Reviewing numerical studies on sensible thermal energy storage in cementitious composites: report of the RILEM TC 299-TES

Concrete has emerged as a promising solid-based sensible heat storage (SHS) material due to its favorable balance of thermal properties, cost-effectiveness, non-toxicity, and widespread availability. This state-of-the-art review examines the applications of concrete-based SHS across diverse domains, including buildings, concentrated solar power systems, and industrial power generation. It also investigates the thermal properties of concrete relevant for SHS applications and explores the design considerations for concrete SHS systems and reviews the current research landscape and the role of numerical modeling and simulation techniques in optimizing the performance of concrete SHS systems. Various computational methods, such as transient modeling, finite element method (FEM), computational fluid dynamics, and simplified lumped capacitance models, have been employed to analyze and enhance the design of these systems. As research and development continue in this field, several future trends are anticipated.