Experimental analysis of a domestic electric hot water storage tank. Part II: dynamic mode of operation

In this paper, the experimental analysis of a full-scale Domestic Electric Hot Water Storage Tank (DEHWST) with a capacity of 1501 is reported. The tank is equipped with three different inlets and two different outlets of practical interest. The dynamic mode of operation of the tank has been experimentally analyzed taking into account the six possible inlet-outlet port arrangements and water draw-off flow rates of 5, 10 and 15 l/min. The analysis is based on the transient temperature distributions of the outlet and inlet water flow and on the transient temperature profiles of the water inside the tank measured by an appropriate data acquisition system. Performance parameters to evaluate the thermal stratification in the tank and the discharging energy and exergy efficiencies are defined and calculated from the experimental data. The characteristic performance of the tank with different inlet-outlet port configurations is analyzed and the best one is identified and proposed to use in practice. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.