Comparison of heat storage systems employing sensible and latent heat

This study makes an evaluation of the performances of heat storage systems destined for power plants with a discontinuous power source such as nuclear fusion. Two classes of heat storage systems are investigated: heat storage systems based on first sensible heat storage and second latent heat storage. Both classes of heat storage systems are evaluated both from a thermodynamic point of view, inquiring whether the irreversibility of the system stays limited or not, and from an economic point of view, examining whether the system makes proper use of the heat storage capacity present. It is shown that an unambiguous conclusion that one is superior to the other is not possible and that the operating conditions and the configuration of the phase-changing materials play an important role. Copyright (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.