TES initial state

Hello,

This question refers to the Parabolic Trough Physical Model.

I am simulating a CSP PT power plant with indirect storage and I wonder how the TES system initial state is determined in terms of hot/cold tank fluid temperature and volume. For temperature, I know you define the initial TES fluid temperature in the thermal storage page of SAM, but it is not clear no to me if this temperature is the average between both tanks.

Thank you in advance and best regards,

José María.

Dear José,

For storage tank volumes, the initial values are:

Initial Cold Tank Volume = Tank Volume - Initial Hot Tank Volume

Initial Hot Tank Volume = Minimum Fluid Volume

Tank Volume and Minimum Fluid Volume are inputs on the Storage page.

For storage fluid temperatures, the initial temperature of fluid entering both the hot and cold tanks is the average between the tanks, assuming the Initial TES Fluid Temperature input on the Storage page. Because there are two tanks:

Initial Temperature into Cold Tank = Initial TES Fluid Temperature / 2

Initial Temperature into Hot Tank = Initial TES Fluid Temperature / 2

After running simulations, you can verify the initial values on the Results page. Display hourly results in a table or time series graph, and choose the following variables:

- Cold Tank HTF Volume
- Hot Tank HTF Volume
- Temperature into Cold Tank
- Temperature into Hot Tank

Best regards,
Paul.