Numerical study of thermal stratification in tanks of liquid water

Thermally stratified storage has been shown to significantly improve the energy delivered by a solar energy hot water system. This paper presents a finite volume model for the analysis of storage tanks which have axisymmetric flow and heat transfer. The model, which solves the conservation equations for mass, momentum, and energy, was extensively validated using benchmark problems. The accuracy of the model for thermal storage tank predictions was examined by comparing predictions to experimental data. Good agreement was found, as reported herein.