Molten Salts for Sensible Thermal Energy Storage: A Review and an Energy Performance Analysis

Abstract

A comprehensive review of different thermal energy storage materials for concentrated solar power has been conducted. Fifteen candidates were selected due to their nature, thermophysical properties, and economic impact. Three key energy performance indicators were defined in order to evaluate the performance of the different molten salts, using Solar Salt as a reference for low and high temperatures. The analysis provided evidence that nitrate-based materials are the best choice for the former and chloride-based materials are best for the latter instead of fluoride and carbonate-based candidates, mainly due to their low cost.

Keywords

• thermal energy storage
• molten salts
• concentrated solar power
• sensible heat storage
• nanofluids