Last month, we began with a concept for an “ideal” thermal storage tank. This tank was then shown in both a classic four-pipe configuration, as well as a newer configuration called two-pipe. This month, we’ll look at a morphing of these two piping methods to create a three-pipe configuration. We’ll also look at options for connecting multiple thermal storage tanks together.
Three-pipe configuration: What do you get when you “average” a four-pipe tank with a two-pipe tank? You guessed it: A three-pipe tank, as shown in Figure 5.