Influence factors and prediction correlation of heat loss in high-temperature molten salt storage tank of CSP plant

As a key component of solar thermal power plants, the heat loss of molten salt storage tanks directly determines the power generation efficiency. In order to obtain the main influencing factors of heat loss in molten salt storage tanks and further propose the prediction correlation for heat loss of molten salt storage tanks, the numerical thermal analysis model of high-temperature molten salt storage tanks was established, the variation law of heat loss under different influencing factors was explored, and the sensitivity analysis was conducted. The results indicate that heat storage temperature, fiberglass insulation layer thickness, tank height-diameter ratio, tank wall and top mineral wool thickness, and ambient temperature are the main factors influencing heat loss, while the influence of the liquid level, outside surface heat transfer coefficient, and its emissivity can be ignored. A correlation equation for predicting the heat loss of storage tanks was proposed, which considers all main influencing factors with the prediction error within 10% and the average absolute error within 3.03%. This study has realized the transition from "qualitative description" to "quantitative prediction" for the heat loss study of molten salt storage tanks, and the results can be the basis for the design of insulation structure optimization and provides valuable theoretical support and efficient engineering guidance for the rapid heat loss estimation of storage tanks.