Take another look at ice thermal storage systems
The ice box is back. No, it's not a return to an old way of keeping food cool. But it may be a return to an old way of keeping your plant cool. Thermal storage--more specifically, ice thermal storage--is receiving renewed attention these days as plant engineers examine ways to reduce costs and operate more efficiently. In simple terms, it couples conventional HVAC equipment with a storage tank to shift chiller operation from peak to off-peak periods or minimize chiller operation during peak periods. Far from a new technology, stored cooling has been around since the 1940s when blocks of ice were used to cool buildings. The concept is re-emerging now as a practical method of storing cooling capacity for a number of reasons. More and more electric utilities are reaching the upper limit of their generating capacity. Because of the expense of new plant construction or additional incremental capacity, they are encouraging load management concepts such as off-peak-hours operation with financial incentives. In addition, some system configurations reduce the volume of refrigerant required, an attractive benefit as the phase-out of CFCs and HCFCs accelerates. Finally, the high first cost of many systems has decreased while developments and refinements in the technology have made installations more efficient and reliable.
- OSTI ID:
- 5797528
- Journal Information:
- Plant Engineering; (United States), Journal Name: Plant Engineering; (United States) Vol. 47:12; ISSN PLENAV; ISSN 0032-082X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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