Design and heat analysis of basalt glass as a thermal storage material in a concentrated solar power (CSP) system

This study is based on a finite element analysis of a heat storage material (HSM). Before starting the analysis, heat storage model, heat storage insulation material, heat transfer fluid (HTF) and HSM have been determined. The heat storage model was designed in the CATIA V5 program in accordance with the literature data, and the material of the heat storage vessel was determined as stainless steel (AISI-304) due to its high melting point. Basalt glass, which is a type of basaltic rock, was chosen as the HSM. In this study, the average temperature of basalt glass was around 901.5 K, and heat storage was carried out with basalt glass at this average temperature. Air was chosen as an HTF because it is suitable for storage at the high temperatures. The heat insulation material was determined as ceramic fiber because it is suitable for storing heat at high temperatures. After all, the heat storage components were designed and determined in the CATIA V5 program, and the Ansys software was used for the analysis. After the analysis was performed for 6000 s in Ansys Fluent, it was observed that approximately 13.57 kWh heat was stored. In this study, we observed that basalt glass can be used as an alternative material for HSM at high temperatures for concentrated solar power technologies. The obtained results were comparatively evaluated with the previous studies, and it was concluded that the system was compatible and applicable.