Studying How the Size of Energy Storage Tanks with Sodium Nitrate Affects Their Performance

Abstract

Energy storage serves the dual purpose of narrowing the disparity between energy provision and consumption while also enhancing the efficiency and dependability of energy generation systems, thereby assuming a crucial position in energy storage. This technology reduces expenses by gathering and using wasted energy. Thermal energy storage using phase transition materials is a highly regarded technology in thermal energy storage. Studying energy storage tanks that incorporate phase transition material is a novel area of research in the energy world. Sodium nitrate is the PCM material employed in this study. This discussion focuses on the influence of the alumina percentage and tank dimensions on the behavior of molten sodium nitrate over time. This analysis incorporates the influence of the diameter-to-length ratio based on the Grashof number. Consequently, ten different dimensional states of the tank are taken into account. This study discusses the findings from analyzing energy storage tanks incorporating phase change material using Ansys Fluent software. To achieve this objective, the initial step involves presenting the ratio between the required dimensions and the Gershoff numbers acquired for various diameters. Subsequently, the mesh convergence process and the solution's independence from the grid are explained. Subsequently, he showstate d the outlines of the aqueous portion and the temperature derived from the study, culminating in presenting the findings. The temperature distribution inside the tank becomes increasingly homogeneous by augmenting the proportion of alumina included in sodium nitrate. The addition of alumina particles to sodium nitrate has a diminishing impact as the height-to-diameter ratio of the tank is reduced. As the tank transitions from state 1 to state 7, whose diameter and height are identical, the curvature of the temperature change graphs diminishes. This drop signifies a reduction in the rate at which the phase-change material melts.