Energy Storage Science and Technology ›› 2025, Vol. 14 ›› Issue (9): 3319-3329.doi: 10.19799/j.cnki.2095-4239.2025.0172

• Energy Storage Materials and Devices • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Numerical study on charging/discharging characteristics of a closed thermochemical reactor based on SrBr2·6H2O

Chengchen LI1(), Qinghua YU1(), Huitao DAI2, Na JIA3, Lin WANG3, Binbo SUN1   

  1. 1.School of Automotive Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, Hubei
    2.Power Market Research Center, China Three Gorges Corporation, Beijing 100038, China
    3.Institute of Science and Technology, China Three Gorges Corporation, Beijing 101199, China
  • Received:2025-02-25 Revised:2025-03-28 Online:2025-09-28 Published:2025-09-05
  • Contact: Qinghua YU E-mail:333913@whut.edu.cn;qhyu@whut.edu.cn

Abstract:

To investigate the energy storage and release characteristics of a closed thermochemical reactor utilizing SrBr2·6H2O, a three-dimensional transient coupled model integrating fluid flow, heat transfer, and thermochemical reactions was established. The model was employed to analyze variations in temperature, conversion rate, and heat transfer fluid (HTF) outlet temperature during the energy storage and release processes. The effects of different fin configurations on thermal performance were compared, and the influences of HTF temperature, HTF flow velocity, and water vapor pressure on reactor performance were systematically examined. The results indicate that radial heat transfer within the reactor is constrained by the low thermal conductivity of the thermochemical energy storage material (TCM). Fins accelerate reaction rates and improve the thermal grade of the heated fluid during discharge. Under equivalent surface area conditions, longitudinal fins exhibit superior heat transfer enhancement and energy storage/release performance compared to radial fins. Specifically, the storage and discharge times of the longitudinal fin reactor are reduced by 36.96% and 35.97%, respectively, while those of the radial fin reactor are reduced by 20.74% and 20.07%, respectively, relative to the nonfin reactor. HTF temperature and water vapor pressure exert significant impacts. An increase in HTF temperature promotes the charging process, reducing the charging time by 59.94% and increasing the charging power. However, it inhibits the discharging process, increasing the discharging time by 65.26% and decreasing the discharging power. Conversely, higher water vapor pressure hinders the energy storage process and facilitates energy release, increasing the energy storage time by 40.83% and reducing the energy release time by 84.39%. Although increasing HTF flow velocity enhances heat transfer between TCM and HTF and accelerates the charging and discharging processes, its influence is less pronounced, reducing the charging and discharging times by only 14.14% and 5.91%, respectively. These findings provide valuable guidance for the practical application of closed hydrated salt thermochemical reactors.

Key words: thermochemical energy storage, SrBr2·6H2O, fin, heat and mass transfer

CLC Number: