Thermal energy storage (TES) is an important technology for effective and efficient energy management. The proper design and operation of a TES require an understanding of its behavior and characteristics. Here, the transient behavior during charging and discharging of a fully mixed, open TES is modeled and analyzed. Included are developments and analyses of the charging temperature function and the maximum charging temperature of the TES, the charging energy flow function and the maximum heat flow capacity of the TES, the discharging temperature function and the minimum charging temperature of the TES, the discharging energy flow function and the maximum heat flow capacity of the TES, and the expression for one cycle of the TES. The impact of various factors on charging and discharging are investigated. The results show that, by increasing the input energy flow rate, the charging temperature of the TES is raised, and that an increase in the input energy flow rate raises the discharging temperature of the TES in the early stage of discharging, while a decrease in the outlet energy flow rate increases the discharging temperature of the TES in the late stage of discharging. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.