A Simplified Numerical Model to Study the Thermal Behavior of a Cascade LHTES System

To promote the integration of Solar Heat for Industrial processes (SHIP), through the development of innovative cascade Latent Heat Thermal Energy Storage (LHTES) systems, a simplified zero-dimensional model for “shell&tube” LHTES systems that is fast, flexible and sufficiently accurate was set up. This model, programmed in Fortran 90, was developed not only to predict the thermal behavior of a cascade LHTES but also to be usable within a software to evaluate its integration in any plant, including a Concentrated Solar Thermal (CST). The model was validated through a comparison both with a more sophisticated numerical simulation and the experimental results. Finally, the simplified model was applied to a case study to analyse the thermal behavior of a system of three LHTES connected in series