Ignacio Gurruchaga

To complete the deployment of the ice slurry technology using the supercooling water, modelling and design tools for the scalability of crystallizers are required. These tools may ensure a controlled and reliable operation of crystallizers, avoiding upstream ice propagation and exergetic losses, and high-efficiency supercooling release. To achieve this, ModIceCrys aims to develop a CFD-crystallization tool for modelling the ice crystallization process coupled with supercooled water flows. As a first step, the ice crystallization processes in supercooling water will be numerically investigated using the population balance model to obtain a stand-alone crystal growth model in non-flow conditions. Thereafter, a coupled fluid flow and the above-mentioned crystal growth model will be coupled by means of CFD in order to understand the fundamentals of ice growth and its interaction within supercooling water flows. To conclude, the validation of the previous CFD-crystallization model via diverse non-intrusive quantitative flow visualization techniques, such as Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and Backlight Shadow Imaging (BIS), is foreseen.

Thermocline is a cost efficient thermal storage system able to reduce capital costs of CSP up to 40 %. The objective of this project is to develop new thermocline concepts that can be applicable to different CSP plants. Detailed simulation of two thermocline concepts will be validated with the experimental data generated in this project. Based on the simulation tools, both concepts will be evaluated and optimized in terms of system integration and LCOE savings on a CSP system level and up-scaling for CSP target applications.

The overall goal of the TRI-HP project is the development and demonstration of flexible energy-efficient and affordable trigeneration systems. The systems will be based on electrically driven natural refrigerant heat pumps coupled with renewable electricity generators (PV), using cold (ice slurry), heat and electricity storages to provide heating, cooling and electricity to multi-family residential buildings with a self-consumed renewable share of 80 %. The innovations proposed will reduce the system cost by at least 10 - 15 % compared to current heat pump technologies with equivalent energetic performances. Two natural refrigerants with very low global warming potential, propane and carbon dioxide, will be used as working fluids.

The project is lead by SPF and supported by the research programme H2020 of the European Union – grant agreement ID: 814888