i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f r e f r i g e r a t i o n 3 9 ( 2 0 1 4 ) 9 5 e1 0 3

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journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijrefrig

Experimental analysis of hydroquinone used as

phase change material (PCM) to be applied in solar
cooling refrigeration

Antoni Gil a, Eduard Oró a, Laia Miró a, Gerard Peiró a, Álvaro Ruiz b,
José Manuel Salmerón b, Luisa F. Cabeza a,*
a
GREA Innovació Concurrent, Universitat de Lleida, Edifici CREA, Pere de Cabrera s/n, 25001 Lleida, Spain
b
Grupo de Termotecnia, Universidad de Sevilla, Edificio Escuela de Ingenieros, Camino de los Descubrimientos s/n,
41092 Sevilla, Spain

article info abstract

Article history: This present paper is focused on the study of high temperature thermal energy storage
Received 18 April 2013 (TES) using phase change materials (PCM) to be applied on cooling and refrigeration sys-
Received in revised form tems by solar cooling. Thus, a pilot plant with a working temperature range between 150
21 May 2013 and 200
C was designed and built at the University of Lleida (Spain). Hydroquinone was
Accepted 24 May 2013 selected for the specific application from different PCM candidates as the most suitable
Available online 4 June 2013 material after a literature review and a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis.
This PCM has a phase change temperature range between 166
C and 173
C and a melting
Keywords: enthalpy of 225 kJ kg1. Two storage configurations were evaluated using the same PCM to
Solar energy have preliminary results before the final storage tank design. From the pilot plant results
Cooling and experience, a 5 Tn PCM storage tank was designed and built to work in a real solar
Thermal storage cooling installation in Seville (Spain).
Phase change ª 2013 Elsevier Ltd and IIR. All rights reserved.
Heat transfer
Fin

Analyse expérimentale de l’hydroquinone utilisée comme

matériau à changement de phase dans les applications de
refroidissement solaire
Mots clés : énergie solaire ; refroidissement ; accumulation thermique ; changement de phase ; transfert de chaleur ; ailette

* Corresponding author. Tel.: þ34 973 003576; fax: þ34 973 003575.
E-mail address: lcabeza@diei.udl.cat (L.F. Cabeza).
0140-7007/$ e see front matter ª 2013 Elsevier Ltd and IIR. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2013.05.013
96 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f r e f r i g e r a t i o n 3 9 ( 2 0 1 4 ) 9 5 e1 0 3
1. Introduction
Nowadays, the use of solar energy in solar cooling applica-
tions or concentrated power plants may play an important
role in the energy savings and CO2 reduction EU commitments
(Gil et al. (2010)). A wide variety of cooling techniques powered
by solar collector-based thermally driven cycles have been
developed and applied in the last decades. Tsoutsos et al.
(2003) studied the potential for market penetration for each
solar cooling technology, and have stated that absorption has
the highest one. On the other hand, Kim and Infante Ferreira
(2008) listed a wide variety of possibilities to use solar energy
for refrigeration.
Thermal energy storage (TES) is a widely studied and used
topic due to its potential load reduction and energy savings
since solar energy is time dependent and therefore a
mismatch between the energy supply and the energy demand
may occur. TES systems may potentially help to save around
7.5% of the total energy consumed in the European Union each
year. In particular, a study about TES potential in buildings
and industrial sectors presented by Arce et al. (2011) demon-
strated that only in Spain TES systems may potentially help to
save 140,883 GWhth in domestic cooling applications.
Different high temperature TES systems and materials
were studied by many researchers such as Zalba (2003) and
Sharma and Sagara (2005) during last years. Storage systems
could be based on sensible, latent or thermo-chemical heat.
Here, a TES system based on phase change materials (PCM)
which absorb or release heat when the PCM undergoes a phase
change is considered. The key issue of TES systems is the se-
lection of the best storage material (phase change temperature
and latent heat) for each application. Many researchers have
been working on the analysis of the thermal performance of
different materials using both sensible and latent heat mate-
rials. Trp et al. (2006) analysed numerically and experimentally
the transient phenomenon during both charging and dis-
charging processes of the shell-and-tube latent energy storage
system using paraffin as PCM. The authors concluded a general
statement saying that the selection of the operating conditions
and geometric dimensions depends on the required heat
transfer rate and the time in which the energy has to be stored
or delivered. Schweigler et al. (2007) studied the application of
water/lithium bromide (LiBr) as PCM in a solar cooling instal-
lation. Similarly, Adine and Qarnia (2009) presented a numer-
ical analysis of the thermal behaviour of a shell-and-tube PCM
system comparing the utilization between one and two PCM.
The objective of this study is to test different storage sys-
tems using hydroquinone as PCM in an adequate temperature
for solar cooling applications to be applied to a real installa-
tion using an absorption chiller and a field of Fresnel collectors
as Fig. 1 shows. To achieve this objective, a high temperature
pilot plant with two similar storage tanks (one with and the
other without fins) were designed and built at the University
of Lleida. In addition, from the results got at the pilot plant
scale and the experience with working with such systems (Gil
et al., 2013a and Gil et al., 2013b), a bigger storage tank using
the same material as PCM was designed and built to be placed
on the roof of the Engineering School of Sevilla building for
solar cooling purposes (Gallego et al., 2013).
Fig. 1 e Location of the thermal energy storage tank in the
solar cooling application.
2. Materials and methodology
2.1. Phase change material selection
The main requirement in terms of PCM selection was a
melting temperature range between 140
C and 200
C, where
140
C represents the minimum inlet temperature in the ab-
sorption chiller and 200
C the maximum temperature leaving
the solar collectors. Another requirement was a latent heat
higher than 150 kJ kg1. Moreover, mechanical, chemical,
economic, and environmental properties of the candidates
such as volumetric variation between solid and liquid state,
chemical stability, vapour pressure, toxicity, compatibility
with the container material, price and availability were taken
into account in the selection process.
Table 1 shows all the possible PCM candidates in the
temperature range of solar cooling applications from both
literature review and experimental data by Differential Scan-
ning Calorimetry (DSC) presented in the previous work carried
out by Gil et al. (2013a). The equipment used to perform this
analysis was a DSC-822e commercialized by Mettler Toledo.
The analysis was performed using a dynamic method from
150 to 180
C and a heating rate of 1
C min1. The amount of
sample studied was around 15 mg in an aluminium crucible
under N2 atmosphere. Hydroquinone was selected as the most
suitable material for this application because its melting
temperature range is within the range defined, the phase
change enthalpy is higher than the minimum value required
and presented almost no subcooling.
2.2. Experimental set-up
The University of Lleida pilot plant has been constructed to
test accurately different TES systems working with latent or
sensible heat storage materials. This facility is compound by
an electrical boiler of 24 kWe to heat up the heat transfer fluid
(HTF) acting as energy source during the charging process,
different storage tanks containing PCM materials and an air
heat exchanger of 20 kWe to cool down the HTF in order to
simulate the real energy consumption which in this applica-
tion would be the absorption chiller. All the tubes connecting
 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f r e f r i g e r a t i o n 3 9 ( 2 0 1 4 ) 9 5 e1 0 3
Table 1 e Literature and experimental data of PCM material candidates.
Material Literature data
Phase change
temperature [
C]
Salicylic acid 159
Benzanilide 161
d-mannitol 167
Hydroquinone 172.4
Potassium thiocynate 173
a (m) melting and (s) solidification.
the different devices of the pilot plant are insulated using rock
wool. Synthetic thermal oil Therminol VP-01 was used as HTF.
Measuring equipment has been integrated in the facility
which is needed to control, to register and to measure the HTF
flows, HTF pressures and HTF and PCM temperatures in the
boiler and storage tank, respectively. Fig. 2 shows the high
temperature pilot plant built at the University of Lleida
showing the main components.
The design of the storage tanks was based on the concept
of a shell-and-tubes heat exchanger which consists on a
vessel with a tube bundle inside. The PCM was located on the
shell side of the tube bundle. This bundle was compound for
49 tubes bended in U shape and distributed in square pitch;
the distance between tubes centre is 30 mm.
In order to increase the heat transfer area and therefore
the heat transfer rate between the HTF and the storage
material, an identical second storage tank incorporating 196
transversal square fins of 0.5 mm of thickness was tested.
Stainless steel 304 L was used to build the vessel, the tubes
and the fins in order to avoid corrosion and compatibility
problems between the tank and the PCM. Notice that when
fins were used in the storage system, the available volume
to place PCM was decreased and therefore the PCM mass
used was lower, being 170 kg when no fins were used and
155 kg when the storage system incorporated fins. Fig. 3a
shows the storage tank without fins used in the experi-
mentation partially filled with solid hydroquinone as PCM
while Fig. 3b shows the storage tank with incorporating fins
full of liquid hydroquinone during the experimentation.
Fig. 2 e High temperature pilot plant built at the University
of Lleida.
97
Experimental data by DSC
Phase change Phase change Phase change
enthalpy [kJ kg1] temperature [
C] enthalpy [kJ kg1]
199 159.1 (m)a/111.3 (s) 161.5
162 163.6 (m)/136.1 (s) 138.9
316 166.8 (m)/117 (s) 260.8
258 172.5 (m)/159.5 (s) 225
280 176.6 (m)/156.9 (s) 114
Table 2 shows the main characteristics of both storage tanks
designs.
To minimize the heat losses from the storage tank to the
surroundings, 24 cm of rock wool were installed on the lateral
walls and on the top of the storage tanks while 45 cm of
Foamglass were installed between the bottom of the tank
and the ground.
In order to analyse the thermal behaviour of the PCM
under cycling, a total of 15 temperature sensors were
installed along the main part of the storage tank (TPCM.1 to
TPCM.15) as Fig.4 shows. These temperature sensors were
implemented in three different heights, at 22 mm, 117 mm
and 181 mm from the bottom and along the length of the
storage tanks. Moreover, the sensors in each zone had
different lengths: the sensors length located at the bottom,
middle and top zone were 35 mm, 114 mm, and 194 mm,
respectively. Fig. 4 shows the TES tank used in the experi-
mentation with the location and nomenclature of the PCM
temperature sensors. Moreover, the PCM temperature
located at the central part which is divided by a stainless
steel plate and at the corners of the storage tank where also
measured using 12 sensors. Finally, the HTF inlet and outlet
temperature (THTFin and THTFout) and the HTF flow rate were
measured during the experimentation. All the temperature
sensors used were Pt-100 which were calibrated from 50
to 200
C in MICRICAL T100 equipment to an accuracy of
0.1 K.
Notice that the main amount of PCM is stored at the tubes
bundle being 76%. However, there is some PCM (24% of the
total mass) which is stored at the central part and at the cor-
ners of the storage tank and hence the heat transfer from the
HTF to the PCM is slower due to the greater distance and the
low conductivity of the PCM. Fig. 5 shows the storage tank
without fins and the distribution of PCM in it. Moreover, Table
3 presents the amount of PCM in each part of both storage
tanks, with and without fins.
3. Results and discussion
3.1. Pilot plant scale
As said before, hydroquinone was selected as the best PCM for
this solar cooling application using literature and DSC data.
Then, hydroquinone was tested at pilot plant scale by the
above TES tanks described. Table 4 shows the main charac-
teristics of the experimental procedure. Notice that the
98 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f r e f r i g e r a t i o n 3 9 ( 2 0 1 4 ) 9 5 e1 0 3

Fig. 3 e (a) Storage tank without fins, (b) storage tank with fins used in the experimentation.

charging and discharging processes were performed with two charging and the discharging processes the power given/
different HTF flow rates, low (Lfr) and high flow rate (Hfr), extracted to/from the system is higher when fins are
ensuring both laminar and turbulent flow rate in the HTF implemented to the storage tank but after a certain period
side. Both charging and discharging processes were stopped (around 2 h) the HTF power decreases and becomes lower
after 8 h. than the non-fins configuration since the temperature dif-
In order to discuss the results, and for better understand- ference between the HTF at the inlet and outlet of the tank
ing, only the PCM temperature at medium height of the tank is smaller.
(T.PCM 2, 5, 8, 11 and 14) which is the most representative due

to its location since the effect of the heat losses to the ambient Q_ HTF ¼ m
_ HTF $Cp$ THTF;in  THTF;out (1)
are minimized. As example of the results obtained at pilot Even though the heat rate analysis can give important in-
plant scale, Fig. 6 shows the PCM temperature profile during a formation of the system, detailed study has to be performed in
complete cycle (charging and discharging) when the HTF flow order to evaluate the benefit of using fins or not, and here
rate was 1.4 m3 h1. As it can be seen, before the charging energy storage analysis could help. From DSC analysis during
process, the PCM was homogeneously at 145
C, and during melting, the specific heat capacity of the PCM used is
the PCM melting the HTF circulates inside the tubes at 187
C approximately 2.5 kJ kg1 K1 and the latent heat is 235 kJ kg1
during a period of 8 h. The discharging process was done at within the melting range between 163 and 173
C as Fig. 9
HTF temperature of 145
C. As expected, the melting process shows. In order to avoid problems with subcooling, the same
took more time than the solidification due to the lower DT phase change behaviour during both the solidification and the
between the phase change temperature of the PCM and the melting process is assumed.
HTF temperature, being approximately 17
C and 25
C, Tables 5 and 6 show the initial and the final average PCM
respectively. temperature for each area (main part, central and corners) of
Fig. 7 shows the PCM temperature profile comparing the both storage tanks with and without fins during the charging
storage tank with and without fins (w/o) during a charging and discharging process, respectively. Observe that when the
process with a HTF flow rate of 3 m3 h1 (high flow rate). As discharging process finishes (after 8 h) the PCM temperature at
expected, the implementation of fins increased the heat the central part and specially at the corners of the TES tank is
transfer rate between the HTF and the PCM and therefore not at desirable temperature values (around 145
C) but higher.
the charging/discharging process occurs faster. Moreover, See that during the charging the temperature increasing in
Fig. 8 shows the heat rate that the HTF (Q_ HTF ) gives to the those areas is between 40 and 50
C while during the dis-
system during a charging process which is calculated as Eq. charging that difference can be reduced to 25
C. The reason of
(1) shows. The results show that at the beginning of both the this phenomenon is because that the already solidified PCM
near the tubes bundle during its solidification reduce the heat
transfer from non-solidified PCM to the HTF circulating inside
Table 2 e Storage tank dimensions and other the tubes due to its low thermal conductivity. Therefore, the
characteristics. total amount of energy stored during the charging process
Units Tank without Tank with cannot be given back to the HTF during the discharging.
fins fins Moreover, notice that the PCM behaviour in the main part
of the storage tank is really similar in each experiment but not
Tank width [mm] 527 527
in the other areas, especially in the corners of the tank.
Tank height [mm] 273 273
Tank depth [mm] 1273 1273 Therefore, and in order to have a more comprehensive dis-
HTF pipes [mm] 2500 2500 cussion of the results, only the energy stored in the PCM
average length located in the main part of the storage tank is considered from
Heat transfer surface [m2] 6.6 26.7 now on (76% of the total PCM amount).
Dimensions of fins [mm] e 250  250 As expected, the addition of fins in the storage tank gives to
Thickness of fins [mm] e 0.5
the system higher heat transfer area and hence more power and
Distance between fins [mm] e 10
therefore energy can be stored quicker but only at the beginning
PCM mass [kg] 170 155
of the charging process. However, after a certain period (50 min
 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f r e f r i g e r a t i o n 3 9 ( 2 0 1 4 ) 9 5 e1 0 3 99

Fig. 4 e PCM temperature sensors location and nomenclature in the storage tank.

for turbulent and 70 min for laminar HTF flow) the energy stored
during the charging process in the tank without fins is higher
than in the tank with fins due to the higher PCM mass stored in it
(Fig. 10). Notice that when comparing low against high HTF flow
rates, the energy stored in a specific period time is higher when
the flow rate of the HTF is higher due to its higher power.
For that reason it is necessary to analyse the energy stored
in the tank in function of the mass of PCM. Fig. 11 shows the
specific energy storage (energy stored divided by the PCM
mass) for all the charging processes performed. It is clear that
when fins were implemented in the storage tank configura-
tion, the specific energy stored was higher at the beginning of
the charging process but after certain time the value was the
same. In particular when low flow rate (laminar flow) was
experimented, after 160 min the specific energy stored was
the same while when a turbulent flow rate was used the time
needed decreased till 90 min. This phenomenon is because
when the HTF is circulating in turbulent flow the heat transfer
coefficient between the HTF and the tube and therefore to the
PCM is higher and therefore the benefit of using fins is not as
important as when the HTF is circulating in laminar flow.
Fig. 5 e Distribution of the PCM in the storage tank. Moreover, Fig.12 shows the specific energy released by the
PCM during the discharging process. See that in high flow
rates (turbulent flow) the energy released is higher when fins
were not used while in laminar flow rates the behaviour of
both configurations is similar at the beginning but different at

Table 3 e PCM mass distribution in both storage tanks used in the experimentation.
w/o fins Fins

Main part Central Corners Main part Central Corners

PCM mass [kg] 129 28 13 123 26 12

% PCM 75.9 16.5 7.6 76.5 16.0 7.5
100 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f r e f r i g e r a t i o n 3 9 ( 2 0 1 4 ) 9 5 e1 0 3

Table 4 e Characteristics of the experimental thermal cycles.

Units Charging process Discharging process
3 1
HTF flow rate [m h ] 1.4 (Lfr)
Initial PCM temperature [
C] 145 187
HTF inlet temperature [
C] 187 145
HTF flow rate [m3 h1] 3.0 (Hfr)
Initial PCM temperature [
C] 145 187
HTF inlet temperature [
C] 187 145

Fig. 6 e PCM temperature during a charging and a discharging process. (For interpretation of the references to colour in this
figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.)

the end of the experimentation. This occurs due to the total
heat realised in both configurations (with and without fins) is
the same even different amount of PCM was placed in each
TES tank.
Table 7 shows the time needed for each tank and experi-
ment configuration to store or release 90% of the total energy
of each charging and discharging process. Notice that during
both, the charging and the discharging processes, the imple-
mentation of fins affects negatively the time needed to charge
or release the heat, increasing the time needed. On the other
hand, when the HTF flow rate was higher, the time was
decreased.

Fig. 8 e Power given by the HTF and PCM temperature

Fig. 7 e PCM temperature profile when using a storage tank using a storage tank with and without fins during
with and without fins during charging. (For interpretation charging. (For interpretation of the references to colour in
of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version
is referred to the web version of this article.) of this article.)
 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f r e f r i g e r a t i o n 3 9 ( 2 0 1 4 ) 9 5 e1 0 3 101

Fig. 9 e Hydroquinone specific heat and enthalpy in Fig. 10 e Energy stored by the PCM in the main part of the
function of temperature. TES tank during the charging.

Table 5 e Initial and final temperatures of the PCM during

the charging processes.
w/o fins (Lfr) Fins (Lfr)

Main Central Corners Main Central Corners

part part

Initial 142.5 143.8 134.4 142.6 143.5 136.4

Final 184.8 179.3 173.8 184.6 184.7 179.8
Delta T 42.3 35.5 39.4 42.0 41.2 43.5

w/o fins (Hfr) Fins (Hfr)

Initial 143.0 144.2 125.9 144.0 145.0 132.1

Final 185.8 186.7 176.3 186.8 187.0 182.7
Delta T 42.8 42.5 50.4 42.8 42.1 50.6 Fig. 11 e Specific energy stored by the PCM in the main part
of the TES tank during charging.

3.2. Real installation

A cylindrical TES unit of about 5 Tn of hydroquinone as PCM
was designed, built and installed as part of a solar refrigera-
tion installation on the roof of the Engineering School building
of the University of Sevilla, Spain. This PCM tank is expected
to store thermal energy when it is not needed and provide it to
the solar cooling system during night or cloudy.
The design of the storage tank was done following exper-
imental results and experience from the pilot plant TES tank
described before. This unit was designed following similar
design than the TES tanks analysed at pilot plant at the Uni-
versity of Lleida which consists on a cylindrical vessel with a
longitudinal tube bundle inside in order to avoid death PCM
volumes such as corners. The PCM was located in the housing
of the shell part and the HTF circulates inside the tubes

Table 6 e Initial and final temperatures of the PCM during

the discharging processes.
w/o fins (Lfr) Fins (Lfr)

Main Central Corners Main Central Corners

part part

Initial 185.3 180.6 175.1 184.8 184.9 180.2

Final 145.6 152.9 156.3 145.4 146.6 155.4
Delta 39.7 27.7 18.8 39.4 38.3 24.8
T

w/o fins (Hfr) Fins (Hfr)

Initial 185.6 186.7 176.4 186.8 186.9 182.7

Final 143.7 149.6 152.9 145.3 146.8 157.4
Fig. 12 e Specific energy given by the PCM in the main part
Delta T 41.9 37.0 23.5 41.5 40.1 25.3
of the TES tank during discharging.
102 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f r e f r i g e r a t i o n 3 9 ( 2 0 1 4 ) 9 5 e1 0 3

exchanger configuration, one with and the other one

Table 7 e Time needed to store/realise 90% of the total
energy for the different experimentation. without fins in the tubes bundle.
Literature and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)
Lfr-w/o Lfr Hfr-w/o Hfr
research of many PCM candidates for solar cooling applications,
Time for charging process [min] selection and characterization of the adequate PCM were done.
Main PCM stored 138 258 90 189 Finally, hydroquinone was selected as PCM for this application
Total PCM stored 282 318 198 222
due to its high enthalpy (235 kJ kg1), a suitable phase change
Time for discharging process [min]
temperature range (166
C and 173
C) and little subcooling.
Main PCM stored 162 174 90 113
Total PCM stored 180 180 93 114 Due to the low thermal conductivity of the PCM, the incor-
poration of fins in the tubes bundle of the storage tank was
analysed. The time of melting/solidification is shorter for the
TES tank with fins under the same experimental conditions.
This fact indicates that the addition of transversal fins to the
tubes bundle of a storage tank helps to enhance the effective
conductivity of the PCM. However not only PCM time response
has to be taken into account but power and energy analysis.
At the beginning of the charging process, the use of fins
gives higher heat transfer rates and therefore energy can be
stored quicker but as the quantity of PCM is less due to the fins
volume at the end of the process less energy can be stored in
the storage tank with fins. Therefore when a partial charging or
discharging processes are expected the implementation of fins
is beneficial but this is not the normal scenario of a TES system
operational mode, therefore the implementation of fins is not
recommended for the geometry analysed here. Moreover, the
addition of fins represents an increase of the money and time
Fig. 13 e Storage tank implemented in a real solar cooling investment and a decrease of the PCM quantity that can be
installation at the University of Sevilla (Spain). stored in the storage system. For those reasons the imple-
mentation of fins in real applications is rejected.
On the other hand, during the discharging process the
already solidified PCM near the tubes prevents heat transfer
Table 8 e Main characteristics of the TES tank designed. between the melted PCM at corners or at central part and the
Units Values HTF due to its low thermal conductivity, and therefore, the
energy stored by that PCM cannot be released again. There-
Diameter of the tank [mm] 900
fore, it is important to avoid possible dead PCM volumes in
Length of the tank [mm] 7400
real storage tank designs. When laminar HTF flow were under
Number of tubes [-] 330
Length of the tubes [mm] 6000 analysis the benefit of using fins was greater than in turbulent
External diameter of the tubes [mm] 17.2 HTF flow. Therefore, this phenomenon has to be taken into
Internal diameter of the tubes [mm] 13.2 account in the design stage since in many applications the
Mass of PCM [kg] 4600 HTF works in turbulent flow.
After pilot plant scale analysis, a 5 Tn hydroquinone as PCM
distributed in a triangular pitch; the distance between tubes cylindrical storage tank was designed and built. The design
centre was the same as the pilot plant scale, 30 mm. Fig. 13 follows the pilot plant scale preliminary design avoiding dead
shows the storage tank designed and implemented in a real volumes as corners; the storage tank consists on a cylindrical
solar cooling application and Table 8 shows the main char- vessel with longitudinal tube bundle inside it. It was placed on
acteristics of it. At the present moment this installation is the roof of the Engineering School of Sevilla building to give
completed but not working. It is supposed to be able to start thermal storage in a real solar cooling application. This appli-
working in summer 2013. cation is expected to be run during spring/summer 2013.

4. Conclusions Acknowledgements

The development of high temperature thermal energy
storage (TES) system for solar cooling applications with
latent heat material as phase change materials (PCM) at
pilot plant scale was done in order to design a TES tank for a
real solar cooling application. A high temperature pilot plant
was built at the University of Lleida (Spain), incorporating
two similar storage tanks based on shell-and-tubes heat
The work is partially funded by the Spanish government
(ENE2011-22722). The authors would like to thank the Catalan
Government for the quality accreditation given to their
research group GREA (2009 SGR 534). Antoni Gil would like to
thank the Col$legi d’Enginyers Industrials de Catalunya for his
research appointment. Eduard Oró would like to thank the
University of Lleida for his research fellowship.
 i n t e r n a t i o n a l j o u r n a l o f r e f r i g e r a t i o n 3 9 ( 2 0 1 4 ) 9 5 e1 0 3 103

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