144745 20260217205537.0 doi 10.1016/j.energy.2024.132517 sideral 139516 ART-2024-139516 eng Rinaldi, Giulia Use of a low-cost phase change material emulsion in de-centralized thermal energy storage for district heating network enlargement 2024 Access copy available to the general public Unrestricted A detailed heat transfer model of a storage tank was developed to assess the performance of a district heating system with de-centralized storage solutions. The performance of two cases, with water and a low-cost phase change material emulsion as storage medium was analysed for 40 residential buildings in Zaragoza (Spain). The chosen configuration is a typical cylindrical tank with internal coils through which the district heating water flows for the charge and discharge. This decentralized thermal energy storage unit reduced peak demand and mass flow in the network, allowing additional buildings to connect to a saturated grid. Four configurations were examined: (1) A 180 m3 water tank reduced district heating power demand by 36.6 %. (2) The same 180 m3 tank using the emulsion required fewer coils, lowering costs, stabilizing TES temperature, and increasing water supply temperature, thus extending system lifespan. (3) A 130 m³ tank with the emulsion offered operational characteristics similar to the water tank, with economic and structural benefits from reduced size. (4) An 180 m³ optimised tank with the emulsion achieved a 38.8 % reduction in district heating power demand. These configurations demonstrate the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of using phase change material emulsion in thermal energy storage systems. info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/AEI/PID2020-115500RB-I00 info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA/T55-20R info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess by-nc https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/deed.es 9.4 2024 THERMODYNAMICS 3 / 79 = 0.038 2024 Q1 T1 ENERGY & FUELS 31 / 182 = 0.17 2024 Q1 T1 2.211 2024 Building and Construction 2024 Q1 Civil and Structural Engineering 2024 Q1 Electrical and Electronic Engineering 2024 Q1 Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law 2024 Q1 Energy Engineering and Power Technology 2024 Q1 Fuel Technology 2024 Q1 Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering 2024 Q1 Energy (miscellaneous) 2024 Q1 16.5 2024 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Lázaro, Ana Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0001-7360-4188 Delgado, Mónica (orcid)0000-0002-8015-4469 Marín, José María Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0002-2463-7271 Verda, Vittorio 5004 590 Universidad de Zaragoza Dpto. Ingeniería Mecánica Área Máquinas y Motores Térmi. 306 (2024), 132517 [11 p.] Energy Energy 0360-5442 3953825 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/144745/files/texto_completo.pdf Versión publicada 2605663 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/144745/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon icon Versión publicada oai:zaguan.unizar.es:144745 articulos driver 2026-02-17-20:34:49 ARTICLE