The cold

Principle of ice storage

FAFCO Ice Storage, ICEBAT, is a system of submerged tube interchanges. It uses the solidification of ice water to store cold in the form of “latent heat.”

Water is indeed the best phase change material (PCM) for cold storage: available everywhere, economical and without impact on the environment, water has the highest latent heat of all known liquids. For specific applications, FAFCO offers 2 more PCMs for storage in positive and negative temperatures, with phase changes at -10 degrees Celsius and -10 degrees Fahrenheit.

During the charging phase, the cold brought by glycolate water flowing through the interchanges turns the water stored in ice into ice.

During the discharge phase, the customer’s hot fluid is cooled through the FAFCO interchanges caught in the ice.

ICEBATS are 8 times more compact than ice water storages of equivalent capacity.

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Advantages

Reduced electrical connection power.

Optimizing energy consumption for air conditioning in buildings.

Emergency refrigeration capacity in the event of an electrical failure.

Reducing the power of refrigeration groups.

Reducing environmental impact.

Comparisons of ice storage technologies

Non-pressurized tank

Heat exchange:
Circulation of glycolate water in pipes immersed in water to freeze it.

Immersion tube exchangers

Stored energy: 50 kWh per m³

Storage tank features:
Generally below 5000 kWh per tank.
Limited storage height.

Non-pressurized tank

Heat exchange:
Direct exchange, no use of glycol.

Chilled
water tank

Stored energy: 10 kWh per m³

Storage tank features:
Limited by the available floor area and its weight.
Must be circular to support the effort, minimum height required for stratification.

Non-pressurized tank

Heat exchange:
Glycolate water sprinkled on the balls from the top of the tank.

Sprayed ball heat exchanger

Stored energy: 45 kWh per m³

Storage tank features:
Of any size, shape and material.
Isolation and waterproofing carried out on site.
Stacking height of balls up to 10m.

Pressurized tank

Heat exchange:
Circulation of glycolated water inside the tank and around submerged balls.

Sprayed ball heat exchanger

Stored energy: 50 kWh per m³

Storage tank features:
Horizontal layout, volume per tank of 100 m3 equivalent to 5000 Kwh.
Max tank diameter: 3m.