Thermal Energy Storage Medium Research Articles

Comparative study on pentagonal pyramid (PPy) and tubular (Tub) solar stills with thermal energy storage (TES)

The solar stills are known for their application in desalting of saline water to produce potable water output. However, they have been characterized with their low production rate due to the limited availability of the solar insolation. In this work, the real-time examination was carried-out with two types of solar stills with different structural arrangement by using latent heat based thermal energy storage medium (LHTES). The first still was a pentagonal pyramid (PPy) still and the other one was a tubular (Tub) still. Both the stills were examined with and without the use of LHTES in actual ambient conditions in south India under a fixed water depth of 30 cm. In total, four configurations of stills were examined, namely, PPy without LHTES (PPy), Tub without LHTES (Tub), PPy with LHTES (PPy-LHTES), and Tub with LHTES (Tub-LHTES) for their potable water output. The results proved that the arrangements with LHTES had displayed the better water yield and Tub with LHTES yielded the best output among all the four arrangements.

Encapsulation of paraffin-magnetite, paraffin, and polyethylene glycol in concretes as thermal energy storage

These investigations analyze the encapsulation of phase change materials (PCMs): paraffin-magnetite composite, paraffin, and polyethylene glycol (PEG) in concretes. The research aimed to analyze PCMs as a thermal energy storage medium. The concretes were fabricated using the composition of lightweight aggregate, cement, sand, and water. Copper tubes (diameter of 12.7 mm and length of 50 mm) with various formations were installed in the concretes (50 × 50 × 50 mm). The arrangements of the copper tube consist of four-square, four-cross, and six-rectangular tubes. The concretes were then cured for 28 days at an ambient temperature. The copper tubes were filled with the melting paraffin-magnetite composite, paraffin, and PEG. The PCMs analyses include morphology, melting point, latent heat, thermal conductivity, and melting phase transition. The temperature distributions on the concretes filled with the PCMs were monitored using thermocouples and a data logger. The DSC test suggested the highest melting point of 61.65 °C and latent heat of 161.53 J/g obtained in the PEG sample. Adding magnetite particles in paraffin could improve the thermal conductivity to 0.53 W/m·°C compared to paraffin only (0.32 W/m·°C) and PEG (0.28 W/m·°C). The melting phase behavior on the PCMs was affected by the melting point, latent heat, and thermal conductivity. The highest thermal resistance occurred on the concrete where the copper tube only contributes to the low thermal resistance.

Experimental and numerical study on heat transfer and flow characteristics of molten salt nanofluids in spiral-wound tube heat exchanger

Molten salt is one of the most promising heat transfer and thermal energy storage medium for the third-generation solar thermal power generation, and the spiral-wound tube heat exchanger can improve the heat transfer performance of molten salt. In this paper, the flow and heat transfer characteristics of molten salt nanofluids in spiral-wound tubes are experimentally and numerically studied. Molten salt nanofluids and synthetic oil as the heat transfer fluids, the heat transfer performance of them in the spiral-wound tube heat exchanger were studied. The Wilson separation method was used to process the experimental data, and the heat transfer correlation of molten salt nanofluids is obtained through experiments. The heat transfer correlation can be in good agreement with the experimental data, the heat transfer correlation on the molten salt nanofluids side is Nu=0.3897Re0.4370Pr1/3, Re = 4296–8348, Pr = 13–23, and the maximum error is 17.9%. A three-dimensional model of the spiral-wound tube heat exchanger is used to explore the distribution of the pressure, temperature and velocity fields of the molten salt nanofluids. The friction factor correlation on the molten salt nanofluids side is f=4.6729Re−0.4855, Re = 3536–17684, Pr = 13–23 and the maximum error is 12.65%. The heat transfer correlation and resistance correlation of molten salt nanofluids obtained in this paper can contribute to the design of heat exchanger for the third-generation solar thermal power.

Experimental investigation of an indirect solar dryer with PCM-integrated solar collector as a thermal energy storage medium.

An indirect-type forced convection solar dryer implementing a phase-changing material (PCM) as the energy-storing medium was designed, fabricated, and investigated in this study. The effects of changing the mass flow rate on the valuable energy and thermal efficiencies were studied. The experimental results showed that the instantaneous and daily efficiencies of the indirect solar dryer (ISD) increased with the initial increase in mass flow rate, beyond which the change is not prominent both with and without using the PCM. The system consisted of a solar energy accumulator (solar air collector with a PCM cavity), a drying compartment, and a blower. The charging and discharging characteristics of the thermal energy storage unit were evaluated experimentally. It was found that after using PCM, drying air temperature was higher than ambient air temperature by 9-12 ℃ after sunset for 4h. Using PCM accelerated the process by which Cymbopogon citratus was effectively dried between 42 and 59°C of drying air. Energy and exergy analysis of the drying process was performed. The daily energy efficiency of the solar energy accumulator reached 35.8%, while the daily exergy efficiency reached 13.84%. The exergy efficiency of the drying chamber was in the range of 47-97%. A free energy source, a large reduction in drying time, a higher drying capacity, a decrease in mass losses, and improved product quality all contributed to the proposed solar dryer's high potential.

Experimental Investigation on Solar Water Heater Integrated with Thermal Battery Using Phase Change Material and Porous Media

Evacuated tube heat pipe solar collector as a passive solar water heating system is a simple, reliable, and cost-effective way to capture the sun’s thermal energy to supply hot water to homes. In the proposed system, the manifold is reshaped to a tank and filled with phase change materials (PCM) and porous media, which the PCM acts as a latent heat thermal energy storage medium. In order to increase the heat flux from the heat pipe to the PCM and overcome the low thermal conductivity of the PCM, porous media is used. The porous media is connected to the heat pipe condenser to collect the heat and distribute it uniformly throughout the PCM filling the pores. This design of the manifold acts as a heat storage tank or thermal battery. Another pipe in the tank transfers heat from the PCM to the water. Experiments were conducted in 2 modes: charging/discharging and periodic draw-off. The results demonstrated that this thermal battery design could provide homes with the hot water they require on sunny days, while it needs an auxiliary heater or larger solar collector to provide enough hot water on rainy/cloudy days. Considering the solar radiation fluctuation, the efficiency of the thermal battery is 50% ± 9.3%. The thermal battery can warm up the cold water higher than the operating temperature on a sunny day (more than 120 L per day at 38 °C). Using porous media provides better heat distribution in the PCM.

Shape-stable erythritol composite phase change materials with controlled latent heat release for spatiotemporally thermal energy utilization

Phase change materials (PCMs) have been extensively concerned recently as suitable medium for thermal energy storage due to their absorbing or releasing a large amount of latent heat in the phase change process. However, traditional PCMs usually crystallize spontaneously to release their latent heat in the cooling process, which greatly limits their practical application in thermal energy long-term storage and controllable release. Herein, we designed and synthesized a shape-stable erythritol (ERY)-based composite PCM with attractive performance of latent heat controlled storage and release using a facile aqueous fabrication route. In this composite, calcium ions cross-linked with sodium alginate is introduced to construct strong hydrogen bonding with ERY to increase the activation energy barrier for stabilizing supercooling, thus realizing long-term latent heat stored in supercooling state. The supercooled ERY composite can be maintained at room temperature for 50 days and subsequently controllably releases latent heat by thermal or mechanical trigger method. Meanwhile, the ERY composite exhibits excellent shape stability without any leakage over the phase change temperature. In addition, the crystallization enthalpy can reach 181.2 J/g, which can be maintained even after 80 thermal cycles, showing superior thermal energy storage capacity and repeatability. The crystallization kinetics study reveals that the crystallization mode of the ERY composite is three-dimensional growth spherical diffusion. This work provides an important strategy for the design and synthesis of shape-stable PCMs with controllable latent heat storage and release performance, which is of great prospect for the development of spatiotemporally thermal energy storage technology.

An Overview of the Molten Salt Nanofluids as Thermal Energy Storage Media

The research in the field of the nanofluids has experienced noticeable advances since its discovery two decades ago. These thermal fluids having minimal quantities of nano-scaled solid particles in suspension have great potential for thermal management purposes because of their superior thermophysical properties. The conventional water-based nanofluids have been extensively investigated so far with emphasis in their improved thermal conductivity. A novel class of nanofluids based on inorganic salts has been developed in the last few years with the goal of storing and transferring thermal energy under high temperatures. These molten salt-based nanofluids can in general be recognized by an enhanced specific heat due to the inclusion of the nanoparticles. However, it should be emphasized that this does not always happen since this thermophysical property depends on so many factors, including the nature of the molten salts, different preparation methods, and formation of the compressed layer and secondary nanostructures, among others, which will be thoroughly discussed in this work. This peculiar performance has caused a widespread open debate within the research community, which is currently trying to deal with the inconsistent and controversial findings, as well as attempting to overcome the lack of accurate theories and prediction models for the nanofluids in general. This review intends to present an extensive survey of the published scientific articles on the molten salt nanofluids. Other important realities concerning the development and thermal behavior of the molten salt nanofluids, such as the stability over time of the nanoparticles dispersed in the molten salts, latent heat, viscosity, and thermal conductivity, will be reviewed in the current work. Additionally, special focus will be given to concentrated solar power technology applications. Finally, the limitations and prospects of the molten salts nanofluids will be addressed and the main concluding remarks will be listed.

Economic Feasibility of Thermal Energy Storage-Integrated Concentrating Solar Power Plants

Concentrating solar power (CSP) is a high-potential renewable energy source that can leverage various thermal applications. CSP plant development has therefore become a global trend. However, the designing of a CSP plant for a given solar resource condition and financial situation is still a work in progress. This study aims to develop a mathematical model to analyze the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of Thermal Energy Storage (TES)-integrated CSP plants in such circumstances. The developed model presents an LCOE variation for 18 different CSP configurations with TES incorporated for Rankine, Brayton, and combined power generation cycles, under regular TES materials and nano-enhanced TES materials. The model then recommends the most economical CSP plant arrangement. Within the scope of this study, it was found that the best configuration for electricity generation is a solar power tower with nano-enhanced phase change materials as the latent heat thermal energy storage medium that runs on the combined cycle. This returns an LCOE of 7.63 ct/kWh with a 22.70% CSP plant efficiency. The most favorable option in 50 MW plants is the combined cycle with a regular TES medium, which has an LCOE of 7.72 ct/kWh with a 22.14% CSP plant efficiency.

Synthesis and characterization of metal oxide-based microcapsules including phase change materials for energy storage applications

In this study, microcapsules based on Cu2O containing different phase change materials (PCM) were prepared and characterized. The elemental, structural and electronic properties of the Cu2O-based microcapsules were characterized using several techniques such as X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. In addition, the thermal properties of the microcapsules prepared were characterized in order to analyse their possible application as a thermal energy storage medium. Heating/cooling cycles using a differential scanning calorimetry technique were performed, and the phase change temperature and enthalpy were estimated. We observed good stability after the cycles. Furthermore, the encapsulation efficiency was estimated from melting and crystallization enthalpy values, reaching a value of 14.8% for the paraffin wax-based microcapsules. Finally, isobaric specific heat was measured to evaluate the storage capability of the encapsulated PCMs with regard to pure Cu2O to evaluate their possible application as a thermal storage system. An increase of around 140% was found in the isobaric specific heat for the microcapsules based on paraffin wax with regard to pure Cu2O.

Self-healed inorganic phase change materials for thermal energy harvesting and management

• First report on giving self-healing property to inorganic phase change materials; • Phase segregation and supercooling were inhibited by hydrogel and graphite; • Low-grade thermal energy harvesting and management were achieved. Inorganic phase change materials, especially for salt hydrate, possess superior energy storage density and thermal conductivity compared with organic phase change materials in low-grade thermal energy harvesting and management fields. More importantly, inorganic phase change materials are safer than that of organic phase change materials in terms of flammability and toxicity. While, supercooling associated with phase segregation and stability of inorganic phase change materials have heavily hindered them from wide practical application. On the other hand, relatively poor shape flexibility is another key drawback that will limit the application scope of inorganic phase change materials. With the aim at making the use of advantages of inorganic phase change materials and avoiding the above-mentioned drawbacks, firstly, sodium acetate trihydrate was used as a thermal energy storage medium, acrylamide and aqueous starch worked corporately, for the first time, to render self-healing (efficiency reach to 75%) and flexible property to the phase change materials composite, and the latent heat of the composite could reach to 134 J/g. In addition, interestingly, we found the addition of carbon material, graphite, could not only efficiently solve the supercooling, but also enhance cyclability of the composite phase change materials. Thanks to the self-healing and flexibility, the as-prepared materials could be used uneventfully in low-grade thermal energy harvesting and management of electronic and wearable device.

Physical property design of multi-component particle systems as heat transfer medium for directly irradiated solar receiver

• New particle candidates considered as the HTM for directly irradiated SPSRs. • The different particles mixed to form novel multi-component particle systems. • The absorption property increases with the addition of dark colored materials. • Thermal performance of particle systems enhanced in a falling quartz tube SPSR. In directly irradiated solid particle solar receivers (SPSRs), the performance of the heat transfer and thermal energy storage medium is a hot research topic. Herein, the thermophysical properties, thermal stability, surface morphology, element compositions and absorptivities of 16 kinds of candidate particles are studied and evaluated. Considering that the performance of homogenous particles as heat transfer medium (HTM) is not ideal, a novel concept of multi-component mixed particle systems with different mass ratios is proposed for the first time. To explore the effect of the particle systems on the receiver performance, a quartz tube falling receiver numerical model is applied. The results indicate that the absorption performance of the particle systems have increased with the addition of dark colored materials, but this effect becomes less obvious with the amount of additive, especially for quartz sand-silicon carbide particle systems. A quartz sand-silicon carbide particle system with a mass ratio of 7:3 may be the optimal choice for high receiver outlet temperature and low mass flow rate. Compared to that of pure silicon carbide particles, this system can achieve a 64.47% reduction in the material cost with only a 4.11% reduction in receiver thermal efficiency. This work provides ideas for the design of multi-component particle systems, which may open a significant development for next-generation concentrated solar power station.

A stable new composite phase change material based on H2C2O4⋅2H2O-NH4Al(SO4)2⋅12H2O binary eutectic into ZrO2 modified expanded graphite

As energy shortage intensifies, improving energy efficiency and reducing energy consumption have become essential topics. Herein, a form-stable composite phase change material (FCPCM) consisting of modified expanded graphite (MEG) and eutectic hydrate was designed as a reliable and efficient thermal energy storage medium. Firstly, novel binary eutectic hydrate involving oxalic acid dihydrate (H2C2O4.2H2O) and ammonium aluminum sulfate dodecahydrate (NH4Al(SO4)2.12H2O) served as an excellent thermal energy storage guest. Zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) was used as a hydrophilic modifier because of its high heat resistance, high inertness, corrosion resistance, non-toxicity and countless hydrophilic groups. Therefore, the hydrophilic modified expanded graphite (MEG) as a supporting host was constructed by dip-coating of nano ZrO2 sol on the surface of expanded graphite (EG), which improved its hydrophilicity and compatibility with a eutectic guest. Compared with the original EG (83.05°), the contact angle of MEG containing 10 % ZrO2 on the water was decreased to 37.95°. In addition, the adsorption rate and capacity of MEG to binary eutectic were much faster and larger, reaching an approximate saturation (65.58 %) within 40 min, which was three times that of the untreated EG (23.10 %) in the same adsorption time. The resultant FCPCM containing 24 wt% MEG exhibited a good phase transition temperature (54.10 °C), high phase transition enthalpy (168.5 J/g), as well as excellent anti-leakage behavior. After 100 hot and cold cycles, the thermal performances of FCPCM kept relatively stable, which guaranteed its sustained thermal benefits. It provides a potential application in the field of solar phase change heat exchangers.

Mechanical performance after high-temperature exposure and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) according to unit of stored energy of alternative mortars to Portland cement

Decoupling energy demand has led to the importance of energy storage for increasing the capacity of renewable energy power plants. In this field, Portland cement (PC) concrete is proving to be a promising way to store energy as it can be used as sensible thermal energy storage (TES) medium in concentrated solar power (CSP) technology. However, the high energy and water consumption involved in the PC manufacturing process makes it necessary to develop new alternatives. Thus, alkali-activated materials (AAM) and hybrid materials (HM) were manufactured using blast furnace slag and glass waste (GW) to replace the PC and the sand in concretes respectively in order to study their feasibility as TES media in parabolic through CSP systems. The viability of these proposed new systems was tested from a mechanical point of view, while taking into account the environmental aspect using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology to study carbon and water footprints. The new systems were exposed to high temperature (up to 500 °C), showing better performance than the ordinary PC under high temperatures, and their mechanical properties were not affected at all. After thermal treatment the alternatives show improvements of up to 79% compared to the PC reference sample. Furthermore, in terms of LCA analysis, it was concluded that TES systems with partial (HM) or total (AAM) substitution of PC by using by-products improve water use up to 40% when an AAM material includes GW as a recycled aggregate in its composition. Results likewise revealed a more than 100% reduction in the carbon footprint. These results open a new gate for the study of materials as TES since the alternatives to PC are more promising from an operational and environmental point of view.

Design and performance optimization of a tri‐generation energy hub considering demand response programs

AbstractThe design and development of renewable energy resources‐based poly‐generation microgrids have recently increased to supply multiple demands such as cool, heat, and power as well as mitigate pollutants improving efficiency. This paper aims to develop a combined cooling, heating, and power production network integrating photovoltaic panels (PVs), wind and gas turbines, a battery, an ice bank tank, a heater, an electrical chiller, a thermal energy storage medium. In this tri‐generation facility, natural gas is utilized for district heating and fueling the gas turbine power generation cycle. The local power distribution system in combination with the output powers of PVs, wind and gas turbines is used to directly supply the electrical appliances, ice maker process, and chiller as well as charge the battery storage unit. Moreover, the air/water‐cooled chiller procures the cooling flux for a benchmark microgrid. Its heating energy requirement is also provided by the gas‐fired heater, the flue gases of the gas turbine, and the thermal storage medium. A mixed integer linear programming problem is coded using a generalized algebraic modeling system (GAMS) to minimize daily operating costs and emissions. Simulations are examined and analyzed over a 24‐h study horizon on a sample summer day. Time‐of‐use energy rates and RTPs are considered two strategic demand response schemes to investigate the cost‐effectiveness capability of the gas‐power nexus model. The proposed approach is coded using a GAMS to confirm its effectiveness and cost‐environ benefits in four cases with and without heat/cool/electrical storage units considering time‐of‐use energy rates and real‐time prices.

Corrosion resistance of 625 nickel superalloy exposed to isothermal and thermal cycling conditions in a chloride/carbonate salt

Using phase change materials as thermal energy storage media is a promising approach for use in conjunction with concentrating solar thermal power (CSP) – particularly at the higher temperatures planned for next generation CSP. However, the corrosion resistance of high temperature alloys with the molten salt media proposed in these systems is critical for system longevity. The compatibility of alloy 625 in a eutectic salt mixture consisting of 59.5 wt% Na2CO3/40.5 wt% NaCl is investigated under isothermal conditions at 650 °C, and for thermal cycles between 600 and 650 °C.Minimal thickness loss was detected as a protective oxide was produced on the metal surface. This dense, adherent oxide consisted of a nickel oxide outer oxide layer and a nickel–chromium inner oxide layer. No major dealloying was found with this salt/alloy combination, although relatively low concentrations of alloying elements were detected in the salt. Molybdenum, chromium and niobium were found in the salt at the highest concentrations relative to their availability in the alloy. Very little nickel was detected in the salt, corroborating the protective nature of the nickel oxide surface layer.A corrosion rate of approximately 120–170 μm/year was determined for this alloy/salt combination, which was attributed to the oxide growth on the metal surface. As this oxide is protective, this corrosion rate will be significantly lower for long term exposure, potentially within the allowable corrosion rate for a thermal energy storage system.

An experimental study on thermal efficiency of hybrid GO/MWCNTs nanoparticles suspended in a binary mixture of ethylene glycol and water

Energy consumption has a demand growth across the globe due to modernization. However, the use of fossil fuels is creating a huge impact on climate change and has made it essential to harvest solar renewable energy technology. The heat transfer fluid plays an important role in maintaining the optimum temperature of the panel by removing the heat absorbed and transferring to the thermal energy storage medium. Due to the poor thermal conductivity and thermal degradation of conventional heat transfer fluids such as water, ethylene glycol and oil, these pose limitations to be utilised in solar energy technology systems. Thus, to overcome this problem, a hybrid nanofluid is used to boost the thermal conductivity and degradation temperature. However, the addition of hybrid nanoparticles further enhances the thermo-physical properties of the fluids. In this present study, GO/MWCNTs hybrid nanoparticles (0.01 – 0.2 wt%) were dispersed in hybrid base fluid (EG/water) in the ratio of 40:60. The finding shows that for visual stability, MWCNT sediment was faster compared to GO while, hybrid GO/MWCNT, showed higher stability compared to the single nanoparticle. The TGA results show the higher thermal degradation temperature at 0.05 wt% of pure GO, pure MWCNT and hybrid GO/MWCNT with thermal degradation of 122.74 ℃, 118.93 ℃ and 119.26 ℃ respectively. The use of nanofluids acts as a clean fuel for electricity production and decreases CO2 emission, which can further promote sustainable development goals.

Extraction of natural piperine crystals from black pepper with expanded graphite for thermal energy storage

Substantial research was done on the synthesis of piperine crystals (PC) from black pepper using expanding graphite (EG) as a promising organic phase change material (O-PCM). Researchers examined the chemical structure and thermal properties of the substance. Using the diffusion–exudation circle method, the PC/EG-blended PCM had the highest PC mass content, at 93.4 %. According to (DSC) study, the melting and crystallization temperatures are 135.6 °C and 117.4 °C, and their related latent energies are 283.14 KJ/kg and 192.45 KJ/kg. This finding implies that the material retains a respectable capacity for heat storage after being exposed to multiple heat patterns. Thermal storage/discharge studies revealed that the EG/PC material had much better heat storage/discharge ratios than the PC sample. At ambient circumstances, our findings indicated that the Herbal Piperine crystals/expandable graphite PCM was a superior thermal energy storage medium. The results demonstrated that the proposed hybrid composite can be considered as a potential solar energy storage material for a variety of applications, including thermal cooling of photovoltaic panels, automobiles, digital units, solar residential heating systems, and passive solar heating systems.

Effect of the curing process on the thermomechanical properties of calcium aluminate cement paste under thermal cycling at high temperatures for thermal energy storage applications

Future perspectives to improve the energy efficiency of concentrating solar power (CSP) plants are focused on increasing temperatures above 600 °C. Among the different components of a CSP plant, the thermal energy storage (TES) medium must withstand high operating temperatures. Concrete was identified as an exciting candidate for its mechanical and thermal properties, needing further experimental research about this specific application. A fundamental concrete element is the cement binder, bringing cohesion to the composite components. As a requisite, the cement needs to be heat-resistant, and calcium aluminate cement (CAC) suits this demand. This cement is characterised by curing temperature-driven crystallisation changes, triggering an alteration of material properties. Considering that at 60 °C, the metastable hexagonal crystallisation is converted into a stable cubic crystallisation, seven curing cases were proposed in this study. After the curing process, thermo-mechanical properties of calcium aluminate cement paste were tested before and after thermal cycles from 290 °C to 650 °C. The results showed that, despite thermal cycling, the immediate hydration at 60 °C results in a higher thermal conductivity and compressive strength than standard curing at 20 °C.

Improvement of Thermal Conductivity of Paraffin Wax Using High Conductive Nano-Materials

Paraffin wax (PW) is commonly used as latent heat storage material in solar energy systems. The low thermal conductivity of the PW is considered the main drawback when it is used as thermal energy storage medium. In order to overcome this drawback, tens types of high conductive nano-materials are added to paraffin wax to improve its thermal conductivity. In this work, nanoparticles of CuO, and TiO2 were individually added to paraffin wax with concentrations 1, 2 and 3%. The thermal properties of pure paraffin wax, PW/CuO and PW/TiO2 nano-composites with different mentioned concentrations were measured at different temperature. The paraffin wax/TiO2 showed higher thermal conductivity compared to paraffin wax/CuO nano-composite and pure paraffin.

A novel empirical model for predicting the heat accumulation of a thermal energy storage medium for solar thermal applications

The complex design procedure of the thermal energy storage system is a major factor limiting the commercial deployment of the system for solar thermal applications, especially for distributed generation. Obtaining the amount of heat energy that can be accumulated for a field location is critical in the design process of a solar thermal energy storage system. Available models to aid the design process are typically limited to the specific system design and without prior consideration of the feasible amount of heat energy obtainable from a field location. This sometimes results in design incompatibility, performance deficiencies, and economic loss. Therefore, in this paper dimensional analysis is applied to obtain the sets of parameters that influence the heat accumulation of a thermal energy storage medium. To bridge the gap in literature toward reducing the complex procedures in the design process and predicting the feasible amount of heat energy that can be accumulated in a system operating environment, an empirical heat accumulation model is proposed. Results showed that solar irradiance and the volume of storage medium are significant measures for obtaining and improving the heat accumulation of a thermal energy storage medium. Results also showed that the specific heat capacity of the heat transfer fluid, collector area, and environmental temperature is critical in proper design scaling of the thermal energy storage medium to the specific amount of heat energy needed for a system application.