Modeling and simulation of solar water heating system with Thermal storage

Aisa, Ahmed Mohamed (2017) Modeling and simulation of solar water heating system with Thermal storage. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

With the increase in electricity prices and environmental concerns, new technologies are being developed to extract energy from every available source and store the excess energy generated for later usage. One such solution is provided by Thermal Energy Storage Systems. Solar radiation in summer can be stored inter-seasonally to provide heating in winter, while the cold from winter air can be used to run air conditioning in summer. This thesis studies in detail the solar thermal energy storage system used for domestic water heating purposes in a typical detached home in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. It introduces the topic, discusses the background and development of the systems, and presents the basic concept of what a solar thermal energy storage system is and how it works. As well, it focuses on the availability of solar radiation, which is important for analyzing how effective the system can be, considering that the amount of solar radiation is not constant throughout the earth. In-depth information on how thermal energy storage system functions and operates, along with an extensive review of the literature, is also featured. Studies including experimental and simulation models are reviewed, which helps to compare earlier approaches to the present handling of the problem. Additionally, to establish the findings of the thesis, a simulation model of solar thermal energy storage for domestic water usage is created with the help of SAM software. Various parameters of MATLAB software are taken into consideration as well to establish the desired design of the system. These design parameters are extensively explained, together with a discussion on the assumptions and design technologies considered for creating the model for the MATLAB and BEopt simulations. Overall, this thesis demonstrates a method of designing a solar water heating system with thermal storage that can provide hot water for a small house. SAM and HOMER, which are design models that calculate the consumption of hot water and cost for a system, are extensively utilized in the study.

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