Performance analysis of three-node sensible thermal storage tank for utilization in radiant cooling system

Shekhi, Reza; Nasrabadi, Mehdi

doi:10.22034/jrenew.2025.219556

Performance analysis of three-node sensible thermal storage tank for utilization in radiant cooling system

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Reza Shekhi ¹

Mehdi Nasrabadi ²

¹ Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran

² Department of Mechanical Engineering,, University of Birjand , Birjand, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22034/jrenew.2025.219556

Abstract

In the current study, the performance of a thermal energy storage tank with a three-point model in the radiant cooling system for three cities, Tehran, Tabriz, and Ahvaz, has been investigated. For this purpose, four different state have been considered: in the first state, an electric chiller without a chilled water storage tank supplies the radiant cooling system's cooling demand; in the second state, an electric chiller with a storage tank is connected to the radiant cooling system. In the third state, the chiller is eliminated, and the thermal energy storage tank is directly connected to the cooling tower for charging the tank, and in the fourth state, the cooling system is similar to the third state with the difference that in the third state, the cooling tower charges the storage tank during low load hours, while in the fourth state, the operation of the cooling tower for charging the tank has been investigated during medium and high load hours. The modeling results indicate that the third state has the lowest values energy consumption, which is 3, 2.9, and 2.8 GJ for Tehran, Tabriz, and Ahvaz, respectively. Thermal comfort analysis in the third state shows that it can provide 22%, 83%, and 3% of people's comfort for Tehran, Tabriz, and Ahvaz, respectively. Furthermore, simulation results show that the radiant cooling system in the third state can reduce energy consumption costs by approximately 300,000 to 600,000 Iranian rials per month compared to the conventional system in the three cities under consideration.

Keywords

Cooling tower

thermal storage tank

radiant cooling

energy consumption

thermal comfort

economic analysis

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