NUMERICAL STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF INLET GEOMETRY ON STRATIFICATION IN THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE

A finite difference computer code incorporating two methods of discretization for the advection terms in the flow governing conservation equations has been developed. These methods are the weighted upwind difference scheme (WUDS) and the second-order upwind difference scheme (SOUDS). Application of the code to a stratified thermal storage showed very good agreement between the experimental and the predicted temperature profiles when using SOUDS as opposed to WUDS. Investigation of the effect of inlet geometry on thermal stratification in a thermal storage tank was carried out using the SOUDS method. Results show that the effect of inlet geometry is negligible for Richardson numbers above 10. Thus a performance criterion for stratified thermal storage tanks with different inlet geometries has been established.