A study of water ice formation and melting processes on vertical cooled pipes

Abstract

The use of cold accumulators based on the principle of water ice formation on the cooled surfaces during off-peak periods and water ice melting during on-peak periods is an effective method of electricity bills reduction. Within comparatively short periods of on-peak demand a noticeable amount of thermal energy related to ice melting is to be released, it becomes clear that not only sizing of ice accumulators based on balance calculations is actual, but also the determination of time periods of ice accumulation becomes critical. This work presents an experimental unit for obtaining data on the ice formation on the vertical cooled pipes and later on to continuously register data on the ice thickness diminishing at the regimes of ice melting when cooling of pipe stops. The data for ice formation and melting for some regimes have been presented and analyzed. The data form the base for deriving semi-empirical correlations allowing to determine time intervals necessary to generate of water ice layers of given thickness.