Parametrical analysis of latent heat and cold storage for heating and cooling of rooms

•Thermal properties of paraffin RT22HC were measured.•Flow visualization was carried out and velocity between plates was measured.•Thermal and pressure drop analysis were performed.•Melting times are too long however, use of storage tank for heating and cooling looks promising.

One of the problems we are facing today is the energy consumption minimization, while maintaining the indoor thermal comfort in buildings. A potential solution to this issue is use of phase change materials (PCMs) in thermal energy storage (TES), where cold gets accumulated during the summer nights in order to reduce cooling load during the day. In winter, on the other hand, heat from solar air collector is stored for evening and morning hours when solar radiation is not available. The main objective of the paper is to examine experimentally whether it is possible to use such a storage unit for heating as well as for cooling. For this purpose 30 plates filled with paraffin (melting point around 22°C) were positioned into TES and applied with the same initial and boundary conditions as they are expected in reality. Experimental work covered flow visualization, measurements of air velocity in the channels between the plates, parametric analysis in conjunction with TES thermal response and measurements of the pressure drops. The results indicate that this type of storage technology could be advantageously used in real conditions. For optimized thermal behavior, only plate thickness should be reduced.