2024-11-212024-11-212024-09-01Tagle-Salazar, D., Cabeza, L.F. y Prieto Ríos, C. (2024). Transient performance modelling of solar tower power plants with molten salt thermal energy storage systems. Journal of Energy Storage, 97, 112793. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.est.2024.112793.2352-152Xhttps://hdl.handle.net/11441/164693© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync/4.0/).Concentrating solar power (CSP) has emerged as a dynamic and promising technology, demonstrating a burgeoning market potential for power generation through the utilization of solar thermal resources. Notably, global installed capacity has witnessed a substantial uptick in recent years, indicative that this technology is increasing traction worldwide. To optimize the utilization of CSP systems, particularly during periods of low or absent solar radiation, the integration of thermal energy storage (TES) systems using molten salts has become a prevailing strategy. This research introduces an innovative transient modelling tailored for the comprehensive annual performance analysis of a solar tower power plant coupled to a two-tank TES system, incorporating molten salts as the storage medium. The modelling of the power plant is conducted using OpenModelica, a versatile software platform renowned for its capability in system-level modelling and simulation. The simulation outcomes encompass a power plant configuration boasting a turbine gross output of 110 MWe. The results of performance parameters are subsequently contrasted with those generated by commercially available software tool, effectively corroborating the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed simulation approach. The obtained results demonstrate a favourable concurrence in the transient behaviour of performance parameters, considering heat flows, state of charge, net power, and others, with a discrepancy of less than 1 % in annual production when benchmarked against a commercial software reference. Particularly, the incorporation of the local heat loss due to assembly defects within the thermal modelling of the TES system exerts a discernible albeit relatively minor influence on the overall performance of the power plant. The occurrence of local heat loss primarily stems from distortions or imperfections within the construction, including the structure, insulation layers, or foundation, thereby creating thermal bridges between the storage fluid and the external ambient environment. This impact, while small, is not negligible, as it introduces the potential for the power block to unexpectedly shut down owing to TES system depletion, a behaviour that is challenging to simulate when neglecting local heat loss.application/pdf17 p.engAttribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/Concentrating solar power (CSP)Molten saltOpenModelicaPerformance analysisSensible thermal energy storageTransient modellinginfo:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess10.1016/j.est.2024.112793