Basic research on ice-storage process of alcoholic solution ice-slurry for high performance cold energy storage

2006 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 17560173
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Thermal engineering
• Research Institution: Tokyo Institute of Technology
• Principal Investigator: SAITO Akio Tokyo Inst. of Tech., Dept. of Mech.Sci. & Eng., Prof., 大学院理工学研究科, 教授 (40020432)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): HOZUMI Tsutomu Tokyo Inst. of Tech., Dept. of Mech.Sci. & Eng., Assistant Prof., 大学院理工学研究科, 助手 (30293038)
• Project Period (FY): 2005 – 2006
• Keywords: Ice storage / Ice slurry / Alcoholic solution

Research Abstract

Experiments were performed to clarify the melting characteristics of alcoholic ice-slurry stored for one night. In the first year, alcoholic ice-slurry was stored under two conditions ; (1) constant temperature slightly higher than the initial melting point temperature,. (2) periodic temperature varying between solid and liquid regions. The variations in crystal shape and size of ice were observed precisely, and the volumetric ratio of air, water and ice was measured along the height of the ice. layer. It was confirmed that the ice crystal at the top of the ice layer changes to a larger lump of ice through a storage of one night. The mechanism of the change was also clarified. In the second year, formation of "water path" in an ice layer through the melting process by a hot water shower from the top was investigated experimentally, based on the result of the first year. Processes of "water path" formation were clarified for the layer composed of uniform and non-uniform (larger one at the top) size of ice crystal.