PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT OF A LATENT HEAT THERMAL STORAGE FOR SOLAR THERMAL POWER PLANT

Nowadays increasing interest is toward the economic high temperature latent heat storage system (HTLHS) with a melting temperature of 100 similar to 300 degrees C as it is a key issue for the successful application of solar energy in the solar power plants using direct steam technology to generate process steam. Our research focuses on the performance of high temperature phase change storage for solar power generation using direct steam generation (DSG) technology in parabolic trough plants. Nitrate/nitrite salts and eutectic mixtures are the most promising PCMs considered for application in the HTLHS due to economic aspects, but the low thermal conductivities of salts affects significantly the performance of the storage system. Here by integrating foils into the PCM was put forward to overcome the low heat of transfer rates in HTLHS. Based on numerical analysis, detailed temperature and phase fields were obtained to account for the performance enhancement during the discharging process.