Soret and Dufour effects on thermal storage and storage efficiency of a salt gradient solar pond

Abstract

A two-dimensional numerical study is developed to investigate the impact of Soret and Dufour effects on temperatures, heat storage and storage efficiency of a salt gradient solar pond (SGSP). It consists of a square enclosure filled with a mixture of water and salt. The vertical and bottom walls are adiabatic and impermeable. The transfer equations are solved using the finite volume method and the Gauss method. The link between the pressure and velocity fields is assumed by the SIMPLE algorithm. The numerical code, developed and written in FORTRAN 95, was validated by applying it to experimental and numerical studies of the literature. We analyze the influence of Dufour and Soret effects on heat storage and the efficiency of the SGSP. Simulations of the functioning of the SGSP were performed using meteorological data of Tangier (Morocco). Results show that the Dufour effect on the thermal performance of the SGSP is more pronounced than that the Soret effect.