Heat transfer in finned latent heat storage for parabolic trough solar power plants

A cost effective thermal storage system is required for the sustainable operation of parabolic trough solar power plants using synthetic oil as the heat transfer fluid in the solar field. Latent heat storage has the advantage of higher performance and lower material inventory. However, potential materials for use have low thermal conductivities leading to low utilization factors. The use of fins was found to be the best heat transfer enhancement method. A validated melting and solidification model available in the commercial CFD code, Fluent, was used to determine the heat transfer enhancement produced by various radial fin configurations. A fin arrangement having an outer radius of 0.0488 m, and distance between fins of 0.01 m with a fin thickness of 0.001 m was found to be the best configuration. A correlation for heat transfer, which can be employed in determining the performance of a complete storage system, was developed.