U.S. Department of EnergyOffice of Scientific and Technical Information
A novel concept for heat transfer fluids used in district cooling systems
Abstract
Low-temperature phase-change materials (PCMS) were mixed with water to enhance the performance of heat transfer fluid. Several PCMs were tested in a laboratory-scale test loop to check their suitability to district cooling applications. The phase-change temperatures and latent heats of fusion of tetradecane, pentadecane, and hexadecane paraffin waxes were measured using a differential scanning calorimeter. The heat of fusion of these materials is approximately 60% of that of ice. They exhibit no supercooling and are stable under repeated thermal cycling. For 10% and 25% PCM-water slurries, the heat transfer enhancement was found to be approximately 18 and 30 percent over the value of water, respectively. It was also found that, in the turbulent region, there is only a minor pumping penalty from the addition of up to 25% PCM to the water. It was demonstrated that pentadecane does not clog in a glass-tube chiller, and continuous pumping below its freezing, point (9.9[degrees]C):was successfully carried out in a bench-scale flow loop. Adding PCM to water increases the thermal capacity of the heat transfer fluid and therefore decreases the volume that needs to be pumped in a district cooling system. It also increases the heat transfer rate, resulting in smaller heat exchangers.more »
- Authors:
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Drexel Univ., Philadelphia, PA (United States). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 6527230
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/CE/26602-1
ON: DE93013298
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG01-90CE26602
- Resource Type:
- Technical Report
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION; 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; ALKANES; FUSION HEAT; DISTRICT COOLING; HEAT TRANSFER FLUIDS; HEAT EXCHANGERS; MELTING POINTS; MIXTURES; PHASE CHANGE MATERIALS; PROGRESS REPORT; PUMPING; THERMAL CYCLING; WATER; WAXES; COOLING; DISPERSIONS; DOCUMENT TYPES; ENTHALPY; FLUIDS; HYDROCARBONS; HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS; MATERIALS; ORGANIC COMPOUNDS; OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS; OXYGEN COMPOUNDS; PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES; TRANSITION HEAT; TRANSITION TEMPERATURE; 320603* - Energy Conservation, Consumption, & Utilization- Municipalities & Community Systems- Public Utilities- (1980-); 360602 - Other Materials- Structure & Phase Studies
Citation Formats
Cho, Y I, Choi, E, and Lorsch, H G. A novel concept for heat transfer fluids used in district cooling systems. United States: N. p., 1991.
Web. doi:10.2172/6527230.
Cho, Y I, Choi, E, & Lorsch, H G. A novel concept for heat transfer fluids used in district cooling systems. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/6527230
Cho, Y I, Choi, E, and Lorsch, H G. 1991.
"A novel concept for heat transfer fluids used in district cooling systems". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/6527230. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/6527230.
@article{osti_6527230,
title = {A novel concept for heat transfer fluids used in district cooling systems},
author = {Cho, Y I and Choi, E and Lorsch, H G},
abstractNote = {Low-temperature phase-change materials (PCMS) were mixed with water to enhance the performance of heat transfer fluid. Several PCMs were tested in a laboratory-scale test loop to check their suitability to district cooling applications. The phase-change temperatures and latent heats of fusion of tetradecane, pentadecane, and hexadecane paraffin waxes were measured using a differential scanning calorimeter. The heat of fusion of these materials is approximately 60% of that of ice. They exhibit no supercooling and are stable under repeated thermal cycling. For 10% and 25% PCM-water slurries, the heat transfer enhancement was found to be approximately 18 and 30 percent over the value of water, respectively. It was also found that, in the turbulent region, there is only a minor pumping penalty from the addition of up to 25% PCM to the water. It was demonstrated that pentadecane does not clog in a glass-tube chiller, and continuous pumping below its freezing, point (9.9[degrees]C):was successfully carried out in a bench-scale flow loop. Adding PCM to water increases the thermal capacity of the heat transfer fluid and therefore decreases the volume that needs to be pumped in a district cooling system. It also increases the heat transfer rate, resulting in smaller heat exchangers. Research is continuing on these fluids in order to determine their behavior in large-size loops and to arrive at optimum formulations.},
doi = {10.2172/6527230},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6527230},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Jan 04 00:00:00 EST 1991},
month = {Fri Jan 04 00:00:00 EST 1991}
}