A transient heat losses model for two-tank storage systems with molten salts

Abstract

Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) is a proven and mature technology for energy supply. In recent years, electricity generation based on this technology has increased worldwide, to a large degree due to its high dispatchability when coupled with an energy storage system. Commercially, most plants store the energy in molten salts in a two-tank configuration. This study focuses on this storage configuration and proposes a mathematical model for the thermal losses in these tanks, both at nominal conditions and during transients. With this model at its core, a computational tool for thermal performance analysis in OpenModelica is developed. This dynamic thermal model includes the estimation of local heat loss due to assembly defects, which are heat flows that cannot be determined by theoretical modelling. The development of a semi-empirical correlation for estimating local heat loss is also presented. Simulation results showed that this local heat loss may represent a share about 40% of the total heat loss in a small-scale tank. A comparison of the characteristics of the model proposed in a previous work is also presented to establish the innovation of the model. Two thermal storage systems with different tank designs and sizes were simulated to compare the results using the present model with data available in the literature. Results show good agreement in transient thermal behaviour of heat flows, temperatures, and cooling rates when compared with data from other authors for the same tank.