Abstract
We've numerically investigated ice thermal storage characteristics of thermal storage tank packed with thermal storage material into spherical capsules (φ 40mm). The conditions of numerical analysis are that spherical capsule size is relatively large to the tank volume, and that heat medium flows one way in the tank. The following results were obtained from the numerical analysis. In the early time of ice thermal storage mode, low temperature fluid tends to flow at the bottom of tank, however, in the time of the mode going on, the fluid tends to flow uniformly in almost all the area of tank except around the inside wall. In the low velocity condition of the fluid, temperature distribution in the vertical direction of the fluid and the capsules occurs clearly, however, in the high velocity condition of the fluid, the temperature distribution is relatively uniform.
