Author(s)

Boubou Bagre^1,2, Ibrahim Kolawole Muritala³, Tizane Daho², Makinta Boukar¹, Yomi Woro Gounkaou², Babajide Epe Shari¹, Aissatou Ndiaye¹, Antoine Bere², Adamou Rabani¹

¹Doctoral Research Program-Climate Change and Energy, Université Abdou Moumouni (WASCAL-DRP-CCE), Niamey, Niger.
²Laboratoire de Physique et de Chimie de l’Environnement, Université Joseph KI-ZERBO, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
³Institute of Low-Carbon Industrial Processes, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Zittau, Germany.

In this paper, the mechanical and thermal properties of a sand-clay ceramic with additives coal bottom ash (CBA) waste from incinerator coal power plant are investigated to develop an alternative material for thermal energy storage (TES). Ceramic balls are developed at 1000°C and 1060°C using sintering or firing method. The obtained ceramics were compressed with a compression machine and thermally analyse using Decagon devise KD2 Pro thermal analyser. A muffle furnace was also used for thermal cycling at 610°C. It was found that the CBA increased the porosity, which resulted in the increase of the axial tensile strength reaching 3.5 MPa for sand-clay and ash ceramic. The ceramic balls with the required tensile strength for TES were selected. Their volumetric heat capacity, and thermal conductivity range respectively from 2.4075 MJ·m-3·°C-1 to 3.426 MJ·m-3·°C-1 and their thermal conductivity from 0.331 Wm-1·K-1, to 1.014 Wm-1·K-1 depending on sand origin, size and firing temperature. The selected formulas have good thermal stability because the most fragile specimens after 60 thermal cycles did not present any cracks. These properties allow envisioning the use of the ceramic balls developed as filler material for thermocline thermal energy storage (structured beds) in Concentrating Solar Power plants. And for other applications like solar cooker and solar dryer.

Ceramic Ball, Sand, Clay, Coal Bottom Ash, Thermal Energy Storage Material, Thermocline, Concentrating Solar Power Plant

Bagre, B. , Muritala, I. , Daho, T. , Boukar, M. , Gounkaou, Y. , Shari, B. , Ndiaye, A. , Bere, A. and Rabani, A. (2022) Development of Sensible Heat Storage Materials Using Sand, Clay and Coal Bottom Ash. Materials Sciences and Applications, 13, 603-626. doi: 10.4236/msa.2022.1312038.