Thermal Storage Characteristics of the Vertical Cylindrical Water Tank

Abstract

This study conducts experimental and numerical investigations on the thermal storage characteristics of the vertical cylindrical water tank in the heat preservation process. A new experimental rig is established under the laminar condition, and the numerical model is developed for the detailed simulation of flow and heat transfer within the water tank. The numerical results agree well with the experimental data. According to the characteristics of flow and heat transfer, the space in the water tank can be divided into the vertical boundary layer, the bottom static region, the middle circulation region, and the top eddy region. Heat dissipation has decisive effect on the flow and temperature distribution pattern in the water tank. Heat transfer increases sharply at the corner region of the tank wall, but it keeps stable at the rest part of the walls. The thermal storage efficiency is positively proportional to the thermal conductivity and inversely proportional to the insulation layer thickness, while the specific heat capacity and the density have little influence on the thermal storage efficiency.