C3 - Thermal stratification in solar storage tanks

The third SolNet PhD course on
"Thermal stratification in solar storage tanks"
was held on 10 - 17 October 2007
in Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark

Department of Civil Engineering at the Technical University of Denmark, DTU, was hosting this Ph.D. course on Thermal stratification in solar storage tanks.

For small solar heating systems the heat storage is the most important component, both from a thermal and economical point of view.

The thermal performance of solar heating systems is strongly influenced by the thermal stratification in the heat storage.

The better thermal stratification in the solar tank is built up and maintained the higher the thermal performance of the solar heating system. Consequently, it is very important that solar tanks are designed in such a way that thermal stratification is built up in the best possible way.

Further, in order to develop optimum designed solar tanks and evaluate differently designed solar storage tanks it is important to be able to model, measure and characterize thermal stratification in solar storage tanks.

The course is focused on all aspects of thermal stratification in solar storage tanks.

Two weeks before the start of the intensive part of the course, the students selected an assignment, which was solved during the course. The students worked in groups of two. They learnt the fundamentals and importance of thermal stratification in solar storage tanks.

The course was focused on ways to establish and maintain thermal stratification in solar storage tanks. Different methods to model, measure and characterize thermal stratification were presented and evaluated.

The students presented their findings and also their Ph.D. project to the other participants.

During the course, the participants visited:            

• three large solar thermal installations nearby Marstal and            
• Dantec Dynamics A/S, a company producing Hotwire, LDA (Laser doppler aneometry) & PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) equipment for studies on flow patterns and thermal stratification in storage tanks.

Lectures on thermal stratification in solar storage tanks were given by Associate Professor Simon Furbo, Associate Professor Jianhua Fan and post-doc. Elsa Andersen.The Ph.D. students participating in the course will be able to create a valuable network

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