Renewable Energy 116 (2018) 639e646

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Renewable Energy
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/renene

Effect of rectangular hot water tank position and aspect ratio on

thermal stratification enhancement
€
Burak Kurşun*, Korhan Okten
Amasya University, Technology Faculty, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Amasya, 05100, Turkey

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Thermal stratification is an important factor increasing the efficiency of hot water storage tanks used for
Received 26 July 2017 thermal energy storage. In this study, the effects of the position of a rectangular hot water tank and the
Received in revised form aspect ratio on the thermal stratification were investigated numerically. In this direction, a numerical
2 October 2017
analysis was carried out for the different angle of the water tank with the horizontal axis (a) and the
Accepted 4 October 2017
different aspect ratio of the water tank (D/H). Numerical analyses were performed at 0e60
range of
Available online 5 October 2017
angle values and 0.5e1 range of aspect ratio values. The results obtained from the analyses indicate that
positioning of the hot water tank at different values from a ¼ 0
provides thermal stratification
Keywords:
Energy storage
enhancement. Reducing the aspect ratio of the tank contributes to the thermal stratification only for the
Natural convection angle of a ¼ 0
significantly. In other angle values, the influence of different aspect ratios on the thermal
Thermal stratification stratification is negligible level. The highest temperature difference in the hot water tank occurred for the
Water tank angle of a ¼ 45
and aspect ratio of D/H ¼ 0.5.
© 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction A specific number of experimental and numerical studies are

Thermal energy storage systems play an important role in the
sustainability of energy. In energy storage application, one of the
most used is thermal energy storage tank. Although there are many
energy storage media for a thermal storage tank, water is widely
used as a storage media for the civil and industrial application.
Liquid water is widely preferred because it is not toxic, easily
obtainable, has a high thermal capacity and is suitable for working
conditions in wide temperature ranges [1]. There are two types of
operation in the thermal energy storage tank. The first one is a
dynamic mode of operation. There is a water flowing in/from the
tank during charging and discharging processes. The second one is
a static mode of operation. There is no flowing in/from the tank in
the operation [2].
One of the most important parameters affecting thermal energy
storage capacity and system efficiency in hot water tanks is thermal
stratification [3]. Due to differences in density between hot and
cold water, mixing effect occurs. For the better thermal stratifica-
tion, the mixing effect should be minimized in the storage tank [1].
* Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: burak.kursun@amasya.edu.tr (B. Kurşun), korhan.okten@
€ different obstacle types with different distance from the bottom of
amasya.edu.tr (K. Okten).
available in the literature on increasing thermal stratification in
cylindrical and rectangular hot water tanks. In the numerical study
by Altintop et al., 12 different types of obstacles were used to in-
crease the thermal stratification in a cylindrical hot water tank.
Numerical study results showed that the highest thermal stratifi-
cation occurs with the use of conical and plane-shaped obstacles
[4]. García-Marí et al. studied the effect of inlet configuration of a
cylindrical water tank on thermal stratification experimentally.
Sintered bronze conical diffuser and conventional inlet configura-
tions were compared with each other in the study. As a result, it
was emphasized that the sintered bronze conical diffuser was more
effective during the charging period [5]. Effect of inner lining ma-
terial on thermal stratification during thermal charge and the later
standby period was examined by Gasque et al. Three inner lining
materials (steel, expanded polystyrene, and poly methyl methac-
rylate) were used. The results indicated that decreasing the thermal
conductivity of the materials increases the thermal stratification
[6]. Abdelhak et al. analyzed thermal stratification evolution during
charging and discharging period and effect of horizontal/vertical
tank position on thermal performance. It was observed that the
thermal stratification in the horizontal tanks was lower than the
vertical tanks [7]. Thermal stratification in a vertical mantled hot
water tank was investigated by Erdemir et al. experimentally. Four

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2017.10.013
0960-1481/© 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
640 €
B. Kurşun, K. Okten / Renewable Energy 116 (2018) 639e646
Nomenclature
cp specific heat, kJ/kg.K
D tank width, m
Dc cylinder diameter, m
g gravitational acceleration, m/s2
Gr Grashof number
h convection heat transfer coefficient, W/m2.K
H tank height, m
Hc cylinder height, m
k thermal conductivity, W/m.K
L the distance between the top and bottom point of the
tank, m
l length, m
P the pressure of the fluid, Pa
Po atmospheric pressure, Pa
q heat flux, W/m2
T temperature, K
T0 the initial temperature of fluid, K
Twall the tank inner wall temperature, K
the tank were placed inside the tank. The results showed that the
highest thermal stratification was occurred for A type obstacle and
between Y ¼ 200 and Y ¼ 300 mm distance from the bottom [3].
Ruth designed a new type of valve. The valve working principle,
based on mass transfer inside the actuator driven by vapor pressure
differences which were occurred with temperature differences. It
was observed that the thermal stratification increased by using of a
valve in the tank [8]. Yang et al. investigated effects of different tank
shapes on thermal energy storage capacity and thermal stratifica-
tion. The analysis results showed that sharp corner in the tank
increased thermal stratification. In addition, the best thermal en-
ergy storage capacities were observed in sphere and barrel tank
geometries. The best thermal stratification was observed in cone
type storage tank [9]. Bouhal et al. studied the impact of the flat
plate positions within a vertical storage tank. The difference be-
tween configuration A and B was the position of the nozzles from
which the charge and discharge operation occurs and the number
of flat plates integrated inside the tanks, their positions and their
tilt angle. It was shown the superior thermal performance was
achieved by placing the flat plate with a 30
tilt at the middle height
of the storage tank for configuration B in the study [10]. A novel
equalizer was designed to improve thermal stratification in hot
water storage tank by Wang et al. The best equalizer performance
was seen for 3 l/min flow rate. Also, the results demonstrate that
with the increase in flow rate, the Richardson number decreases, fill
efficiency and exergy increased first and later decreased [11].
Dragsted et al. investigated how to affected thermal stratification
with differently designed inlet stratifiers under different controlled
laboratory conditions. Experimental study was carried out for two
different types of stratifier, rigid plastic, and a flexible polymer
material. The results showed that the flexible polymer stratifier had
better performance for 1e2 l/min flow rates and the stratifier made
of solid plastic had better performance for 4 l/min flow rates [12].
Although there are many studies on cylindrical tanks in the
literature, only a few studies on rectangular tanks were carried out.
Lin and Armfield compared the amount of thermal stratification
occurring in cylindrical and rectangular hot water tanks by per-
forming a numerical analysis. They found that thermal boundary
layer thickness was more uniform in rectangular hot water tanks
and thermal stratification was faster in cylindrical hot water tanks
[13]. The effect of various kinds of design factors on the thermal
U internal energy, J
u velocity component in x direction, m/s
V Volume, m3
v velocity component in y direction, m/s
S entropy, J
Greek symbols
r air density, kg/m3
a the inclination angle of the tank
b thermal expansion coefficient, 1/K
v kinematic viscosity, m2/s
m dynamic viscosity, kg/ms
ƞII second law-efficiency
Subscript
ave average
amb ambient
ins insulation
ref reference
stratification performance was investigated in a rectangular storage
tank by Chung et al. Especially the diffuser configurations was
emphasized. They determined that Reynolds number is the most
dominant parameter and deduced that the diffuser shape signifi-
cantly affects the thermal stratification [14].
In the literature studies for increasing the thermal stratification,
methods such as the placement of different mechanisms (plate,
valve, stratifier etc.) inside the tank, the use of different tank/
diffuser geometries and water inlet configurations draw attention.
Many of the recent studies on thermal stratification have been
performed for cylindrical hot water tanks. The number of different
studies on thermal stratification in rectangular hot water tanks,
however, is rather limited. In addition, innovations to increase
thermal stratification can require a high cost and make it difficult to
implement in practice. At the same time, as a result of the im-
provements made, exergy destruction is seen to increase due to
reasons such as pressure loss, increase of fluid velocity. Unlike the
studies in the literature, in the present study, it is aimed to increase
the thermal stratification by the inclined positioning of the rect-
angular hot water tank. As a consequence of the inclined placement
of the tank, sharp corners are formed in the bottom of the tank,
which increases the thermal stratification. However, the loss of
exergy resulting from the inclined placement of the tank is negli-
gible compared to the increase in thermal stratification. In practice,
the use of rectangular hot water tanks in an inclined position may
be possible by placing the points of water inlet and outlet near the
bottom and top surfaces of the tank. This can also be achieved at a
lower cost than other methods for increasing thermal stratification.
2. Numerical study
2.1. Problem specification
Rectangular water tank geometry and dimensions used in the
present study are shown in Fig. 1. The water tank was made from a
steel material and used 10 mm glass wool insulation material on its
outer surface. Numerical analysis was carried out for comparing of
thermal stratification at different inclination angles (a) and aspect
ratios (D/H) of the rectangular water tank. In Fig. 1, D is the tank
width, H is the tank height and L is the distance between the top
and bottom point of the tank.
 €
B. Kurşun, K. Okten / Renewable Energy 116 (2018) 639e646 641

"   #
vT vðuTÞ vðvTÞ k 1 v n vT v2 T
þ þ ¼ x þ 2 (5)
vt vx vy rcp xn vx vx vy

In the above-given conservation equations, u and v are the ve-

locity components in the x and y directions respectively, P is the
fluid pressure, m is the dynamic viscosity of the fluid, r is the fluid
density, g is the gravitational acceleration, b is the thermal
expansion coefficient, k is the thermal conductivity coefficient of
the fluid, cp is the specific heat of the fluid, and the last expression
on the right side indicates the effect of mass forces in Eq. (4)
(Boussinesq approximation). The use of the Boussinesq approxi-
Fig. 1. Rectangular water tank a) Sectional view of the tank b) Position of the tank. mation provides faster convergence in flow conditions where the
natural convection dominates and the temperature difference is
low [17]. This model treats density as a constant value in all solved
2.2. Mathematical model equations, except for the buoyancy term in the momentum equa-
tion (Eq. (4)).
A numerical study was carried out in the tank under laminar The heat conduction equation used for the insulation zone is
flow and natural convection conditions for the physical problem given by Eq. (6);
addressed. In this study, it is accepted that the flow is in the natural
"   #
convection conditions for the Grashof number (Gr) value of Gr < 109 vTins 1 v v2 Tins
kins n vTins
[9,15,16]. The Gr number is calculated by Eq. (1), ¼ x þ (6)
vt rins cp;ins xn vx vx vy2

g bðTave  Twall Þl3ref

Gr ¼ (1) where kins is the thermal conductivity coefficient of insulation
v2 material, Tins is the temperature of insulation material, rins and cp,ins
are the density and specific heat of the insulation material,
where g is the gravitational acceleration, b is the thermal expansion respectively.
coefficient, lref is the reference length, v is the kinematic viscosity of
the fluid, Tave and Twall are the average temperature of the fluid and
tank inner wall, respectively. As a result of the numerical analysis, 2.2.1. Initial and boundary conditions
the highest Gr number was calculated to be about 2  108 and the For the initial conditions of velocity and temperature, values of
flow was assumed to be laminar in natural convection conditions. the velocity in x and y directions are taken as zero, and the tem-
The tank wall thickness is assumed to be considerably thinner peratures for the fluid and insulation zone are equaled to T0 and
than insulation thickness, hence, the effect of tank wall thickness is Tamb., respectively, as given below;
neglected and the tank wall thickness is included to insulation wall
thickness. The physical properties of the fluid are assumed constant u ¼ 0; v ¼ 0; T ¼ T0 ; Tins ¼ Tamb (7)
except for the density in Eq. (4) (Boussinesq approach). The prob-
where Tins is and Tamb. are the insulation and ambient temperature,
lem is considered in two dimensions, transient and static mode of
respectively. The value of Tamb is accepted 288.15 K. T0 is the initial
operation. The conservation equations used in the numerical
temperature of the fluid and is accepted 353.15 K.
analysis for the steel tank and insulation material are given below:
The no-slip boundary condition and the coupled thermal
The conservation equations at the fluid region are given by Eq.
boundary condition are assigned on the wall in fluid region;
(2) for the conservation of mass, by Eqs.( (3) and (4) for the con-
servation of momentum in x and y axis directions, respectively, and u ¼ 0; v ¼ 0; Twall ¼ Tins ; qwall ¼ qins (8)
by Eq. (5) for the conservation of energy. In the conservation
equations, cartesian and cylindrical coordinates can be denoted for The boundary conditions at the bottom and top outer surfaces of
n ¼ 0 and n ¼ 1, respectively [13,16]. Experimental results for the the glass wool insulation material are given by Eq. (9) and the
cylindrical hot water tank were used to verify the numerical study boundary condition at the side outer surfaces by Eq. (10);
by taking n ¼ 1. In the numerical analysis for the rectangular hot
water tank, the parametric study was carried out by taking n ¼ 0. vTins
kins ¼ hðTins  Tamb Þ (9)
For this reason, conservation equations are expressed in terms of vy
the coefficient of n.
vTins
kins ¼ hðTins  Tamb Þ (10)
1 vðxn uÞ vv vx
þ ¼0 (2)
xn vx vy
where h is the convection coefficient of the ambient outside the
" # tank. The value of the convection coefficient is taken as h ¼ 2 W/
 
vu vðuuÞ vðvuÞ 1 vP m 1 v n vu v2 u m2K [9].
þ þ ¼ þ x þ 2 (3)
vt vx vy r vx r xn vx vx vy
2.3. Numerical method
"   #
vv vðuvÞ vðvvÞ 1 vP m 1 v vv v2 v In order to construct the mesh structure, the geometry is
þ þ ¼ þ xn þ 2
vt vx vy r vy r x vx
n vx vy divided into two parts, the fluid region and the insulation region
þ g bðT  T∞ Þ (4) (Fig. 2). The structured grid was used in the fluid zone and the grids
were concentrated near the fluid walls. The growth factor is 1.2 and
bias factor is 10 near the fluid walls. In the insulation region,
642
B. Kurşun, K. Okten / Renewable Energy 116 (2018) 639e646
Fig. 2. Mesh structure and distribution for the numerical analysis.
however, the uniform grid structure is implemented.
The finite-volume method is used for the numerical solutions.
SIMPLE pressure-velocity coupling and transient formulation of the
first order implicit scheme are implemented to the numerical so-
lution of conservation equations. PRESTO! scheme gives more ac-
curate solution for the condition that natural convection effect
predominates for the pressure discretization [15], hence, PRESTO!
scheme is preferred for the pressure discretization. Second-order
scheme of central differences is adopted to diffusive terms, and
the second-order upwind scheme is used for the convective terms
in the conservation equations. Analysis continued until the residual
values were less than 103 for the conservation of mass and mo-
mentum and less than 106 for the conservation of energy.
3. Validation of numerical results
The numerical results in the present study were compared with
the results of an experimental study by Yang et al. for the cylindrical
water tank [9]. Assumptions and solutions for cylindrical hot water
tanks may also apply to rectangular hot water tanks provided that
certain conditions are met. The effect of the surface curvature of the
cylinder can be neglected and the cylinder can be considered as a
flat plate when the cylinder diameter is large enough [16]. The
cylinder can be regarded as a flat plate when the following equation
is satisfied.
35Hc
Dc 
Gr 1=4
where Gr is the Grashof number, Dc is the cylinder diameter and Hc
is the cylinder height. The equation on the right side of Eq. (11) was
calculated for all of the aspect ratio values used in the study and the
calculated values were found to be smaller than the cylinder
diameter.
Kang and Chung [18,19] have confirmed that the vertical pipe
can be regarded as a vertical plate because the natural convection
boundary layer of a vertical pipe is very thin compared to the pipe
Fig. 3. Grid independent test results for different grid sizes, a) x ¼ 175 mm (centerline), b) y ¼ 150 mm.
€
diameter with their experimental study. In another study by Lin
and Armfield [13], the identical two-dimensional geometry was
used for cylindrical and rectangular water tanks and it is seen that
the numerical results for the identical mesh structure are
compatible with the results obtained according to the scaling. For
this reason, the numerical solutions confirmed using the experi-
mental study results for the cylindrical water tank can also be used
for the rectangular hot water tank. Therefore, numerical analyses
were performed for the conservation equations in the cylindrical
coordinates by taking n ¼ 1 to verify the numerical results.
Validation of numerical results is carried out for different grid
sizes and time steps. Three different grid size and time step are
applied computational domain for grid and time independent test.
Temperature variations depending on the grid size in axial and
radial directions are given in Fig. 3. As can be seen in Fig. 3a, tem-
perature variation with tank height is affected at negligible level by
variation of grid size. When the temperature changes obtained
along the tank width are examined (Fig. 3b), it is observed that only
the temperature values on the side surfaces of the tank change in a
small amount depending on the grid size. The temperature varia-
tion due to the grid size on the tank side surfaces is at most 0.26%.
The 2 mm grid size provides faster convergence than the 4 mm grid
size for the iteration at each time step. In the case of 1 mm grid size,
however, the computation time is considerably higher than other
grid sizes. Therefore, numerical analyses are carried out for a grid
size of 2 mm.
The time step to be used for the analysis is set at 0.5 s [9]. The
time independent test is performed for three different time steps in
1 h time interval. Fig. 4a shows varying temperature values
depending on the water tank height. The temperature values
remained about the same after 0.5 s of the time step. The tem-
perature values obtained during the tank width are not influenced
by the change of the time step (Fig. 4b). Thus, considering the
reducing the analysis time and the compatibility with the experi-
mental results, the time step of 0.5 s is selected.
The comparison of the numerical analysis results obtained for
2 mm grid size and 0.5 s time step values with the experimental
results is given in Fig. 5. The temperature values varying with tank
height are compared for 5 h periods and the largest difference
between experimental and numerical results is found to be about
1.5%. This situation indicates that the numerical results are in good
agreement with the experimental results. After validation of the
(11)
numerical results, a parametric study is carried out by taking n ¼ 0
in conservation equations for a rectangular water tank.
4. Results and discussion
The numerical analysis results for the different aspect ratios and
positions of the water tank are shown in Fig. 6. The dimensionless
height values, expressed in the figures, are obtained as a result of
dividing the length (L) between the lowest and highest points of
 €
B. Kurşun, K. Okten / Renewable Energy 116 (2018) 639e646
Fig. 4. Time independent test results for different time steps, a) x ¼ 175 mm (center line), b) y ¼ 150 mm.
Fig. 5. Comparison of the experimental [9] and numerical results.
the tank into seven equal parts for each condition. Çeviri hatasıThe
temperature values in the graphs represent the average tempera-
ture at each dimensionless height value for the fluid region. Çeviri
hatası Fig. 6aec show the temperature values depending on the
a)
Fig. 6. Water temperatures variation with dimensionless height for 8 h time interval a) D/H ¼ 1 b) D/H ¼ 0.7 c) D/H ¼ 0.5.
643
tank height, which includes different time intervals for the values of
D/H ¼ 1, 0.7 and 0.5, respectively. As can be seen in Fig. 6, the
temperature difference in the upper and lower parts of the tank
increases as the water tank is placed obliquely and Çeviri hatasıthe
temperature curves exhibit the same characteristics for all the
parameter values. Çeviri hatasıAs a result of the heat transfer from
the tank walls, the water temperature decreases and the water
temperature drops in the regions near the tank bottom surface due
to the difference in density between hot and cold water. The tem-
perature values in the regions near the bottom surface of the tank
significantly decrease with the positioning of the tank at 45
and
60
compared to the condition in which the tank is positioned
vertically. The amount of thermal stratification between the in-
clined and vertical tank positions also changes with the increase in
time. It is seen that the temperature values in the tank are very
close to each other when the conditions in which the angle values
are a ¼ 45
and a ¼ 60
are compared with each other. Similarly,
Çeviri hatasıSimilarlySsss the temperature differences on the top
and bottom surfaces of the tank according to the aspect ratio are
close to each other in all the angle values.
The maximum temperature differences between the upper and
b)
c)
644
B. Kurşun, K. Okten / Renewable Energy 116 (2018) 639e646
lower tank regions (DTmax) according to the above-mentioned
aspect ratio and angle values can be examined in detail in Fig. 7.
The maximum temperature differences in the tank for all param-
eter values depending on the time are given in Fig. 7. Çeviri hatasıIt
is observed that the amount of thermal stratification increases with
the increase in time for all values of angle and aspect ratio. The
highest temperature difference occurs at D/H ¼ 0.5 and 8 h for all
the cases. The thermal stratification is greater than other angle
values for a ¼ 45
. The temperature difference increases by 93% and
86% by positioning the hot water tank at an angle of a ¼ 45
and
a ¼ 60
, respectively at the end of 8 h Çeviri hatasıIn cases where
the tank is placed in an inclined position, the highest value of the
increase in the temperature difference for different aspect ratios is
0.02%. Therefore, the effect of the aspect ratio on the thermal
stratification is negligible for oblique positioning of the water tank.
If the tank is placed in the vertical position (a ¼ 0
), the effect of the
change in the aspect ratio on thermal stratification should be
considered. The maximum temperature difference decreases with
the increase of the aspect ratio for a ¼ 0
and the temperature
difference increases 14% at D/H ¼ 0.5 by comparison with D/H ¼ 1.
Temperature and velocity contours are seen in Fig. 8 for different
parameter values at the end of 8 h. As a result of placing the hot
water tank at a ¼ 45
and a ¼ 60
, the velocity boundary layer
cannot reach the bottom of the tank and the vortex flow is
considerably reduced due to sharp corner (Fig. 8b and c). Thus, the
thermal stratification increases by preventing the mixing of hot and
cold water in the bottom region of the tank. As the tank is placed in
the vertical position (a ¼ 0
), the fluid movement in the regions
near the top and bottom surfaces of the tank has increased
compared to the other placement conditions (Fig. 8a). Çeviri
hatasıIn addition, the velocity boundary layer on the side walls of
the tank is closer to the tank bottom region than the velocity
boundary layer in the oblique position of the tank for a ¼ 0
. Thus,
the mixture of hot and cold water increases and the thermal
stratification decreases. As can be seen in Fig. 8aec, the lowest
temperature in the bottom surface of the tank is reached at an angle
of a ¼ 45
. Temperature and velocity values are very close to each
other for a ¼ 45
and a ¼ 60
tank positions. For the angle value of
a ¼ 0
, a ¼ 45
and a ¼ 60
, the maximum temperature differences
between the tank bottom and top surfaces are 6.9 K, 14.2 K, and
13.8 K respectively.
In the present study, the second law-efficiency of thermody-
namics (ƞII) for different positions and aspect ratios of the water
tank was determined and the results are given in Fig. 9. The second
law-efficiency is calculated by the Eq. (12),
X
hII ¼ 1  destroyed
Xinitial
Fig. 7. Variation of the maximum temperature differences for all parameter values.
€
where Xdestroyed and Xinitial have destroyed exergy and initial
exergy, respectively. Xdestroyed and Xinitial are given by Eqs. (13) and
(14),
Xdestroyed ¼ ðUi  Ui1 Þ þ P0 ðVi  Vi1 Þ  Tamb ðSi  Si1 Þ (13)
Xinitial ¼ ðU1  U0 Þ þ P0 ðV1  V0 Þ  Tamb ðS1  S0 Þ (14)
In the equations, U is the internal energy, P0 is the atmospheric
pressure (0.101325 MPa), V is the volume, Tamb (288.15 K) is the
environment temperature and S is the entropy. Exergy loss is
calculated for the two cases identified for the Xdestroyed. In the initial
state of exergy (Xinitial), however, the exergy difference between
water and environmental conditions was taken into account. The
average temperature value in the tank is used to determine the
internal energy, specific volume and entropy values for a given
situation. In addition, the kinetic and potential energy terms for the
Eqs. (13) and (14) are neglected due to the water tank is a stationary
closed system.
As the result of the positioning of the tank in the inclined po-
sition, the efficiency has decreased with respect to the vertical
position of the tank due to the increase in the temperature differ-
ence between the bottom and the top surface of the tank for all
time intervals (Fig. 9a). For the values of a ¼ 45
and a ¼ 60
, the
results are approximately the same. The highest second law-
efficiency difference between the oblique and horizontal posi-
tions is approximately 4.3%. As can be seen from Fig. 9b, the aspect
ratio change of the tank affects the second law efficiency in a small
amount. The highest efficiency difference between the different
aspect ratios is 1.56% and it occurs after 8 h.
By the changing of the tank aspect ratio, the outer surface area of
the tank changes and this affects the heat transfer to the environ-
ment. The thermal energy storage capacity of a water tank can be
expressed as the ratio of tank outer surface area to tank volume [9].
Fig. 10 shows the ratios of tank outer surface to tank volume for
different aspect ratios. The lower ratio of the tank outer surface area
to the tank volume indicates that the thermal energy storage ca-
pacity is higher. It is observed from Fig. 10 that the highest thermal
energy storage capacity has occurred for D/H ¼ 1. The highest
change in the ratio of the tank surface area to tank volume for
different aspect ratios is 1.56%. As a result, positioning the tank
obliquely and changing the aspect ratio causes a certain degree of
exergy destruction even though it increases the thermal
stratification.
5. Conclusions
(12)
Numerical analysis was carried out for different parameter
values in order to determine the effect of the hot water tank po-
sition and the aspect ratio on the thermal stratification in the tank.
Thus, proper design conditions have been tried to be established for
improving the efficiency of the rectangular hot water tank used for
the purpose of thermal energy storage. Çeviri hatasıThe analysis
results obtained according to the change of parameter values are
given below.
The oblique placement of the rectangular hot water tank re-
duces the movement of the fluid caused by the natural convection
in the tank and prevents the mixture of hot and cold water in the
bottom zone of the tank. In the oblique position, the sharp corner is
formed on the tank bottom surface and the velocity boundary layer
cannot reach the tank bottom surface. The temperature difference
between the bottom and the top surface of the tank is increased by
93% and 86% for a ¼ 45
and a ¼ 60
, respectively.
The change in the tank aspect ratio has caused a temperature
change in the level that can be neglected for the oblique positioning
 €
B. Kurşun, K. Okten / Renewable Energy 116 (2018) 639e646 645

Fig. 8. Velocity and temperature contours for D/H ¼ 0.5 a) a ¼ 0
b) a ¼ 45
c) a ¼ 60
.

Fig. 9. Second law-efficiencies for time intervals, a) D/H ¼ 0.5, b) a ¼ 45
.

of the tank (0.02%). However, considering the vertical position of
the tank, the decrease in the aspect ratio has increased the thermal
stratification. As a result of decreasing the aspect ratio from 1 to 0.5,
the maximum temperature difference in the tank is increased by
14% for the vertical positioning.
In the present study, the effects of different aspect ratios and
positions of the tank on second law-efficiency and thermal energy
storage capacity also investigated. As a result of the oblique posi-
tioning of the tank and the change of the aspect ratio, the highest
loss in second law-efficiency is 4.3% and 1.56%, respectively. These
646 €
B. Kurşun, K. Okten / Renewable Energy 116 (2018) 639e646
Fig. 10. The ratios of surface area to volume for different D/H values (a ¼ 45
).
results show that the loss in the second law-efficiency is consid-
erably lower than the increase in the amount of thermal
stratification.
In the parameter values given above, the increase in thermal
stratification occurs at different rates depending on time. The
amount of thermal stratification has also increased with the in-
crease in time for all of the angle and aspect ratios. Findings from
numerical analyses have shown that the change in aspect ratio has
a neglectable effect on thermal stratification when rectangular hot
water tanks are placed in an oblique position. On the other hand,
the design of the tank with a low aspect ratio for vertical placement
of the tank is more efficient.
Acknowledgement
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding
agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
References
[1] Y.M. Han, R.Z. Wang, Y.J. Dai, Thermal stratification within the water tank,
Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 13 (5) (2009) 1014e1026.
[2] J. Fernandez-Seara, F.J. Uhía, J. Sieres, Experimental analysis of a domestic
electric hot water storage tank, Part I: static mode of operation, Appl. Therm.
Eng. 27 (1) (2007) 129e136.
[3] D. Erdemir, N. Altuntop, Improved thermal stratification with obstacles placed
inside the vertical mantled hot water tanks, Appl. Therm. Eng. 100 (2016)
20e29.
[4] N. Altuntop, M. Arslan, V. Ozceyhan, M. Kanoglu, Effect of obstacles on thermal
stratification in hot water storage tanks, Appl. Therm. Eng. 25 (14e15) (2005)
2285e2298.
[5] E. García-Marí, M. Gasque, R.P. Gutie rrez-Colomer, F. Iban
~ ez, P. Gonz
alez-
Altozano, A new inlet device that enhances thermal stratification during
charging in a hot water storage tank, Appl. Therm. Eng. 61 (2) (2013)
663e669.
[6] M. Gasque, P. Gonz alez-Altozano, D. Maurer, I. Jos Moncho-Esteve, R. Pen
elope Guti errez-Colomer, G. Palau-Salvador, E. García-Marí, Study of the in-
fluence of inner lining material on thermal stratification in a hot water storage
tank, Appl. Therm. Eng. 75 (2015) 344e356.
[7] O. Abdelhak, H. Mhiri, P. Bournot, CFD analysis of thermal stratification in
domestic hot water storage tank during dynamic mode, Build. Simul. 8 (4)
(2015) 421e429.
[8] N.J.L. van Ruth, New type of valve for solar thermal storage tank stratification,
Energy Procedia 91 (2016) 246e249.
[9] Z. Yang, H. Chen, L. Wang, Y. Sheng, Y. Wang, Comparative study of the in-
fluences of different water tank shapes on thermal energy storage capacity
and thermal stratification, Renew. Energy 85 (2016) 31e44.
[10] T. Bouhal, S. Fertahi, Y. Agrouaz, T. El Rhafiki, T. Kousksou, A. Jamil, Numerical
modeling and optimization of thermal stratification in solar hot water storage
tanks for domestic applications: CFD study, Sol. Energy 157 (2017) 441e455.
[11] Z. Wang, H. Zhang, B. Dou, H. Huang, W. Wu, Z. Wang, Experimental and
numerical research of thermal stratification with a novel inlet in a dynamic
hot water storage tank, Renew. Energy 111 (2017) 353e371.
[12] J. Dragsted, S. Furbo, M. Dannemand, F. Bava, Thermal stratification built up in
hot water tank with different inlet stratifiers, Sol. Energy 147 (2017)
414e425.
[13] W. Lin, S.W. Armfield, Natural convection cooling of rectangular and cylin-
drical containers, Int. J. Heat. Fluid Flow. 22 (1) (2001) 72e81.
[14] J.D. Chung, S.H. Cho, C.S. Tae, H. Yoo, The effect of diffuser configuration on
thermal stratification in a rectangular storage tank, Renew. Energy 33 (10)
(2008) 2236e2245.
[15] A. Bejan, J.L. Lage, The Prandtl number effect on the transition in natural
convection along a vertical surface, J. Heat. Transf. 112 (3) (1990) 787e790.
[16] Y.A. Cengel, Heat Mass Transf. (a Pract. approach, SI version) 3 (2006) 72.
[17] ANSYS, ANSYS Fluent Theory Guide, 15317, 2013, p. 514.
[18] K.-U. Kang, B.-J. Chung, The effects of the anode size and position on the
limiting currents of natural convection mass transfer experiments in a vertical
pipe, Trans. Korean Soc. Mech. Eng. B 34 (1) (2010) 1e8.
[19] G.U. Kang, B.J. Chung, The experimental study on transition criteria of natural
convection inside a vertical pipe, Int. Commun. heat mass Transf. 37 (8) (2010)
1057e1063.