Performance Characteristics of a Natural Circulation Cooling/Latent Heat Storage System

Abstract

An experimental study has been made of the performance characteristics of a natural circulation cooling/latent heat storage system. The system, which consisted of an outdoor condenser, an indoor evaporator and an indoor latent heat storage unit connected by a pipeline, was designed to cool a shelter in which electronic equipment was installed, without using a power source. Lauric acid and refrigerant R-22 were used as the latent heat storage medium and the heat transport medium, respectively. Natural convection heat transfer performance of the outside surfaces of the condenser and the evaporator (cross fin coils) and the transient behavior of the system during the melting and solidification periods of the latent heat storage medium were tested. It was shown that the system can maintain room temperature within the shelter below 50°C even when the shelter was located in an inland area near the equator.