Sharif Digital Repository

One of the main components of any solar power plant is its thermal heat storage system. Heat storage reduces the cost of power generation by increasing the capacity factor of the system. This paper aims to model and optimize the operation of a consecutive multi-layer Phase Change Material (PCM) thermal heat storage system, named Cascade Latent Heat Storage (CLHS), using the method of characteristics and genetic algorithm. The model is validated through comparison with experimental data available in the literature. The model can predict fluid and PCM temperature, PCM phase and the energy absorbed by PCM. A sensitivity analysis is employed for both the PCM and the fluid parameters. The PCM...