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Comparative Study of Inlet Structure and Obstacle Plate Designs Affecting the Temperature Stratification Characteristics

Author

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  • Piyatida Trinuruk

    (Fluid Mechanics, Thermal Engineering and Multiphase Flow Research Lab (FUTURE), Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT), Bangkok 10140, Thailand)

  • Papangkorn Jenyongsak

    (Fluid Mechanics, Thermal Engineering and Multiphase Flow Research Lab (FUTURE), Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT), Bangkok 10140, Thailand)

  • Somchai Wongwises

    (Fluid Mechanics, Thermal Engineering and Multiphase Flow Research Lab (FUTURE), Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT), Bangkok 10140, Thailand
    National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Pathum Thani 12120, Thailand)

Abstract

Temperature stratification between outgoing hot water and incoming cold water is a key factor in diminishing energy loss during the discharging process and maximizing the useful hot water delivered from the tank or enhancing the thermal efficiency of the heating device during the heating process. In this study, the inlet structure and the obstacle plate were designed and modified based on two main factors, the reduction of inlet water velocity and the stipulation of the water recirculation area, to develop temperature stratification through the computational fluid dynamics method. The simulation model’s accuracy was validated against the experimental results. The results showed that using the equalizer as an inlet pipe’s auxiliary device was the best approach for decreasing the inlet water velocity, which resulted in enhancing temperature stratification. The discharging efficiency improved from 77.3% for the original tank model to 86.1% for the tank with equalizer IV model, which meant an additional 45 L of useful hot water was gained from the good temperature stratification storage tank. The installation of the obstacle plate for controlling the turbulence zone could not improve temperature stratification significantly, which resulted in an increase in discharging efficiency by only 4% more than the original tank model.

Suggested Citation

  • Piyatida Trinuruk & Papangkorn Jenyongsak & Somchai Wongwises, 2022. "Comparative Study of Inlet Structure and Obstacle Plate Designs Affecting the Temperature Stratification Characteristics," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-25, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:15:y:2022:i:6:p:2032-:d:768371
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    References listed on IDEAS

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