Energy Storage Performance of a PCM in the Solar Storage Tank

High-temperature solar thermal power station with solar energy storage is one of the effective ways to solve energy shortage and environmental pollution. The heat storage characteristics of phase change materials in solar energy storage tanks directly affect the performance of the system and its future promotion and utilization. Based on the knowledge of heat transfer, fluid mechanics and engineering thermodynamics, this paper uses MATLAB software to compile the dynamic heat storage characteristics calculation program of phase change materials in energy storage tanks, and verify the results. This paper analyzes the phase change heat storage process with three PCM initial temperatures and three HTF speeds. The results show that when the initial temperature of the PCM changes from 185°C to 210°C, the latent heat storage heat increases by 21.8%, and the total heat storage decreases. Increasing the HTF speed from 1.8 m/s to 2.2 m/s, the melting time was reduced from 414 minutes to 390 minutes, and the total heat storage and sensible heat storage were also increased. The results also show that changing the initial temperature of the PCM and the flow rate of the HTF will change the thermal storage performance of the system. The research has certain reference significance for mastering the basic principle of high temperature solar thermal power generation system and promoting the application of the system.