The model storage units are designed to have a sufficient volume of the thermal storage materials in order to supply working fluid at almost constant temperature to electric power generating system during the eclipse period on space station [11]. The two model storage units using respectively the above composite materials are shown in Figure 2. These model storage units were used for heat transfer experiments in order to determine characteristics of an actual receiver. The model storage units are the bayonet type. They consist of a triple pipe made of Inconel 600. The innermost pipe, 1.65 mm thick, is the inlet of the working fluid. The space between the innermost pipe and the intermediate pipe, 3.0 mm thick, is the return way for the working fluid. Heat from the working fluid is exchanged between the thermal storage material contained between the intermediate pipe and the outermost pipe, 1.27 mm thick. The canister of the thermal storage material is composed of these two pipes. The volume of space between these two pipes corresponds the storing volume for the thermal storage materials. Weight of the composite materials were measured. Table 1 shows the measurement weights and filled ratio, i.e. ratio of the material volume to the storing volume at solid or liquid phases of LiF. It was found that the SiC/LiF fills almost the whole of the storage space, however, the C/LiF filled only about half of the space. The latent heat storage capacity is about 2 MJ in the each model storage unit.
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