Hu, Y, He, Y, Zhang, Z et al. (1 more author) (2019) Enhanced heat capacity of binary nitrate eutectic salt-silica nanofluid for solar energy storage. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 192. pp. 94-102. ISSN 0927-0248
Abstract
In concentrating solar power plants, the heat capacity of thermal storage media is a key factor that affects the cost of electricity generation. This work investigated the effective specific heat capacity of binary nitrate eutectic salts seeded with silica nanoparticles, using both experimental measurements and molecular dynamics simulations. The effects of the mass concentration (0–2.0 wt%) and average size (10, 20, and 30 nm) of the nanoparticles on the specific heat capacity value of nanofluids were analyzed. The results show that specific heat capacity increases when adding 10 nm silica nanoparticles up to 1.0 wt%, and then it decreases at higher concentrations. At this optimal mass concentration, the 20 nm nanoparticles displayed a maximum enhancement in the average specific heat capacity (by ~26.7%). The simulation results provided information about the different energy components in the system. The rate of potential energy change versus nanoparticle mass concentration was found to be maximized at 1.0 wt% concentration, which agrees with the experimental measurements. The potential energy components in the simulation system indicate that the change of Coulombic energy contributes the most to the variation of specific heat capacity.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | (c) 2018, Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This is an author produced version of a paper published in Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Solar energy storage; Molten salt based nanofluids; Specific heat capacity; Molecular dynamics simulation |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Chemical & Process Engineering (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 08 Feb 2019 10:14 |
Last Modified: | 19 Dec 2019 01:39 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.solmat.2018.12.019 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:142342 |