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Transient analysis of the cooling process of molten salt thermal storage tanks due to standby heat loss

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  • Suárez, Christian
  • Iranzo, Alfredo
  • Pino, F.J.
  • Guerra, J.

Abstract

Molten salts consisting of 60% sodium nitrate and 40% potassium nitrate have been used successfully as a thermal energy collection and storage fluid in different solar thermal plants. However, the relatively high melting point of this mixture (221°C) represents an important risk of local solidification in the operation of the solar power plants during standby periods. In this work, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is developed to analyze the cooling process of representative state-of-the-art molten salt thermal storage tanks during these standby periods. A comprehensive set of operating conditions is analyzed, covering both hot and cold storage tanks, charging levels, and heat losses. Results show that the onset of local crystallization is highly influenced by the tank charging level. While the risk is relatively high in the case of the minimum charging level, in the case of maximum charging level the risk is minimal as it would require a very long standby period. To summarize the results, this work presents a safe charging level calculation, as a function of the operation temperature and the expected standby duration, which could be used as part of an appropriate operational strategy to avoid the risk of freezing for long standby periods. The model assumptions, the different configurations studied and their results are presented and discussed in detail.

Suggested Citation

  • Suárez, Christian & Iranzo, Alfredo & Pino, F.J. & Guerra, J., 2015. "Transient analysis of the cooling process of molten salt thermal storage tanks due to standby heat loss," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 56-65.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:142:y:2015:i:c:p:56-65
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2014.12.082
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    2. Xiaoming Zhang & Yuting Wu & Chongfang Ma & Qiang Meng & Xiao Hu & Cenyu Yang, 2019. "Experimental Study on Temperature Distribution and Heat Losses of a Molten Salt Heat Storage Tank," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-14, May.
    3. He, Canming & Lu, Jianfeng & Ding, Jing & Wang, Weilong & Yuan, Yibo, 2017. "Heat transfer and thermal performance of two-stage molten salt steam generation system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 204(C), pages 1231-1239.
    4. Tagle-Salazar, Pablo D. & Prieto, Cristina & López-Román, Anton & Cabeza, Luisa F., 2023. "A transient heat losses model for two-tank storage systems with molten salts," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 219(P1).
    5. Li, Qing & Bai, Fengwu & Yang, Bei & Wang, Zhifeng & El Hefni, Baligh & Liu, Sijie & Kubo, Syuichi & Kiriki, Hiroaki & Han, Mingxu, 2016. "Dynamic simulation and experimental validation of an open air receiver and a thermal energy storage system for solar thermal power plant," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 178(C), pages 281-293.
    6. Lappalainen, Jari & Hakkarainen, Elina & Sihvonen, Teemu & Rodríguez-García, Margarita M. & Alopaeus, Ville, 2019. "Modelling a molten salt thermal energy system – A validation study," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 233, pages 126-145.
    7. Cristina Prieto & Adrian Blindu & Luisa F. Cabeza & Juan Valverde & Guillermo García, 2023. "Molten Salts Tanks Thermal Energy Storage: Aspects to Consider during Design," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(1), pages 1-19, December.
    8. Villada, Carolina & Bonk, Alexander & Bauer, Thomas & Bolívar, Francisco, 2018. "High-temperature stability of nitrate/nitrite molten salt mixtures under different atmospheres," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 226(C), pages 107-115.
    9. Yu, Qiang & Li, Xiaolei & Wang, Zhifeng & Zhang, Qiangqiang, 2020. "Modeling and dynamic simulation of thermal energy storage system for concentrating solar power plant," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).
    10. Song, Xiaoqian & Geng, Yong & Zhang, Yuquan & Zhang, Xi & Gao, Ziyan & Li, Minghang, 2022. "Dynamic potassium flows analysis in China for 2010–2019," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    11. Odenthal, Christian & Steinmann, Wolf-Dieter & Zunft, Stefan, 2020. "Analysis of a horizontal flow closed loop thermal energy storage system in pilot scale for high temperature applications – Part II: Numerical investigation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 263(C).
    12. Khan, Mohammed Mumtaz A. & Saidur, R. & Al-Sulaiman, Fahad A., 2017. "A review for phase change materials (PCMs) in solar absorption refrigeration systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 105-137.

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