Numerical Simulation on Heat Transfer Performance of Silicon Carbide/ Nitrate Composite for Solar Power Generation

KNO3 was used as the phase change material (PCM), but its thermal conductivity is too low to transfer heat between the PCM and conduction oil efficiently. In this thesis, on the basis of the previous studies (Yong Li, 2015), the solar power generation efficiency is enhanced with high temperature interval (280°C—400°C), and the new composite which are composed by the SiC honeycomb (SCH) frame and infiltrated KNO3 is simulated by using Fluent software. The 2-D model is set up according to the cylindrical structure of the thermal energy storage units (TESU) and the 3-D models are set up with triangular arrangement of the pipes for the module thermal energy storage tank (MTEST).The results show that the new composite of the KNO3 +30%SCH suit for the requirement of the charging time and capacity in the design of the TESU; The comparable simulation for the long and short pipe models supplies the evidences that the long pipe simulation can be substituted by the short pipe simulation, which reduces the 3-D simulation time enormously; The comparable simulation of the radial dimensions supplies some theory foundations for the design of the MTEST . These simulation results have important guidance on the design of the thermal energy storage unit and the module thermal energy storage tank.