhouse, there are not any ventilation windows. Therefore, the excess sensible and latent heat must be removed, and can be stored using seasonal and/or daily thermal storage technology. The available stored excess heat can be utilized later in order to satisfy the heating demand in the greenhouse, and also in neighbouring buildings. A model for energy analysis of a greenhouse has been developed using the commercial software TRNSYS. With this model, the performance of various design scenarios has been examined. The closed greenhouse is compared with a conventional greenhouse using a case study to guide the energy analysis. In the semi-closed greenhouse, a large part of the available excess heat will be stored through thermal energy storage system (TES). However, a ventilation system can still be integrated in order to use fresh air as a rapid response indoor climate control system. The partly closed greenhouse consists of a fully closed section and a conventional section. The fully closed section will supply the heating and cooling demand of the conventional section as well as its own demand. The results show that there is a large difference in heating demand between the ideal closed and conventional greenhouse configurations. Also, it can be concluded that the greenhouse glazing type (single or double glass) and, in the case of the semi-closed and partly closed greenhouse, the controlled ventilation ratio are important for the thermal energy performance of the system.  A thermo-economic analysis has been done in order to investigate the cost feasibility of various closed greenhouse configurations. From this analysis, it was found that the load chosen for the design of the seasonal storage has the main impact on the payback period. In the case of the base load being chosen as the design load, the payback period for the ideal closed greenhouse might be reduced by 50% as compared to using peak load. Thus, future studies should explore innovative combinations of short term and seasonal storage. Finally, several energy management scenarios have been discussed in order to find alternatives for improving the energy performance of the closed greenhouses. However, no specific optimal solution has so far been defined. / <p>QC 20111115</p>

Thermal energy storage (TES) consists in storing heat for a later use, thereby reducing the gap between energy availability and demand. The most diffused materials for TES are the organic solid-liquid phase change materials (PCMs), such as paraffin waxes, which accumulate and release a high amount of latent heat through a solid-liquid phase change, at a nearly constant temperature. To avoid leakage and loss of material, PCMs are either encapsulated in inert shells or shape-stabilized with porous materials or a nanofiller network. Generally, TES systems are only a supplementary component added to the main structure of a device, but this could unacceptably rise weight and volume of the device itself. In the applications where weight saving and thermal management are both important (e.g. automotive, portable electronics), it would be beneficial to embed the heat storage/management in the structural components. The aim of this thesis is to develop polymer composites that combine a polymer matrix, a PCM and a reinforcing agent, to reach a good balance of mechanical and TES properties. Since this research topic lacks a systematic investigation in the scientific literature, a wide range of polymer/PCM/reinforcement combinations were studied in this thesis, to highlight the effect of PCM introduction in a broad range of matrix/reinforcement combinations and to identify the best candidates and the key properties and parameters, in order to set guidelines for the design of these materials. The thesis in divided in eight Chapters. Chapter I and II provide the introduction and the theoretical background, while Chapter III details the experimental techniques applied on the prepared composites. The results and discussion are then described in Chapters IV-VII. Chapter IV presents the results of PCM-containing composites having a thermoplastic matrix. First, polyamide 12 (PA12) was melt-compounded with either a microencapsulated paraffin (MC) or a paraffin powder shape-stabilized with carbon nanotubes (ParCNT), and these mixtures were used as matrices to produce thermoplastic laminates with a glass fiber fabric via hot-pressing. MC was proven more suitable to be combined with PA12 than ParCNT, due to the higher thermal resistance. However, also the MC were considerably damaged by melt compounding and the two hot-pressing steps, which caused paraffin leakage and degradation, as demonstrated by the relative enthalpy lower than 100 %. Additionally, the PCM introduction decreased the mechanical properties of PA12 and the tensile strength of the laminates, but for the laminates containing MC the elastic modulus and the strain at break were not negatively affected by the PCM. Higher TES properties were achieved with the production of a semi-structural composite that combined PA12, MC and discontinuous carbon fibers. For example, the composite with 50 wt% of MC and 20 wt% of milled carbon fibers exhibited a total melting enthalpy of 60.4 J/g and an increase in elastic modulus of 42 % compared to the neat PA. However, the high melt viscosity and shear stresses developed during processing were still responsible for a not negligible PCM degradation, as also evidenced by dynamic rheological tests. Further increases in the mechanical and TES properties were achieved by using a reactive thermoplastic matrix, which could be processed as a thermosetting polymer and required considerably milder processing conditions that did not cause PCM degradation. MC was combined with an acrylic thermoplastic resin and the mixtures were used as matrices to produce laminates with a bidirectional carbon fabric, and for these laminates the melting enthalpy increased with the PCM weight fraction and reached 66.8 J/g. On the other hand, the increased PCM fraction caused a rise in the matrix viscosity and so a decrease in the fiber volume fraction in the final composite, thereby reducing the elastic modulus and flexural strength. Dynamic-mechanical investigation evidenced the PCM melting as a decreasing step in ’; its amplitude showed a linear trend with the melting enthalpy, and it was almost completely recovered during cooling, as evidenced by cyclic DMA tests. Chapter V presents the results of PCM-containing thermosetting composites. A further comparison between MC and ParCNT was performed in a thermosetting epoxy matrix. First, ParCNT was mixed with epoxy and the mixtures were used as matrices to produce laminates with a bidirectional carbon fiber fabric. ParCNT kept its thermal properties also in the laminates, and the melting enthalpy was 80-90 % of the expected enthalpy. Therefore, ParCNT performed better in thermosetting than in thermoplastic matrices due to the milder processing conditions, but the surrounding matrix still partially hindered the melting-crystallization process. Therefore, epoxy was combined with MC, but the not optimal adhesion between the matrix and the MC shell caused a considerable decrease in mechanical strength, as also demonstrated by the fitting with the Nicolais-Narkis and Pukanszky models, both of which evidenced scarce adhesion and considerable interphase weakness. However, the Halpin-Tsai and Lewis-Nielsen models of the elastic modulus evidenced that at low deformations the interfacial interaction is good, and this also agrees with the data of thermal conductivity, which resulted in excellent agreement with the Pal model calculated considering no gaps at the interface. These epoxy/MC mixtures were then reinforced with either continuous or discontinuous carbon fibers, and their characterization confirmed that the processing conditions of an epoxy composite are mild enough to preserve the integrity of the microcapsules and their TES capability. For continuous fiber composites, the increase in the MC fraction impaired the mechanical properties mostly because of the decrease in the final fiber volume fraction and because the MC phase tends to concentrate in the interlaminar region, thereby lowering the interlaminar shear strength. On the other hand, a small amount of MC enhanced the mode I interlaminar fracture toughness (Gic increases of up to 48 % compared to the neat epoxy/carbon laminate), as the MC introduced other energy dissipation mechanisms such as the debonding, crack deflection, crack pinning and micro-cracking, which added up to the fiber bridging. Chapter VI introduces a fully biodegradable TES composite with a thermoplastic starch matrix, reinforced with thin wood laminae and containing poly(ethylene glycol) as the PCM. The wood laminae successfully acted as a multifunctional reinforcement as they also stabilized PEG in their inner pores (up to 11 wt% of the whole laminate) and prevent its leakage. Moreover PEG was proven to increase the stiffness and strength of the laminate, thereby making the mechanical and TES properties synergistic and not parasitic. Finally, Chapter VII focused on PCM microcapsules. The synthesis of micro- and nano-capsules with an organosilica shell via a sol-gel approach clarified that the confinement in small domains and the interaction with the shell wall modified the crystallization behavior of the encapsulated PCM, as also evidenced by NMR and XRD studies and confirmed by DSC results. In the second part of Chapter VII, a coating of polydpamine (PDA) deposited onto the commercial microcapsules MC. The resulting PDA coating was proven effective to enhance the interfacial adhesion with an epoxy matrix, as evidenced by SEM micrographs. XPS demonstrated that the PDA layer was able to react with oxirane groups, thereby evidencing the possibility of forming covalent bond with the epoxy matrix during the curing step.

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The objective of this thesis was to assess the market opportunities for two novel Carnot battery system solutions, one supplying power and low temperature heat as well as a system supplying medium temperature heat exclusively. To fulfill the objective, a methodology was developed and implemented to investigate the market potential, further two techno-economic models were developed and utilized to investigate the performance of such Carnot battery solutions. Based on the market review four industrial sectors were identified as most interesting and the geographical scope was confined to Europe. Further, case studies were developed to mimic two different sizes of manufacturing plants, a small and large, for the identified sectors. The cases were then implemented to the techno-economic analysis to compare the performance of a new Carnot battery system against the conventional energy solutions. The identified market offers a vast opportunity for incorporating Carnot battery solutions to meet the industrial sectors requirements, both from a technical and market size perspective. The market review combined with the techno-economic analysis indicates that the heat market is interesting as long as fuel, power grid costs and industrial operations are at the ideal level. For the Carnot battery system supplying both power and heat, it was found that yearly cost savings in the range of 10-15 % could be achieved for the identified market. The added value of incorporating heat generation and surplus power from PV had a strong effect on the business case. Through sensitivity analysis it was approximated that locations in central/south Europe with global horizontal irradiance (GHI) above 1500 kWh/m2 would benefit from the solution. For the Carnot battery system supplying medium temperature heat it was found that solutions would struggle with feasibility for the given market conditions. Through sensitivity it was found that locations with GHI higher than 2100 kWh/m2 would benefit from the solution. For both models it was found that the hybrid solution, Carnot battery combined with on-site PV, yields the most feasible solution for the end user, compared to charging the Carnot storage system from the power grid. Both models were sensitives to changes in energy cost for operating the old conventional system as well as operations times of the industries. The availability of space is a major constraint to implement Carnot battery solutions, as both the Carnot battery as well as PV plant require substantial space. It was found through literature and interviews that industries with close proximity to end customer and which faces pressure to decarbonize, may be most interesting to target, as for e.g. the Food and beverage sector. / Syftet med denna uppsats var att undersöka marknadspotentialen för två stycken Carnot batterisystem, ett system som generar både el och låg tempererad värme och ett som endast generar medel tempererad värme. För att uppnå målet så utvecklades och implementerades en metod för att undersöka marknadspotentialen, vidare så utvecklades och användes två tekno-ekonomiska modeller för att undersöka prestandan för de två Carnot lösningarna. Baserat på marknadsundersökningen så identifierades fyra industriella sektorer som mest intressanta och baserat på dem begränsades omfattningen av studien till Europa. Från marknadsgenomsökningen och de identifierade industriella sektorerna skapades två olika profiler för att representera en liten och stor industri för de identifierade sektorerna. Profilerna användes som utgångspunkt för den tekno-ekonomiska analysen för att jämföra prestandan hos ett nytt Carnot batterisystem mot konventionella energilösningar. Den identifierade marknaden erbjuder en stor möjlighet för att integrera Carnot batterilösningar för att möta industrisektorns krav, både ur ett tekniskt perspektiv och med tanke på marknadensstorleken. Marknadsundersökningen kombinerat med tekno-ekonomiskanalysen indikerar att värmemarknaden för industrier är intressant så länge bränsle- och elkostnader samt drifttiden är i rättnivå. Resultat från analysen tyder på att Carnot batterilösningar, som generar både el och värme, kan skapa energikostnadsbesparingar runt 10–15 % för den identifierade marknaden. Värdet av att addera kassaflöden från överskotts el från solcellerna samt värmegenerering har en stark påverkan på resultaten. Från en känslighetsanalys gick det att identifiera centrala/södra Europa som platser med tillräcklig solinstrålning (runt 1500 kWh/m2) för att dra nytta av ett Carnot batteri. För Carnot batterisystemet som endast producerar medel tempererad värme så skapas inga energikostandsbesparingar för slutanvändaren för den analyserade marknadsförutsättningarna. Genom en känslighetsanalys gick det att fastställa att hög solinstrålning krävs (över 2100 kWh/m2) för att slutanvändaren ska skapa några besparingar med systemet. För båda modellerna generade en hybridsystemlösning med både Carnot batteri samt lokal solcellsanläggning de bästa resultaten, jämfört med om systemet skulle laddas från elnätet. Båda modellerna är känsliga mot förändringar i energikostnader, värme eller el, för det konventionella systemet samt lägre drifttid. Vidare så är tillgänglig yta en annan restriktion som både kan hindra implementeringen av Carnot batteriet samt också solcellsanläggningen. Både litteraturstudien och de genomförda intervjuerna tyder på att industrier som har nära kontakt med slutkonsumenten och som har krav på att reducera sin miljöpåverkan, är en intressant användare av ett Carnot batterilösning, som exempelvis livsmedelsindustrin.

Thermal energy storage systems as an integral part of concentrated solar power plants improve the performance of the system by mitigating the mismatch between the energy supply and the energy demand. Using a phase change material (PCM) to store energy increases the energy density, hence, reduces the size and cost of the system. However, the performance is limited by the low thermal conductivity of the PCM, which decreases the heat transfer rate between the heat source and PCM, which therefore prolongs the melting, or solidification process, and results in overheating the interface wall. To address this issue, heat pipes are embedded in the PCM to enhance the heat transfer from the receiver to the PCM, and from the PCM to the heat sink during charging and discharging processes, respectively. In the current study, the thermal-fluid phenomenon inside a heat pipe was investigated. The heat pipe network is specifically configured to be implemented in a thermal energy storage unit for a concentrated solar power system. The configuration allows for simultaneous power generation and energy storage for later use. The network is composed of a main heat pipe and an array of secondary heat pipes. The primary heat pipe has a disk-shaped evaporator and a disk-shaped condenser, which are connected via an adiabatic section. The secondary heat pipes are attached to the condenser of the primary heat pipe and they are surrounded by PCM. The other side of the condenser is connected to a heat engine and serves as its heat acceptor. The applied thermal energy to the disk-shaped evaporator changes the phase of working fluid in the wick structure from liquid to vapor. The vapor pressure drives it through the adiabatic section to the condenser where the vapor condenses and releases its heat to a heat engine. It should be noted that the condensed working fluid is returned to the evaporator by the capillary forces of the wick. The extra heat is then delivered to the phase change material through the secondary heat pipes. During the discharging process, secondary heat pipes serve as evaporators and transfer the stored energy to the heat engine. Due to the different geometry of the heat pipe network, a new numerical procedure was developed. The model is axisymmetric and accounts for the compressible vapor flow in the vapor chamber as well as heat conduction in the wall and wick regions. Because of the large expansion ratio from the adiabatic section to the primary condenser, the vapor flow leaving the adiabatic pipe section of the primary heat pipe to the disk-shaped condenser behaves similarly to a confined jet impingement. Therefore, the condensation is not uniform over the main condenser. The feature that makes the numerical procedure distinguished from other available techniques is its ability to simulate non-uniform condensation of the working fluid in the condenser section. The vapor jet impingement on the condenser surface along with condensation is modeled by attaching a porous layer adjacent to the condenser wall. This porous layer acts as a wall, lets the vapor flow to impinge on it, and spread out radially while it allows mass transfer through it. The heat rejection via the vapor condensation is estimated from the mass flux by energy balance at the vapor-liquid interface. This method of simulating heat pipe is proposed and developed in the current work for the first time. Laboratory cylindrical and complex heat pipes and an experimental test rig were designed and fabricated. The measured data from cylindrical heat pipe were used to evaluate the accuracy of the numerical results. The effects of the operating conditions of the heat pipe, heat input, and portion of heat transferred to the phase change material, main condenser geometry, primary heat pipe adiabatic radius and its location as well as secondary heat pipe configurations have been investigated on heat pipe performance. The results showed that in the case with a tubular adiabatic section in the center, the complex interaction of convective and viscous forces in the main condenser chamber, caused several recirculation zones to form in this region, which made the performance of the heat pipe convoluted. The recirculation zone shapes and locations affected by the geometrical features and the heat input, play an important role in the condenser temperature distributions. The temperature distributions of the primary condenser and secondary heat pipe highly depend on the secondary heat pipe configurations and main condenser spacing, especially for the cases with higher heat inputs and higher percentages of heat transfer to the PCM via secondary heat pipes. It was found that changing the entrance shape of the primary condenser and the secondary heat pipes as well as the location and quantity of the secondary heat pipes does not diminish the recirculation zone effects. It was also concluded that changing the location of the adiabatic section reduces the jetting effect of the vapor flow and curtails the recirculation zones, leading to higher average temperature in the main condenser and secondary heat pipes. The experimental results of the conventional heat pipe are presented, however the data for the heat pipe network is not included in this dissertation. The results obtained from the experimental analyses revealed that for the transient operation, as the heat input to the system increases and the conditions at the condenser remains constant, the heat pipe operating temperature increases until it reaches another steady state condition. In addition, the effects of the working fluid and the inclination angle were studied on the performance of a heat pipe. The results showed that in gravity-assisted orientations, the inclination angle has negligible effect on the performance of the heat pipe. However, for gravity-opposed orientations, as the inclination angle increases, the temperature difference between the evaporator and condensation increases which results in higher thermal resistance. It was also found that if the heat pipe is under-filled with the working fluid, the capillary limit of the heat pipe decreases dramatically. However, overfilling of the heat pipe with working fluid degrades the heat pipe performance due to interfering with the evaporation-condensation mechanism. / Mechanical Engineering