Evaluation of the thermal capacity of cement-based thermal energy storage components. A case study

Abstract

In this paper, we evaluate the heat capacity performance of cement-based heat exchangers for thermal energy storage and analyze their structural integrity under elevated temperatures. Fluid flow is modeled using the Navier-Stokes equations, conservation of mass, and energy. The response of the cement-based material is modeled considering thermomechanical coupling, obtaining the temperature profile within the thermal energy storage. This study allows us to observe the thermal energy storage capabilities for different thermal energy storage designs: plain concrete and concrete with nanoparticles of SiO2. Finally, we use our model for the evaluation of the concrete thermal energy storage component, which has been previously functionalized for use in low to medium temperature ranges (i.e., 100 °C to 400 °C).