Experimental Study on the Thermal Performance of a Porous Medium Solar Pond

Thermal performance of a porous medium solar pond is studied by the laboratory and outdoor experiments. The laboratory experiments are carried out to test the heat storage ability of varies porous materials. The outdoor contrast experiment between two mini solar ponds with a surface area of 2.4m×2.4m, bottom area of 1m×1m are conducted to analyze the thermal performance of the porous medium solar pond. Influences of the porous medium as well as a cover on the temperature distribution are discussed. Results show that the maximum temperature of solar pond increase by about 6^∘C due to the introduction of porous medium. Inspired by the principle of the porous medium solar pond, a tide-driven reservoir with heat collection pond and circulating storage pond is proposed to provide fresh seawater with moderate temperature for seaside marine park in winter.