Integration of Cold Thermal Energy Storage at a Pelagic Fish Processing Plant: A Modelling Approach

Abstract

Energy intensive sectors such as food processing are paying more and more attention towards energy conservation and reducing their total carbon footprint. The energy demand of a pelagic fish processing plant has been evaluated in a previous study, including an initial evaluation of how a cold thermal energy storage (CTES) system can be implemented and its advantages. Results of the analysis showed that the energy demand followed a seasonal cycle linked to the availability of raw material; the refrigeration systems accounted for approximately 75 % of the total energy demand and there could be a large potential if implementing a CTES system using phase change material (PCM) as the storage medium for diurnal charging/discharging cycles. In the current paper, the previous study is continued by investigating and quantifying the effects of implementing a CTES system on the low-temperature (-40 °C) refrigeration circuit. A dynamic model of the current refrigeration system was built in the Modelica/Dymola environment, including a modified version with CTES integration. Subsequent simulations were performed with varying storage dimensions. The model of the CTES component was based on a pillow-plate heat exchanger unit, previously validated with experimental data. The results revealed a potential for reducing peaks in the power consumption and an increased flexibility with regards to management of the thermal energy demand. Furthermore, practical aspects such as storage dimensions and integration strategies are discussed, and the results of this study will be used as basis for decision making with regards to installation of a pilot system.

Integration of Cold Thermal Energy Storage at a Pelagic Fish Processing Plant: A Modelling Approach