Highest Efficiency Ice Storage for Solar Cooling Systems – Experiences with a Vacuum Ice Slurry Cold Thermal Energy Storage
Abstract
With an increasing share of renewable energies efficient storage technologies are in high demand. Due to the high specific enthalpy of fusion pumpable water-based ice slurry represents a thermal storage medium which is ecological as well as economical advantageous. A further need for research can be seen in the increase of efficiency for ice slurry generation processes. The high efficient process of ice slurry generation by direct evaporation under rough vacuum conditions including its potential for solar cooling systems is presented in this paper. After installing a first pilot of an integrated ice slurry generation and storage system based on the R718 turbo vapour compression technology a new facility concept for higher capacities has been developed and commissioned. Findings from recent research projects flowed into the conceptional work and have been implemented. The facility has a nominal ice generation capacity of 180kW, a storage capacity of 1MWh and a discharging capacity of max. 300kW.