Analysis and optimisation of an insulated water tank for the domestic purpose

Abstract

Hot water storage in the insulated tank is an effective method of energy storage and also fills the permanent and intermittent domestic need for hot water. In this study, an insulated water tank with 29 litres capacity is developed, and its energy storage performance is analysed through numerical simulation method. Silica gel and Polyurethane are the insulation materials attached to the concrete tank. This water tank is optimised for minimum cost and temperature loss using grey relation analysis (GRA) and response surface method (RSM). The thickness of concrete, polyurethane and silica gel layer are the considered control parameters. The best value obtained from the two optimisation methods are compared, and from GRA method, thickness of concrete, polyurethane and silica gel are identified as 7.5cm, 0.25cm and 0.25cm, respectively. Finally, from the confirmation test, the temperature loss in 24 hours is predicted as 6.29°C with a minimum material cost for the tank as 5914 INR.

Keywords:

• Insulated water tank
• numerical simulation
• optimisation
• grey relational analysis
• response surface methodology