Simplified mathematical model and experimental analysis of latent thermal energy storage for concentrated solar power plants

Abstract Depletion of fossil reserves and environmental concerns arising from their use has led to the development of renewable energy technologies. Concentrated solar power (CSP) is one of the promising alternative energy solutions that can be built in higher capacity (hundreds of megawatts) and provide higher thermal efficiencies compared to other technologies. However, almost all CSP systems require thermal energy storage (TES) to improve the capacity factor and bridge the gap between supply and demand. In the current work, a reduced-order one-dimensional mathematical model of a phase change material (PCM) based TES is proposed and experimentally validated on different sets of data including different PCM, operating ranges and storage size per geometrical unit of the CSP. The model considers single EPCM as a lumped thermal mass without much compromise on the accuracy having less than 9% overall error in terms of predicting energy storage capacity when compared to experimental data. Additionally, an experimental setup for encapsulated-PCM (EPCM) is developed using NaNO3-KNO3 as the PCM. This system has a storage capacity of 9.7 MJ and a storage time of 6 hours is required to completely charge the system at selected conditions. An analysis of the system performance is presented under different experimental conditions. The model development, experimental analysis and validation shall provide reliable design estimates while designing EPCM-TES for large-scale applications. Therefore, the current simplified mathematical model best fits such applications where a design engineer needs to make quick decisions regarding the selection of an EPCM-TES system or where a reduced-order model of entire CSP plant is required.

[1]  E. Baniasadi,et al.  A review on modeling and simulation of solar energy storage systems based on phase change materials , 2019, Journal of Energy Storage.

[2]  S. Iyahraja,et al.  Silver nanoparticles for enhanced thermal energy storage of phase change materials , 2020 .

[3]  Ying Zheng.  Thermal Energy Storage with Encapsulated Phase Change Materials for High Temperature Applications , 2015 .

[4]  M. A. Said,et al.  Effect of using nanoparticles on the performance of thermal energy storage of phase change material coupled with air-conditioning unit , 2018, Energy Conversion and Management.

[5]  B. N. Prasad,et al.  A critical review on thermal energy storage materials and systems for solar applications , 2019, AIMS Energy.

[6]  Christophe Menezo,et al.  Hybrid Solar: A Review on Photovoltaic and Thermal Power Integration , 2012 .

[8]  Ioan Sarbu,et al.  Review on heat transfer analysis in thermal energy storage using latent heat storage systems and phase change materials , 2018, International Journal of Energy Research.

[9]  Mehrdad Boroushaki,et al.  Performance evaluation and optimization of encapsulated cascade PCM thermal storage , 2017 .

[10]  Doerte Laing,et al.  Development of high temperature phase-change-material storages , 2013 .

[11]  Mehmet Esen.  Thermal performance of a solar-aided latent heat store used for space heating by heat pump , 2000 .

[12]  Doerte Laing,et al.  THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE MATERIALS AND SYSTEMS , 2012 .

[13]  Alparslan Oztekin,et al.  Experimental and computational study of thermal energy storage with encapsulated NaNO3 for high temperature applications , 2015 .

[14]  A. Oztekin,et al.  Analysis of an encapsulated phase change material‐based energy storage system for high‐temperature applications , 2018 .

[15]  Ali F. Elmozughi.  Heat Transfer Analysis of Encapsulated Phase Change Materials for Thermal Energy Storage , 2013 .

[16]  Energy Policies and Sustainable Management of Energy Sources , 2017 .

[17]  Lingai Luo,et al.  Thermal energy storage systems for concentrated solar power plants , 2017 .

[18]  Mehmet Esen,et al.  Geometric design of solar-aided latent heat store depending on various parameters and phase change materials , 1998 .

[19]  Shaokun Song,et al.  Natural microtubule encapsulated phase change material with high thermal energy storage capacity , 2019, Energy.

[20]  Alparslan Oztekin,et al.  Exergy analysis of cascaded encapsulated phase change material—High-temperature thermal energy storage systems , 2016 .

[21]  Pau Gimenez-Gavarrell,et al.  Glass encapsulated phase change materials for high temperature thermal energy storage , 2017 .

[22]  Xinhua Xu,et al.  Dynamic simplified PCM models for the pipe-encapsulated PCM wall system for self-activated heat removal , 2019, International Journal of Thermal Sciences.

[23]  Luigi Torre,et al.  A New Phase Change Material Based on Potassium Nitrate with Silica and Alumina Nanoparticles for Thermal Energy Storage , 2015, Nanoscale Research Letters.

[24]  W. D. Toh,et al.  Low-temperature macro-encapsulated phase change material based thermal energy storage system without air void space design , 2018, Applied Thermal Engineering.

[25]  Nasiru I. Ibrahim,et al.  Heat transfer enhancement of phase change materials for thermal energy storage applications: A critical review , 2017 .

[26]  John W. Kelton,et al.  Testing of Thermocline Filler Materials and Molten-Salt Heat Transfer Fluids for Thermal Energy Storage Systems in Parabolic Trough Power Plants , 2004 .

[27]  D. Kearney,et al.  Thermal Storage Commercial Plant Design Study for a 2-Tank Indirect Molten Salt System: Final Report, 13 May 2002 - 31 December 2004 , 2006 .

[28]  Peiwen Li,et al.  Application of phase change materials for thermal energy storage in concentrated solar thermal power plants: A review to recent developments , 2015 .

[29]  J. Uertz,et al.  Concentrated Ag Nanoparticles in Dodecane as Phase Change Materials for Thermal Energy Storage , 2019, ACS Applied Nano Materials.

[30]  F. Bruno,et al.  Review on shell materials used in the encapsulation of phase change materials for high temperature thermal energy storage , 2015 .

[31]  L. Cabeza,et al.  Numerical simulation of a PCM packed bed system: A review , 2017 .

[32]  R. Pitz-Paal,et al.  Cascaded latent heat storage for parabolic trough solar power plants , 2007 .

[33]  J. Cahill,et al.  Neurologic Manifestations of Systemic Rheumatologic Diseases , 2019, Clinical Neuroimmunology.

[34]  Vignesh Pethurajan,et al.  Facile approach to improve solar thermal energy storage efficiency using encapsulated sugar alcohol based phase change material , 2018, Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells.

[35]  Rhys Jacob,et al.  Using renewables coupled with thermal energy storage to reduce natural gas consumption in higher temperature commercial/industrial applications , 2019, Renewable Energy.

[36]  J. Kenny,et al.  Heat capacity of nanofluids for solar energy storage produced by dispersing oxide nanoparticles in nitrate salt mixture directly at high temperature , 2017 .

[37]  E. Shchukina,et al.  Nanoencapsulation of phase change materials for advanced thermal energy storage systems , 2018, Chemical Society reviews.

[38]  Jing Ding,et al.  Enhanced Specific Heat of Chloride Salt with Mg Particles for High-temperature Thermal Energy Storage , 2017 .

[39]  Ya-Ling He,et al.  A review of phase change material and performance enhancement method for latent heat storage system , 2018, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews.

[40]  Zeeshan Ali Khan,et al.  Recent progress in renewable energy – Remedy of energy crisis in Pakistan , 2014 .

[41]  H. Ali,et al.  Thermal applications of hybrid phase change materials: A critical review , 2020 .

[42]  S. Iniyan,et al.  A review of solar thermal technologies , 2010 .

[43]  Teuku Meurah Indra Mahlia,et al.  Phase Change Materials (PCM) for Solar Energy Usages and Storage: An Overview , 2019, Energies.

[44]  M. Lacroix.  Study of the heat transfer behavior of a latent heat thermal energy storage unit with a finned tube , 1993 .

[45]  Gregory J. Kolb,et al.  An Evaluation of Molten-Salt Power Towers Including Results of the Solar Two Project , 2001 .

[46]  Mehmet Esen,et al.  Development of a model compatible with solar assisted cylindrical energy storage tank and variation of stored energy with time for different phase change materials , 1996 .

[47]  Alparslan Oztekin,et al.  Encapsulated phase change material for high temperature thermal energy storage – Heat transfer analysis , 2014 .

[48]  Kes McCormick,et al.  The Potentials of Renewable Energy , 2004 .

[49]  F. Padella,et al.  Lithium manganese oxides as high-temperature thermal energy storage system , 2016 .

[50]  Hafiz Muhammad Ali,et al.  Performance analysis of a low capacity solar tower water heating system in climate of Pakistan , 2017 .

[51]  Omprakash Kaiwartya,et al.  Cross-Layer Energy Optimization for IoT Environments: Technical Advances and Opportunities , 2017 .

[52]  M. Romero,et al.  Numerical analysis of charging and discharging performance of a thermal energy storage system with encapsulated phase change material , 2014 .

[53]  Christian Sattler,et al.  Thermochemical solar energy storage via redox oxides: materials and reactor/heat exchanger concepts , 2014 .

[54]  Luisa F. Cabeza,et al.  State of the art on high temperature thermal energy storage for power generation. Part 1—Concepts, materials and modellization , 2010 .

[55]  Wenjie Gang,et al.  Simulation study of a pipe-encapsulated PCM wall system with self-activated heat removal by nocturnal sky radiation , 2020 .

[56]  Rebecca I. Dunn,et al.  Molten-Salt Power Towers: Newly Commercial Concentrating Solar Storage , 2012, Proceedings of the IEEE.

[57]  Aldo Steinfeld,et al.  Experimental and numerical investigation of combined sensible-latent heat for thermal energy storage at 575°C and above , 2015 .

[58]  Flavio Manenti,et al.  Assessment of Direct Thermal Energy Storage Technologies for Concentrating Solar Power Plants , 2013 .

[59]  Mary Jane Hale,et al.  Advanced Thermal Storage Fluids for Solar Parabolic Trough Systems , 2002 .

[60]  Wujun Zhang,et al.  Numerical simulation and parametric study on new type of high temperature latent heat thermal energy storage system , 2008 .

[61]  Torben R. Jensen,et al.  Complex metal hydrides for hydrogen, thermal and electrochemical energy storage , 2017 .

[62]  Ulf Herrmann,et al.  Engineering aspects of a molten salt heat transfer fluid in a trough solar field , 2004 .

[63]  Nabeel S. Dhaidan,et al.  Improved performance of latent heat energy storage systems utilizing high thermal conductivity fins: A review , 2017 .

[64]  Subhash Bhatia,et al.  An overview on global warming in Southeast Asia: CO2 emission status, efforts done, and barriers , 2013 .

[65]  Peiwen Li,et al.  Extending the validity of lumped capacitance method for large Biot number in thermal storage application , 2012 .

[66]  J. Pacheco,et al.  DEVELOPMENT OF A MOLTEN-SALT THERMOCLINE THERMAL STORAGE SYSTEM FOR PARABOLIC TROUGH PLANTS , 2001 .