Experimental study and analysis of the application of ice-storage capsules in an air conditioning system

Ice-storage capsules are used in an energy-efficient air conditioning system. Experiments and numerical simulations were conducted to investigate the effects of different structural configurations of the capsules on the freezing and melting processes of the refrigerant solution sealed inside the capsules. The predictions of the numerical simulation are in good agreement with the test results. The results show that the freezing speed of the capsules equipped with a metal core is 30% to 50% faster than for capsules without the metal core. In addition, it was found that the special refrigerant solution used in the experiment had a lower freezing point and a higher freezing speed than water. The effects of the size of the metal core, and the coolant temperatures are also investigated. © 2001 Scripta Technica, Heat Trans Asian Res, 31(1): 21-27, 2002.