The effect of tank geometry on thermally stratified sensible heat storage subject to low Reynolds number flows

In a theoretical and experimental investigation into the thermal performance of stratified hot water stores, a transient three-dimensional finite-volume based model was validated by comparison with measured temperatures from a series of thirty-two experiments in which the inlet velocities, temperatures and initial store stratification profiles were varied. A parametric analysis ascertained the effect of inlet and outlet port locations on store performance for a range of operating conditions. The effects of finite volume size on predicted levels of entrainment and diffusion in the inlet region are reported. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.