To sufficiently store and use high-quality heat energy, thermal stratification is gradually applied in many kinds of energy storage fields such as solar thermal utilization system. Because of the unsteady characteristics of solar radiation, thermal storage becomes very essential in long-term operation of heating load. The wide application of thermal stratification lies in the minimization of the mixing effect by use of the thermal stratification, which is caused by the thermal buoyancy because of the difference of temperature between cold and hot water. According to the review, the conception of thermal stratification allows a wide variety of different design embodiments, which essentially extends the fields of practical application of these devices. In this paper a survey of the various types of thermal stratification tanks and research methods is presented, and reasons of energy storage with efficiency problems related to the applications are introduced and benefits offered by thermal stratification are outlined. The structure designs based on theoretical prediction of thermal-stratified water tank performed at many organizations are introduced and are compared with their experimental results. Finally, the development of the tank with thermal stratification in the future application is predicted.

Thermal stratification within the water tank

Performance study of one-dimensional models for stratified thermal storage tanks

A review of low-flow, stratified-tank solar water heating systems

Implications of the modelling of stratified hot water storage tanks in the simulation of CHP plants

System modeling and operation characteristics of thermosyphon solar water heaters

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The actual benefits of thermally stratified storage in a small and a medium size solar system

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C.W.J. van Koppen

Papers

The actual benefits of thermally stratified storage in a small and a medium size solar system

Preliminary performance of the heating system in the solar house of the Eindhoven University of Technology