Plume entrainment effects in solar domestic hot water systems employing variable-flow-rate control strategies

Solar domestic hot water heating systems perform more efficiently if their storage tanks are perfectly thermally stratified. In real tanks, which do not perfectly stratify, the most important mechanism destroying stratification is plume entrainment. Plume entrainment occurs when cooler water is inserted into the tank top which contains hotter water. The resultant falling plume of cool water causes mixing. This paper uses computer simulation to …