Electromechanical Engineering Students Innovate an Advanced Solar Thermal Storage System

Fourth-stage students in the Department of Electromechanical Engineering at the University of Samarra have realized the university’s vision of supporting sustainability through their successful design and implementation of a distinguished scientific project involving a “Thermal Storage System” powered by solar energy.
This achievement was accomplished under the joint scientific supervision of Dr. Ouras Fadhil Khalaf and Dr. Shaima Hisham Abdul-Malik, and through the efforts of the student research team, which included the students: Zaid Hassan Mohammed, Omar Mohammed Ahmed, and Mohammed Nizar Saleh. This comes within the framework of the college’s continuous efforts to provide innovative solutions that support clean energy technology.
The innovative system relies on converting direct solar radiation energy into highly efficient thermal energy used to heat water inside an advanced network of pipes. This energy is then retained inside a special storage unit designed with three diverse engineering coils to study and evaluate the efficiency of different thermal storage media.
On the experimental level, the first coil was dedicated to testing the performance of engine oil, while the second coil contained a composite mixture of engine oil and sand, whereas the third coil included a mixture of engine oil and gravel. The hot water flows through copper pipes surrounded by these materials to ensure the continuous retention of temperatures for the longest possible period, and to raise the overall efficiency of the system to serve various domestic and industrial applications.
It is worth noting that this research project represents a promising step toward rationalizing electricity consumption, reducing reliance on fossil fuels, and lowering harmful carbon emissions. Its scientific importance is demonstrated in providing a comprehensive and comparative study to determine the best and most efficient thermal storage media, which opens new horizons for developing alternative, sustainable energy systems that are more effective and suitable for the future.