Experimental investigation on simultaneous charging and discharging of an oil storage tank

An experimental setup for simultaneous charging and discharging experiments to be performed on an oil storage tank is presented. The experimental setup enables thermal energy to be stored in the storage tank as well as water to be heated up for a cooking application in a simultaneous charging and discharge cycle. Results of three different simultaneous charging and discharging cases are presented. The three different cases of simultaneous charging and discharging are; (i) an initially unstratified storage tank, (ii) an initially stratified storage tank, and (iii) an initially unstratified storage tank at the top and stratified at the bottom. The three different cases of simultaneous charging and discharging indicate that water can be boiled within 2 h of the charging/discharging cycle and a sufficient amount of energy can be stored in the storage tank. It is suggested that foods which take longer cooking times can be cooked with the boiling water. The energy stored can be used to heat up or cook foods that require lower cooking temperatures. Thermal stratification in the storage is evident for all of the three cases.