Experimental analysis of the melting process of a high-temperature molten salt in a rectangular container

Boxu Yu, Wei Chen, Qian Liu, Zhirong Liao and Chao Xu

Energy, 2025, vol. 318, issue C

Abstract: Molten salt is a widely used material for high-temperature latent heat thermal energy storage, which requires a thorough understanding of heat transfer, fluid dynamics, solid-liquid interface migration and phase change during heat storage. In this study, a visual experimental platform was developed to investigate the melting process of solar salt under varying aspect ratios and wall temperatures. Key factors such as liquid fraction, temperature distribution, heat transfer dimensionless parameters and stored energy were analyzed. The results revealed that natural convection led to nonlinear migration of the phase interface and stratification in the liquid-phase temperature. Higher heating temperatures and larger aspect ratios enhanced the melting process, increasing both the energy stored and the instantaneous heat storage power. Additionally, cavities formed in the solid salt due to shrinkage during solidification, leading to irregular temperature and liquid level fluctuations during melting. Finally, a dimensionless formulation was proposed to predict changes in the liquid fraction throughout the melting process.

Keywords: Latent heat storage; Molten salt; Natural convection; Visualization experiment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:318:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225005365

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.134894

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