The effect of the physical boundary conditions on the thermal performance of molten salt thermocline tank

The results show that both of the axial and radial convex size of the liner should be as small as possible, resulting in smaller average velocity and less disturbance in the flow. The truncated cone shaped tank has an advantage in the charging process with low entropy generation in molten salt and solid material, while it goes against the discharging process. It is found that larger inclined angle of the sloped wall causes smaller thermocline thickness and entropy generation with the same tank height and tank volume for truncated cone shaped tanks. Besides, larger tank height is better for the truncated cone shaped tanks with the same tank volume.