Thermal properties and friction behaviors of slag as energy storage material in concentrate solar power plants

Thermal energy storage (TES) system is greatly used in concentrated solar power (CSP) plants to collect energy for later need. It is proposed that slag is suitable for energy storage in CSP plants, however, little has been studied in this field. In this paper, the thermal stability, specific heat capacity, thermal conductivity and microstructures of two electric arc furnace (EAF) slag samples were studied. In TES system, as heat storage material, slag will meet with high temperature and low temperature environment. The wear resulted from heat expansion and cold contraction of slag with storaging and releasing energy process was addressed. The results revealed that slag is a good candidate to be used as heat storage material for TES system. Revalorization of slag into TES material is a cost-effective solution to the CSP plants and the industry waste recovery.