Thermal Energy Storage for Medium and High Temperatures

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wolf-Dieter Steinmann
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
High Temperatures ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage

Effect of High Temperatures and Heating Rates on High Strength Concrete for Use as Thermal Energy Storage

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emerson E. John ◽  
W. Micah Hale ◽  
R. Panneer Selvam
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Energy Storage ◽  
Molten Salt ◽  
High Temperatures ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Heat Transfer Fluid ◽  
Heating Rates ◽  
Storage Media ◽  
Concrete Mixtures

In recent years due to rising energy costs as well as an increased interest in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, there is great interest in developing alternative sources of energy. One of the most viable alternative energy resources is solar energy. Concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies have been identified as an option for meeting utility needs in the U.S. Southwest. Areas where CSP technologies can be improved are improved heat transfer fluid (HTF) and improved methods of thermal energy storage (TES). One viable option for TES storage media is concrete. The material costs of concrete can be very inexpensive and the costs/ kWhthermal, which is based on the operating temperature, are reported to be approximately $1. Researchers using concrete as a TES storage media have achieved maximum operating temperatures of 400°C. However, there are concerns for using concrete as the TES medium, and these concerns center on the effects and the limitations that the high temperatures may have on the concrete. As the concrete temperature increases, decomposition of the calcium hydroxide (CH) occurs at 500°C, and there is significant strength loss due to degeneration of the calcium silicate hydrates (C-S-H). Additionally concrete exposed to high temperatures has a propensity to spall explosively. This proposed paper examines the effect of heating rates on high performance concrete mixtures. Concrete mixtures with water to cementitious material ratios (w/cm) of 0.15 to 0.30 and compressive strengths of up to 180 MPa (26 ksi) were cast and subjected to heating rates of 3, 5, 7, and 9° C/min. These concrete mixtures are to be used in tests modules where molten salt is used as the heat transfer fluid. Molten salt becomes liquid at temperatures exceeding 220°C and therefore the concrete will be exposed to high initial temperatures and subsequently at controlled heating rates up to desired operating temperatures. Preliminary results consistently show that concrete mixtures without polypropylene fibres (PP) cannot resist temperatures beyond 500° C, regardless of the heating rate employed. These mixtures spall at higher temperatures when heated at a faster rate (7° C/min). Additionally, mixtures which incorporate PP fibres can withstand temperatures up to 600° C without spalling irrespective of the heating rate.

Modeling of Transient Energy Loss From a Cylindrical-Shaped Solid Particle Thermal Energy Storage Tank for Central Receiver Applications

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eldwin Djajadiwinata ◽  
Hany Al-Ansary ◽  
Syed Danish ◽  
Abdelrahman El-Leathy ◽  
Zeyad Al-Suhaibani
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Energy Loss ◽  
Heat Loss ◽  
Solid Particle ◽  
High Temperatures ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Central Receiver ◽  
Solar Field ◽  
Charge Discharge

The use of solid particles as a heat transfer and thermal energy storage (TES) medium in central receiver systems has received renewed attention in recent years due to the ability of achieving high temperatures and the potential reduction in receiver and TES costs. Performance of TES systems is primarily characterized by the percentage of heat loss they allow over a prescribed period of time. Accurate estimation of this parameter requires special attention to the transient nature of the process of charging the TES bin during solar field operation and discharging during nighttime or at periods where solar field operation is interrupted. In this study, a numerical model is built to simulate the charge-discharge cycle of a small cylindrical-shaped TES bin that is currently under construction. This bin is integrated into the tower of an experimental 300-kW (thermal) central receiver field being built in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for solid particle receiver research, most notably on-sun testing of the falling particle receiver concept within the context of a SunShot project. The model utilizes a type of wall construction that had been previously identified as showing favorable structural characteristics and being able to withstand high temperatures. The model takes into account the anticipated charge-discharge particle flow rates, and includes an insulating layer at the ceiling of the bin to minimize heat loss by convection and radiation to the receiver cavity located immediately over the TES bin. Results show that energy loss during the full charge-discharge cycle is 4.9% and 5.9% for a 5-hour and 17-hour discharge period, respectively. While large, these energy loss values are primarily due to the high surface-to-volume ratio of the small TES bin being investigated. Preliminary analysis shows that a utility-scale TES bin using the same concept will have an energy loss of less than 1%.

Numerical Study of High Temperature Thermochemical Energy Storage Using Co3O4/CoO

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nasser Vahedi ◽  
Qasim A. Ranjha ◽  
Alparslan Oztekin
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Energy Storage ◽  
High Temperatures ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Solar Power ◽  
Reactor Performance ◽  
Solar Power Generation ◽  
Bed Porosity

Large-scale solar power generation becomes feasible using concentrated solar power plants, as the received heat is collected at high temperatures compatible with power cycle operations. The main drawback of solar power generation is the intermittent nature of available solar irradiation, which results in a mismatch between collected heat and electrical demand. Thermal energy storage (TES) systems are the options to resolve this problem by storing excess heat during high solar irradiance and releasing at off-sun conditions. Thermochemical energy storage (TCES) systems have the potential to store the solar energy at high temperatures suitable for CSP plants’ operations because of the higher energy density of the TCES materials than those used for sensible and latent heat storage options. In TCES, the heat is stored in the form of thermo-chemical energy using an endothermic reaction and is released by carrying out the reverse exothermic reaction. TCES using cobalt oxide redox (reduction/oxidation) reaction is selected for this study because of its unique features suitable for high temperature thermal energy storage. A reactor with the cylindrical fixed bed is considered, in which air flows through the bed during charging and discharging modes. Air is used as heat transfer fluid (HTF) and as the reactant gas supplying oxygen. Transient mass and energy transport equations are solved along with reaction kinetics equations using finite element method. Charging and discharging processes are investigated. The effect of geometrical and operational parameters including the material properties on overall storage and retrieval process has been studied. It was shown that the bed porosity plays a dominant role in the reactor performance. The increase in the bed porosity improves the reactor performance for both charging and discharging mode.

Experimental Study of Nanoengineered Molten Salts as Thermal Energy Storage in Solar Power Plants

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hani Tiznobaik ◽  
Donghyun Shin
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Physical Properties ◽  
High Temperatures ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Molten Salts ◽  
Solar Power ◽  
Operating Temperature ◽  
Concentrated Solar Power ◽  
Thermo Physical Properties

In a concentrated solar power (CSP), high operating temperature (over 500 °C) is the key for enhancing the efficiency of the system. The operating temperature of the system mainly relies on thermal energy storage (TES) material. Existing TES materials such as mineral oil or paraffin wax cannot be applicable at high temperatures, since these materials are not thermally stable over 400 °C. However, very few materials are suitable and reliable for the high temperatures. Using molten salts (e.g., alkali nitrate, alkali carbonate, alkali chloride, etc.) as thermal energy storage material is an alternative way due to several benefits. They are cheap and environmentally safe compared with the conventional TES materials. They are thermally stable at higher temperatures (over 500 °C). However, their usage is limited due to low thermo-physical properties (e.g. Cp is less than 1.6 J/g°C). The low thermo-physical properties can be improved by dispersing nanoparticles into the salts. In this study, nanomaterials were synthesized by dispersing inorganic nanoparticles into ionic salts. Modulated differential scanning calorimeter (MDSC) was used to measure the heat capacity of the nanomaterials. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used for material characteristic analysis. Hence, the application of the nanomaterials as thermal energy storage in a concentrated solar power was explored.

Latent thermal energy storage for solar process heat applications at medium-high temperatures – A review

Solar Energy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 192 ◽  
pp. 3-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alicia Crespo ◽  
Camila Barreneche ◽  
Mercedes Ibarra ◽  
Werner Platzer
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
High Temperatures ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Process Heat
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