[TRNSYS-users] Modeling PCMs in a storage tank with Solar thermal

[David Bradley]

Fred,
 There are a few ice storage tanks in the online library of free TRNSYS 
components. At one point, we wrote a PV model that had a phase change 
material built into the panel. If I recall, we solved the specific heat 
issue by defining a specific heat of liquid and a specific heat of 
solid, then linerarly interpolating the specific heat between the two 
values, then writing code to figure out how much energy was banked by 
the phase change material between the totally melted and totally solid 
points, holding temperature constant in between.
Best,
 David


Fred Betz wrote:
> Has anyone used a storage tank to model phase change materials in a storage application? Is there another component to do this?
>
> I know you can change the specific heat of the contents of the storage tank, but how do you add the heat of fusion? I would rather not attempt to create some made up specific heat to account for that as the temperature profile would be wrong. 
>
> Please advise,
>
> Fred
>
>
> FRED BETZ  PhD., LEED AP 
> SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS ANALYST
>  
> AEI | AFFILIATED ENGINEERS, INC.  
> 5802 Research Park Blvd. | Madison, WI  53719
>
> P: 608.236.1175 | F: 608.238.2614  
> fbetz at aeieng.com  |  www.aeieng.com  
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