scholarly journals Molten Salt Spectroscopy for Quantification of Radiative Absorption in Novel Metal Chloride-Enhanced Thermal Storage Media

2015 ◽  
Vol 137 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip D. Myers ◽  
D. Yogi Goswami ◽  
Elias Stefanakos

This study describes the development and characterization of novel high-temperature thermal storage media, based on inclusion of transition metal chlorides in the potassium–sodium chloride eutectic system, (K–Na)Cl (melting temperature of 657 °C, latent heat of 278 J/g). At the melting temperature of (K–Na)Cl, infrared (IR) radiation can play a major role in the overall heat transfer process—90% of spectral blackbody radiation falls in the range of 2–13 μm. The authors propose inclusion of small amounts (less than 0.2 wt.%) of IR-active transition metal chlorides to increase radiative absorption and thereby enhance heat transfer rates. A new IR-reflectance apparatus was developed to allow for determination of the spectral absorption coefficient of the newly formulated phase-change materials (PCMs) in the molten state. The apparatus consisted of an alumina crucible coated at the bottom with a reflective (platinum) or absorptive (graphite) surface, a heated ceramic crucible-holder, and a combination of zinc sulfide (ZnS) and zinc selenide (ZnSe) windows for containment of the salt and allowance of inert purge gas flow. Using this apparatus, IR spectra were obtained for various transition metal chloride additives in (K–Na)Cl and improved IR activity, and radiative transfer properties were quantified. Further, thermophysical properties relevant to thermal energy storage (i.e., melting temperature and latent heat) are measured for the pure and additive-enhanced thermal storage media.

Author(s):  
Philip D. Myers ◽  
D. Yogi Goswami ◽  
Elias Stefanakos

This study describes the development and characterization of novel high-temperature thermal storage media, based on inclusion of transition metal chlorides in the potassium-sodium chloride eutectic system, (K-Na)Cl (melting temperature of 657°C, latent heat of 278 J/g). At the melting temperature of (K-Na)Cl, infrared (IR) radiation can play a major role in the overall heat transfer process — 90 percent of spectral blackbody radiation falls in the range of 2 to 13 μm. The authors propose inclusion of small amounts (less than 0.2 wt %) of IR-active transition metal chlorides to increase radiative absorption and thereby enhance heat transfer rates. A new IR reflectance apparatus was developed to allow for determination of the spectral absorption coefficient of the newly formulated PCMs in the molten state. The apparatus consisted of an alumina crucible coated at the bottom with a reflective (platinum) or absorptive (graphite) surface, a heated ceramic crucible-holder, and a combination of zinc sulfide (ZnS) and zinc selenide (ZnSe) windows for containment of the salt and allowance of inert purge gas flow. Using this apparatus, IR spectra were obtained for various transition metal chloride additives in (K-Na)Cl, and improved infrared activity and radiative transfer properties were quantified. Further, thermophysical properties relevant to thermal energy storage (i.e., melting temperature, latent heat) are measured for the pure and additive-enhanced thermal storage medium.


Author(s):  
Banqiu Wu ◽  
Ramana G. Reddy ◽  
Robin D. Rogers

Abstract Feasibility of ionic liquids as liquid thermal storage media and heat transfer fluids in a solar thermal power plant was investigated. Many ionic liquids such as [C4min][PF6], [C8mim][PF6], [C4min][bistrifluromethane sulflonimide], [C4min][BF4], [C8mim][BF4], and [C4min][bistrifluromethane sulflonimide] were synthesized and characterized using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), viscometry, and some other methods. Properties such as decomposition temperature, melting point, viscosity, density, heat capacity, and thermal expansion coefficient were measured. The calculated storage density for [C8mim][PF6] is 378 MJ/m3 when the inlet and outlet field temperatures are 210°C and 390°C. For a single ionic liquid, [C4mim][BF4], the liquid temperature range is from −75°C to 459°C. It is found that ionic liquids have advantages of high density, wide liquid temperature range, low viscosity, high chemical stability, non-volatility, high heat capacity, and high storage density. Based on our experimental results, it is concluded that ionic liquids could be excellent liquid thermal storage media and heat transfer fluids in solar thermal power plant.


Author(s):  
Y. Kozak ◽  
T. Rozenfeld ◽  
G. Ziskind

Phase-change materials (PCMs) can store large amounts of heat without significant change of their temperature during the phase-change process. This effect may be utilized in thermal energy storage, especially for solar-thermal power plants. In order to enhance the rate of heat transfer into PCMs, one of the most common methods is the use of fins which increase the heat transfer area that is in contact with the PCM. The present work deals with a latent heat thermal storage device that uses a finned tube with an array of radial fins. A heat transfer fluid (HTF) flows through the tube and heat is conducted from the tube to the radial fins that are in contact with the bulk of the PCM inside a cylindrical shell. The thermal storage charging/discharging process is driven by a hot/cold HTF inside the tube that causes the PCM to melt/solidify. The main objective of the present work is to demonstrate that close-contact melting (CCM) can affect the storage unit performance. Accordingly, two different types of experiments are conducted: with the shell exposed to ambient air and with the shell submerged into a heated water bath. The latter is done to separate the PCM from the shell by a thin molten layer, thus enabling the solid bulk to sink. The effect of the solid sinking and close-contact melting on the fins is explored. It is found that close-contact melting shortens the melting time drastically. Accordingly, two types of models are used to predict the melting rate: numerical CFD model and analytical/numerical close-contact melting model. The CFD model takes into account convection in the melt and the PCM property dependence on temperature and phase. The analytical/numerical CCM model is developed under several simplifying assumptions. Good agreement is found between the predictions and corresponding experimental results.


2019 ◽  
Vol 142 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sol-Carolina Costa ◽  
Khamid Mahkamov ◽  
Murat Kenisarin ◽  
Mohammad Ismail ◽  
Kevin Lynn ◽  
...  

Abstract The design of the latent heat thermal storage system (LHTESS) was developed with a thermal capacity of about 100 kW h as a part of small solar plant based on the organic Rankine cycle (ORC). The phase change material (PCM) used is solar salt with the melting/solidification temperature of about 220 °C. Thermophysical properties of the PCM were measured, including its phase transition temperature, heat of fusion, specific heat, and thermal conductivity. The design of the thermal storage was finalized by means of the 3D computational fluid dynamics analysis. The thermal storage system is modular, and the thermal energy is delivered with the use of thermal oil, heated by Fresnel mirrors. The heat is transferred into and from the PCM in the casing using bidirectional heat pipes, filled with water. A set of metallic screens are installed in the box with the pitch of 8–10 mm to enhance the heat transfer from heat pipes to the PCM and vice-versa during the charging and discharging processes, which take about 4 h. This work presents a numerical study on the use of metallic fins without thermal bonding as a heat transfer enhancement method for the solar salt LHTESS. The results show that the absence of the thermal bonding between fins and heat pipes (there was a gap of 0.5 mm between them) did not result in a significant reduction of charging or discharging periods. As expected, aluminum fins provide better performance in comparison with steel ones due to the difference in the material conductivity. The main advantage observed for the case of using aluminum fins was the lower temperature gradient across the LHTESS.


2015 ◽  
Vol 137 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajesh Alayil ◽  
C. Balaji

Latent heat thermal storage systems (LHTS) utilize their latent heat capacity to dissipate high heat fluxes while maintaining quasi-isothermal conditions. Phase change materials (PCMs) absorb a large amount of energy during their phase transformation from solid to liquid, maintaining quasi-isothermal conditions. However, they are often beset with low thermal conductivities which necessitate the use of a thermal conductivity enhancer (TCE) as it is impossible to design a device that can completely avoid sensible heat in the premelting or postmelting phase. In this study, the heat transfer performance of LHTS with cross plate fins as a TCE is numerically investigated for different values of fin thicknesses and fin numbers along the length and breadth. A hybrid artificial neural network coupled genetic algorithm (ANN–GA) is then used to obtain the optimized dimensions for the composite heat sink with cross plate fins as TCE for a fixed volume and a specific heat flux input. The numerically optimized configuration is finally validated with in-house experiments.


1990 ◽  
Vol 112 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed M. Farid ◽  
Yongsik Kim ◽  
Atsushi Kansawa

A latent heat storage module was constructed, consisting of 45 cylindrical capsules fixed vertically in 15 rows. The capsules, made of 0.335-m long copper tubes having external diameters of 31.8 mm, were fixed in an insulated rectangular duct. Three commercial waxes having melting temperatures of 44°C, 53°C, and 64°C were selected. Each of the three sets of 15 tubes was filled with different wax. For comparison purposes, experiments were also done with a single commercial wax, having a melting temperature of 53°C, in all the tubes. During heat charge, hot air flowed across the capsules such that the melting temperature of the waxes decreased in the flow direction. Air flow direction was reversed during heat discharge. Experimental measurements showed some improvement in the heat transfer rates during both heat charge and discharge when three types of PCM’s were used. There was no improvement in the heat transfer rate during the sensible heat storage period, while a maximum increase of 15 percent was observed during the latent heat period. Theoretical predictions for the performance of the storage module were in reasonable agreement with the experimental measurements.


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