Thermal Stratification in Hot Water Storage Tanks with Fabric Stratification Inlet Pipes
Abstract
Double walled Fabric inlet stratification pipes made of Teflon and Polyester are investigated experimentally with the aim to study the thermal stratification that is build up in a hot water tank. The fabric pipes are mounted in the centre of a transparent circular acrylic tank from the bottom to the top of the tank. The thermal stratification is investigated during charge and discharge with inlet to the fabric pipes through the top of the tank and through the bottom of the tank. The fabric pipes are closed in the end opposite to the inlet. During charge, the outlet is at the bottom of the tank and during discharge, the outlet is at the top of the tank. The investigations show that the use of fabric inlet stratification pipes significantly improves the thermal stratification compared to the thermal stratification in the tank with no inlet stratification device. This is true both with inlet to the fabric pipes through the bottom and the through top of the tank. The investigations also show that the thermal stratification during charging is build up best with inlet to the fabric stratification pipe through the top of the tank while the thermal stratification during discharge is build up best with inlet to the fabric stratification pipe through the bottom of the tank. Finally, the investigations show that thermal stratification all in all is build up better with inlet to the fabric stratification pipes through the bottom of the tank than with inlet to the pipes through the top of the tank.