Thermal Storage Systems
Hot water storage vessels, also known as accumulator tanks are a key component in any renewable heating system. They play the essential role of evening out the peaks and the troughs of supply and demand. Often with renewable heating, there is an abundance of energy when you don’t need it and a shortfall when you need it the most. A thermal storage tank conservers energy when it is in abundance and saves it for when you need it. An example can be solar thermal systems that heat domestic hot water during the day ready for the evenings showers or a biomass boiler conserving excess energy for the following days heating.
What is an Accumulator Tank?
It is a highly insulated thermal storage vessel, they range in size from 500 litres to 2500 litres capacity filled with the water for the heating system. For large projects, additional units can be bolted on, and cascade energy from one to another. Its function is to collect and store heat energy from any source and to allow flexible use of the heat energy directly for space heating or for hot water. Use of an accumulator tank (hot water storage system) can greatly improve the efficiency of the heating system, and enabling a smaller size heating unit to be used, as the accumulator tank can accommodate capacity in dealing with peak demand.
For more answers about accumulator tank please see our Ask Mark section.
IDM Hygenix water storage system
The IDM Hygenix tank is an intelligent thermal storage tank that can integrate seamlessly with other renewable technologies. It includes a buffer plate to separate higher hot water temperatures to that of heating distribution, an external heat exchanger to create a closed loop system that removes the risk of legionaries disease. The tank can communicate with your IDM heat pump to modulate heat output and flow rates of the hot water to maximise efficiency.
Custom designing your system
Its important that your accumulator tank is fully integrated into your heating and hot water system to create an efficient thermal storage system. This requires experience and design insight to ensure that you maximise your renewable heating sources and that the tank has the capacity to handle your hot water and heating requirements. Leaving this to chance can result in an inefficient system, wasting the heat generated by your renewables and the possibility of a cold shower.
Talk to one of our technicians about your custom designed thermal storage system.
