CESA-1 thermal storage system evaluation

An evaluation follows of the CESA-1 solar thermal storage based on an eutectic mixture of 53% KNO₃, 39% NaNO₂, and 8% NaNO₃ molten salt, existing on the Plataforma Solar de Almería. Main parameters of the charge/discharge cycles (inlet/outlet temperatures, mass flows, and charge/discharge rates) were varied to simulate different solar multiples.The net thermal-to-thermal efficiency of this system was determined to be 72%, once the energy requirements to drive it are discounted. Thermal loss coefficients of both tanks were measured and found to be 0.327 and 0.265 W/m² K for the hot and cold tank, respectively.