Thermal energy storage with desalination salt: lab-scale experiments and simulations

This work investigates desalination salt thermal energy storage (TES) using a benchtop air-to-salt module and a complementary CFD study of an electro-thermal concept with embedded electrical heaters. Experiments were conducted at inlet air temperatures of 200, 300, and 400 °C for charging, storage, and discharge performance of the TES module. Dimensionless analysis using the Fourier number captured consistent charge-discharge behavior across setpoints. CFD simulations (ANSYS Fluent) of an electro-thermal TES system with desalination salt investigated corner vs. center heater placement at two heat generation rates for 110 V and a 220 V setups. The collected data for temperature gradients, heat flux, and heat transfer coefficient demonstrate technical feasibility, identify loss mechanisms at lab scale, and outline design levers–heater layout, flow rate, geometry, and insulation–for scalable desalination salt-based TES systems.