IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/appene/v116y2014icp278-287.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Latent heat augmentation of thermocline energy storage for concentrating solar power – A system-level assessment

Author

Listed:
  • Flueckiger, Scott M.
  • Garimella, Suresh V.

Abstract

Molten-salt thermocline tanks are a low-cost energy storage option for concentrating solar power plants. Despite the potential economic advantage, the capacity of thermocline tanks to store sufficient amounts of high-temperature heat is limited by the low energy density of the constituent sensible-heat storage media. A promising design modification replaces conventional rock filler inside the tank with an encapsulated phase-change material (PCM), contributing a latent heat storage mechanism to increase the overall energy density. The current study presents a new finite-volume approach to simulate mass and energy transport inside a latent heat thermocline tank at low computational cost. This storage model is then integrated into a system-level model of a molten-salt power tower plant to inform tank operation with respect to realistic solar collection and power production. With this system model, PCMs with different melting temperatures and heats of fusion are evaluated for their viability in latent heat storage for solar plants.

Suggested Citation

  • Flueckiger, Scott M. & Garimella, Suresh V., 2014. "Latent heat augmentation of thermocline energy storage for concentrating solar power – A system-level assessment," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 278-287.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:116:y:2014:i:c:p:278-287
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2013.11.059
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261913009665
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.apenergy.2013.11.059?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Felix Regin, A. & Solanki, S.C. & Saini, J.S., 2009. "An analysis of a packed bed latent heat thermal energy storage system using PCM capsules: Numerical investigation," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(7), pages 1765-1773.
    2. Yang, Zhen & Garimella, Suresh V., 2013. "Cyclic operation of molten-salt thermal energy storage in thermoclines for solar power plants," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 256-265.
    3. Xu, Chao & Wang, Zhifeng & He, Yaling & Li, Xin & Bai, Fengwu, 2012. "Sensitivity analysis of the numerical study on the thermal performance of a packed-bed molten salt thermocline thermal storage system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 65-75.
    4. Yang, Zhen & Garimella, Suresh V., 2010. "Molten-salt thermal energy storage in thermoclines under different environmental boundary conditions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 87(11), pages 3322-3329, November.
    5. Flueckiger, Scott M. & Iverson, Brian D. & Garimella, Suresh V. & Pacheco, James E., 2014. "System-level simulation of a solar power tower plant with thermocline thermal energy storage," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 86-96.
    6. Peng, Qiang & Yang, Xiaoxi & Ding, Jing & Wei, Xiaolan & Yang, Jianping, 2013. "Design of new molten salt thermal energy storage material for solar thermal power plant," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 682-689.
    7. Flueckiger, Scott & Yang, Zhen & Garimella, Suresh V., 2011. "An integrated thermal and mechanical investigation of molten-salt thermocline energy storage," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(6), pages 2098-2105, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. ELSihy, ELSaeed Saad & Mokhtar, Omar & Xu, Chao & Du, Xiaoze & Adel, Mohamed, 2023. "Cyclic performance characterization of a high-temperature thermal energy storage system packed with rock/slag pebbles granules combined with encapsulated phase change materials," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 331(C).
    2. Ma, Zhao & Yang, Wei-Wei & Li, Ming-Jia & He, Ya-Ling, 2018. "High efficient solar parabolic trough receiver reactors combined with phase change material for thermochemical reactions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 230(C), pages 769-783.
    3. Wang, Anming & Liu, Jiping & Zhang, Shunqi & Liu, Ming & Yan, Junjie, 2020. "Steam generation system operation optimization in parabolic trough concentrating solar power plants under cloudy conditions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
    4. Khalil Anwar, M. & Yilbas, B.S. & Shuja, S.Z., 2016. "A thermal battery mimicking a concentrated volumetric solar receiver," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 175(C), pages 16-30.
    5. Galione, P.A. & Pérez-Segarra, C.D. & Rodríguez, I. & Oliva, A. & Rigola, J., 2015. "Multi-layered solid-PCM thermocline thermal storage concept for CSP plants. Numerical analysis and perspectives," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 337-351.
    6. Elfeky, K.E. & Mohammed, A.G. & Ahmed, N. & Lu, Lin & Wang, Qiuwang, 2020. "Thermal and economic evaluation of phase change material volume fraction for thermocline tank used in concentrating solar power plants," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 267(C).
    7. Ahmed, N. & Elfeky, K.E. & Lu, Lin & Wang, Q.W., 2020. "Thermal performance analysis of thermocline combined sensible-latent heat storage system using cascaded-layered PCM designs for medium temperature applications," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 684-697.
    8. Mostafavi Tehrani, S. Saeed & Shoraka, Yashar & Nithyanandam, Karthik & Taylor, Robert A., 2019. "Shell-and-tube or packed bed thermal energy storage systems integrated with a concentrated solar power: A techno-economic comparison of sensible and latent heat systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 238(C), pages 887-910.
    9. Alberto Romero & Ricardo Chacartegui & Emanuele Garone, 2020. "Modeling, Simulation and Optimal Operation of Multi-Extraction Packed-Bed Thermal Storage Systems," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-13, May.
    10. Tanaka, Yasuto & Mesfun, Sennai & Umeki, Kentaro & Toffolo, Andrea & Tamaura, Yutaka & Yoshikawa, Kunio, 2015. "Thermodynamic performance of a hybrid power generation system using biomass gasification and concentrated solar thermal processes," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 664-672.
    11. Liu, Y.K. & Tao, Y.B., 2018. "Thermodynamic analysis and optimization of multistage latent heat storage unit under unsteady inlet temperature based on entransy theory," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 227(C), pages 488-496.
    12. Elfeky, K.E. & Li, Xinyi & Ahmed, N. & Lu, Lin & Wang, Qiuwang, 2019. "Optimization of thermal performance in thermocline tank thermal energy storage system with the multilayered PCM(s) for CSP tower plants," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 243(C), pages 175-190.
    13. Wu, Yunna & Geng, Shuai & Zhang, Haobo & Gao, Min, 2014. "Decision framework of solar thermal power plant site selection based on linguistic Choquet operator," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 303-311.
    14. Zhao, Bing-chen & Cheng, Mao-song & Liu, Chang & Dai, Zhi-min, 2016. "Thermal performance and cost analysis of a multi-layered solid-PCM thermocline thermal energy storage for CSP tower plants," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 178(C), pages 784-799.
    15. Xu, Ben & Li, Peiwen & Chan, Cholik, 2015. "Application of phase change materials for thermal energy storage in concentrated solar thermal power plants: A review to recent developments," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 286-307.
    16. Zhang, Maolong & Xu, Chao & Du, Xiaoze & Amjad, Muhammad & Wen, Dongsheng, 2017. "Off-design performance of concentrated solar heat and coal double-source boiler power generation with thermocline energy storage," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 189(C), pages 697-710.
    17. Elfeky, Karem Elsayed & Mohammed, Abubakar Gambo & Ahmed, Naveed & Wang, Qiuwang, 2023. "Thermo-mechanical investigation of the multi-layer thermocline tank for parabolic trough power plants," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 268(C).
    18. Alam, Tanvir E. & Dhau, Jaspreet S. & Goswami, D. Yogi & Stefanakos, Elias, 2015. "Macroencapsulation and characterization of phase change materials for latent heat thermal energy storage systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 154(C), pages 92-101.
    19. Romaní, Joaquim & Gasia, Jaume & Solé, Aran & Takasu, Hiroki & Kato, Yukitaka & Cabeza, Luisa F., 2019. "Evaluation of energy density as performance indicator for thermal energy storage at material and system levels," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 235(C), pages 954-962.
    20. Manfrida, Giampaolo & Secchi, Riccardo & Stańczyk, Kamil, 2016. "Modelling and simulation of phase change material latent heat storages applied to a solar-powered Organic Rankine Cycle," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 378-388.
    21. Zhao, Bing-chen & Cheng, Mao-song & Liu, Chang & Dai, Zhi-min, 2017. "Cyclic thermal characterization of a molten-salt packed-bed thermal energy storage for concentrating solar power," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 195(C), pages 761-773.
    22. Tehrani, S. Saeed Mostafavi & Taylor, Robert A. & Saberi, Pouya & Diarce, Gonzalo, 2016. "Design and feasibility of high temperature shell and tube latent heat thermal energy storage system for solar thermal power plants," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 96(PA), pages 120-136.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Chang, Zheshao & Li, Xin & Xu, Chao & Chang, Chun & Wang, Zhifeng & Zhang, Qiangqiang & Liao, Zhirong & Li, Qing, 2016. "The effect of the physical boundary conditions on the thermal performance of molten salt thermocline tank," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 96(PA), pages 190-202.
    2. Wu, Ming & Xu, Chao & He, Ya-Ling, 2014. "Dynamic thermal performance analysis of a molten-salt packed-bed thermal energy storage system using PCM capsules," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 184-195.
    3. Zhao, Bing-chen & Cheng, Mao-song & Liu, Chang & Dai, Zhi-min, 2016. "Thermal performance and cost analysis of a multi-layered solid-PCM thermocline thermal energy storage for CSP tower plants," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 178(C), pages 784-799.
    4. Galione, P.A. & Pérez-Segarra, C.D. & Rodríguez, I. & Oliva, A. & Rigola, J., 2015. "Multi-layered solid-PCM thermocline thermal storage concept for CSP plants. Numerical analysis and perspectives," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 337-351.
    5. Zhao, Bing-chen & Cheng, Mao-song & Liu, Chang & Dai, Zhi-min, 2018. "System-level performance optimization of molten-salt packed-bed thermal energy storage for concentrating solar power," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 226(C), pages 225-239.
    6. Cocco, Daniele & Serra, Fabio, 2015. "Performance comparison of two-tank direct and thermocline thermal energy storage systems for 1 MWe class concentrating solar power plants," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 526-536.
    7. Xu, Ben & Li, Peiwen & Chan, Cholik & Tumilowicz, Eric, 2015. "General volume sizing strategy for thermal storage system using phase change material for concentrated solar thermal power plant," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 256-268.
    8. Zhao, Bing-chen & Cheng, Mao-song & Liu, Chang & Dai, Zhi-min, 2017. "Cyclic thermal characterization of a molten-salt packed-bed thermal energy storage for concentrating solar power," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 195(C), pages 761-773.
    9. Miguel J. Prieto & Juan Á. Martínez & Rogelio Peón & Lourdes Á. Barcia & Fernando Nuño, 2017. "On the Convenience of Using Simulation Models to Optimize the Control Strategy of Molten-Salt Heat Storage Systems in Solar Thermal Power Plants," Energies, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-17, July.
    10. Rodríguez, I. & Pérez-Segarra, C.D. & Lehmkuhl, O. & Oliva, A., 2013. "Modular object-oriented methodology for the resolution of molten salt storage tanks for CSP plants," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 402-414.
    11. Fasquelle, T. & Falcoz, Q. & Neveu, P. & Hoffmann, J.-F., 2018. "A temperature threshold evaluation for thermocline energy storage in concentrated solar power plants," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 1153-1164.
    12. Xie, Baoshan & Baudin, Nicolas & Soto, Jérôme & Fan, Yilin & Luo, Lingai, 2022. "Wall impact on efficiency of packed-bed thermocline thermal energy storage system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 247(C).
    13. ELSihy, ELSaeed Saad & Wang, Xiaohui & Xu, Chao & Du, Xiaoze, 2021. "Numerical investigation on simultaneous charging and discharging process of molten-salt packed-bed thermocline storage tank employing in CSP plants," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 172(C), pages 1417-1432.
    14. Filali Baba, Yousra & Al Mers, Ahmed & Ajdad, Hamid, 2020. "Dimensionless model based on dual phase approach for predicting thermal performance of thermocline energy storage system: Towards a new approach for thermocline thermal optimization," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 440-455.
    15. Sait, Hani H. & Martinez-Val, Jose M. & Abbas, Ruben & Munoz-Anton, Javier, 2015. "Fresnel-based modular solar fields for performance/cost optimization in solar thermal power plants: A comparison with parabolic trough collectors," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 175-189.
    16. Nithyanandam, K. & Pitchumani, R. & Mathur, A., 2014. "Analysis of a latent thermocline storage system with encapsulated phase change materials for concentrating solar power," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 1446-1460.
    17. Gang Wang & Tong Wang, 2022. "Effect Evaluation of Filling Medium Parameters on Operating and Mechanical Performances of Liquid Heavy Metal Heat Storage Tank," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-17, November.
    18. Wang, Letian & Yang, Zhen & Duan, Yuanyuan, 2015. "Influence of flow distribution on the thermal performance of dual-media thermocline energy storage systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 283-292.
    19. Xu, Chao & Wang, Zhifeng & He, Yaling & Li, Xin & Bai, Fengwu, 2012. "Parametric study and standby behavior of a packed-bed molten salt thermocline thermal storage system," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 1-9.
    20. Yang, Zhen & Garimella, Suresh V., 2013. "Cyclic operation of molten-salt thermal energy storage in thermoclines for solar power plants," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 256-265.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:116:y:2014:i:c:p:278-287. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/405891/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.