2024-07-09
Molten salts and heat transfer medium
Molten salts are a phase change material used to store thermal energy.Phase change materials are solid at room temperature and atmospheric pressure and turn into fluids when heated. Molten salts store the energy applied to convert them into liquids as latent heat, which they can transfer to other materials. The heat transfer, therefore, occurs in two directions. When heat is applied, the salts melt. When the heat is removed, the liquid solidifies again.As phase change materials, molten salts have a higher latent heat capacity than conventional materials, and minimal temperature changes are needed to increase their heat capacity.