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The ice storage tank is composed of multiple layers of multi-circuit PE coils surrounding the tank body. The outside of the PE pipes in the tank is filled with clean water, and brine such as ethylene glycol solution circulates inside the PE pipes.
The ice storage tank utilizes off-peak nighttime electricity consumption to operate a compressor, generating sub-zero-degree brine. This brine is then circulated through the PE pipes by an ice pump, absorbing heat from the external water. The water undergoes a phase change and freezes into ice, storing a significant amount of latent heat. During peak daytime electricity demand, the brine in the ice storage tank is circulated by an ice melt pump, exchanging heat with the higher-temperature secondary return water in a plate heat exchanger. This melts the stored ice, releasing cooling energy to meet air conditioning load requirements.
The goal is to reduce or stop the main compressor during peak hours, shifting air conditioning power consumption from peak times to off-peak hours. Typically, ice storage tanks circulate low-temperature brine inside the coils, freezing the stagnant water outside the tubes onto the tube walls. This creates poor thermal conductivity between the stagnant water and the brine. During the ice-melting phase, ice on the walls between the brine pipe and the ice rapidly melts into water, gradually forming a stagnant water layer. This creates thermal resistance and slows down ice-melting efficiency. Even at the end of the melt, even if there's residual ice, it floats on the surface and can't fully release cooling.
Dynamic ice storage tanks primarily utilize intermittent stirring to enhance the heat transfer efficiency of external water storage, ice storage, or ice melting.
The coils in the ice storage tank are divided into several chambers by partitions. A small circulating water pump guides water up and down the chambers between the partitions. This creates a dynamic ice-water circulation flow using minimal pump power. This improves convective heat transfer during ice storage and melting, thereby increasing ice storage speed and efficiency.
