A Review of Sand-Based Thermal Battery Design: Integrating Sensible and Latent Heat Storage for Long-Duration Applications
Ali AL-NASS, Ahmed AL-SHEHRI, Muayad AL-HAMOOD, Othman AL-SULIMAN, Imtiaz ALI
Abstract. The study shows current practices in sand based thermal energy storage systems and suggest design ideas for a sand thermal energy storage battery. Sand serves as a cheap heat reservoir (costing as low as 0.12 to 0.2 $/kWh) which demonstrate stable performance above 1000℃. The objective is to provide an energy storage solution that is low cost, mechanically simple, long lasting, and in line with Saudi Arabia Vision 2030 goals for reaching zero emission. The objective combine the sensible heat storage in sand and evaluate different sand types such as silica sand, calcined clay and ceramic beads. The study also suggest embedding latent heat from phase change material modules PCM to increase the total stored energy density and hold the charging of heat, with solar salt PCM offering a latent heat capacity of 150-180 kJ/kg. The study target to optimize multi layer insulation to minimize heat losses at high temperatures while maintaining structural integrity of the storage tank using mineral wool insulation with low thermal conductivity ranging 0.033 to 0.045W/mK. The system input is renewable and excess energy sources by focusing on high efficiency solar panels in hot regions. The suggested system includes an insulated tank with sand and encapsulated PCM modules, a solar powered heat input subsystem and smart sensing that shows how the system is functioning. A dashboard can be deployed that monitors temperature, charging status, consumption rate, and projected discharge time. The goal of these practices is to create the fundamental components of an integrated scalable system, durable, and environmentally friendly with long duration heat storage that is appropriate for industrial and district scale applications.
Keywords
Sand Battery, Thermal Energy Storage (TES), Phase Change Material (PCM), Insulation Design, Solar Charging, Long-Duration Energy Storage, Renewable Energy
Published online 4/25/2026, 8 pages
Copyright © 2026 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Ali AL-NASS, Ahmed AL-SHEHRI, Muayad AL-HAMOOD, Othman AL-SULIMAN, Imtiaz ALI, A Review of Sand-Based Thermal Battery Design: Integrating Sensible and Latent Heat Storage for Long-Duration Applications, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 64, pp 647-654, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644904091-81
The article was published as article 81 of the book Energy Futures
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
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