Ice storage air conditioning

This definition has since been replaced by less-archaic units: one ton of HVAC or refrigeration capacity is approximately equivalent to 3520 Watts.

The ground is frozen using bore holes with concentric pipes that carry brine from a chiller at the surface.

Cold is extracted in a similar way using brine and used in the same way as for conventional ice storage, normally with a brine-to-liquid heat exchanger, to bring the working temperatures up to usable levels at higher volumes.

Before the advent of mechanical refrigeration, ice was cut from frozen lakes or rivers and transported to cities for use as a coolant.

The most widely used form of this technology can be found in campus-wide air conditioning or chilled water systems of large buildings.

Air conditioning systems, especially in commercial buildings, are the biggest contributors to peak electrical loads seen on hot summer days in various countries.

A partial storage system minimizes capital investment by running the chillers nearly 24 hours a day.

At night, they produce ice for storage and during the day they chill water for the air conditioning system.

In addition, unlike water-cooled chilled water systems that do not experience a tremendous difference in efficiency from day to night, this new class of equipment typically displaces daytime operation of air-cooled condensing units.

Typically, both the generated electrical power and turbine efficiency rise when the inlet cooling system is activated.