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Performance evaluation of water-based thermal energy storage for solar thermal power plants with Organic Rankine Cycle

Abstract

The performance of a water-based thermal energy storage (TES) system, integrated with a solar thermal power plant and a low-temperature Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC), is evaluated in this paper. The study is conducted for a parabolic trough collector (PTC) field and a twin-tank sensible heat storage system, intended for a 95 °C operating temperature, in Hambantota, Sri Lanka. Charging capacity, discharge capability, hydraulic demand, transient thermal retention, and the suitability of a water-based TES system for a solar-ORC power plant are also discussed. The performance of the system is evaluated by thermal modeling, flow rate analysis, and transient ANSYS simulation. The evaluated system includes a total of 32 parabolic trough collector modules, with a total thermal power of 256 kW, and 30 m³ insulated hot and cold storage tanks. The results show that a water-based TES system can be a reliable solution for providing thermal power for an ORC, with acceptable overnight temperature retention and simple system operation, compared with other high-temperature storage media. Therefore, a water-based TES system is a reliable solution for a low-temperature solar thermal power plant.

Publication Information

Output type

Research Output:
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
Chapter
 Peer-review

Original language

English

Publication milestones

  • Accepted/In press - 04/09/2026

Publication status

Accepted/In press - 04/09/2026

ISBN (Print)

9783032346704

Host publication title

Clean Energy Solutions: Efficient Conversion and Storage

Host publication editors

  • Lin Chen

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