Use of heat pipes in latent thermal energy storage systems

Resumen

Energy storage systems complement renewable energies, tackling their main drawback, the mismatch between energy production and demand. Storing thermal energy links perfectly with concentrated solar power plants. This PhD thesis focusses on developing a latent thermal energy system at temperature range from 210 ºC to 270 ºC, being able to work coupled with a Fresnel concentrated solar power plant. The thesis is divided in two parts: the first one is to design and manufacture the thermal energy storage system. The thermal storage system power requirements demanded the thermal conductivity enhancement within the storing material. The second part took the heat transfer enhancement in latent TES systems as objective. Different technologies were tested at laboratory scale and low temperature (from 15 ºC to 50 ºC), among them, those used into the high temperature storage system.