Parametric study of the thermocline filler concept based on exergy

Abstract

In this work, an extensive parametric study of the molten salt thermocline storage concept with filler is presented. The parametric study is coupled with an optimization routine, allowing a better comparison, since it finds only those storage configurations, which can directly substitute the two-tank system in a given power plant. Results show that, compared to the two-tank molten salt system, the thermocline technology achieves high exergetic efficiency at only slightly increased storage volume size and a huge decrease in salt inventory.