Experimental investigation on the performance of thermosyphon charging of a single-medium stratified storage system for concentrated solar power applications

Abstract

Concentrated solar power (CSP) plants utilize two-tank, sensible-heat thermal energy storage (TES) for uninterrupted electricity generation. However, the cost for the design and operation of TES is expensive. Therefore, researchers are focusing on implementing single-tank storage. Additional cutbacks can be made by utilizing pump-less thermosyphon charging for the TES. But prior thermosyphon researches for TES are related to domestic water-heating systems of small-capacity (<100 liters) and low-temperature (<100 {\deg}C). Thus, investigations into thermosyphon charging for high-temperature storage are desired. This study focuses on thermosyphon-charging and storing of a single-medium stratified TES. The experiments were conducted on a 370 liters cylindrical storage (aspect ratio 4:1) with a heat-pipe system (3-liter volume) acting as a collector. Dowtherm-A oil was used as the heat transfer fluid (HTF), and the thermal expansion of HTF was accommodated in an expansion tank via two different designs (top and bottom connections from storage tank to expansion tank). Moreover, continuous and pulsatile charging are investigated for low (150 {\deg}C) and high (250 and 300 {\deg}C) temperatures. The results indicate that the maximum HTF temperature coming out of the heating pipes is ~25 {\deg}C more for the bottom-expansion design. Furthermore, it results in higher charging efficiency than the top-expansion setup for high-temperature studies. Finally, it is revealed that under design conditions, there are limits on the degree of thermal stratification achieved in the charging cycle and the maximum layover time allowable for interrupted charging. These results provide insights into the operational strategy of thermosyphon-charging stratified storage for CSP applications.