Performance analysis of a large TES system connected to a district heating network in Northern Italy

The addition of storage capacity to district heating systems increases flexibility and expands the range of usable heat sources. Despite their apparently simple nature, thermal energy storage (TES) tanks display a wide range of performances due to different construction and operation choices, as proven by numerous literature studies. However, most of the investigations focus on domestic-size tanks of few cubic metres or, on the other hand, very large seasonal storages of hundreds of thousands of cubic metres. In this work, the performances of a 5000 m3 TES recently introduced in a district heating network in Brescia, Italy, are experimentally analysed using temperature and flow rate measurements acquired over two months in the heating season. First-law efficiencies, exergy, and stratification parameters are calculated and discussed. Energy and exergy efficiencies computed for all examined cycles are above 90%, in line with literature values for smaller and larger TESs. The thermocline profile is generally stable through the cycle unless anomalous events occur, and its average thickness is below 4% of the water height. The combined analysis of single-point indicators, thermocline profiles, and qualitative temperature heatmaps shows that short partial charge/discharge events followed by long stand-by periods negatively affect performances. Stratification efficiency and stratification number give further time-dependent information on the vertical distribution of temperatures in the TES. Heat losses towards the outside are also estimated and discussed in the light of integrative measurements performed on other TESs with similar characteristics, showing that particular care must be paid to the top, where dissipation could be increased by evaporation phenomena if the water surface is not protected.