Design and Fabrication of a Lab Scale Thermal Energy Storage in Ice

Thermal energy storage (TES) is a key technology for energy conservation of great
practical importance. TES is the best method for correcting the mismatch between
the supply and demand of energy. Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS did not have
any lab equipment for study of cold thermal energy storage (CTES). Additional
equipment can be added on to the current available water chiller unit in the lab to
demonstrate the application of CTES. This project targeted to design and fabricated a
lab scale CTES using phase change· material (PCM), ice. This project studied the
water chiller unit available in the lab and thermal properties of water and ice. CTES
was designed according to the recommended cajlacity and fulfilled the design
consideration requirement. Studies compared several types of thermal energy storage
methods exist in the market and chosen encapsulated ice storage as the most suitable
for lab demonstration which is also widely used in the world. Modifications were
done on initial design to compromise and best suit with the current water chiller
design and availability of material. Prototype fabrication was done by selecting the
appropriate fabrication process, cost effective and ready market available material.
testing and analysis were carried out to evaluate the prototype performance. this
prbject produced a 3700kJ insulated encapsulated ice storage type CTES with 88%
efficiency for students as an additional lab equipment for study of CTES.