The two-tank thermal energy storage system with a mixture of sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate is one of the most common ways in concentrated solar power plants. However, the unreasonable thermal performance of tank foundations such as excessive heat loss and overheating of concrete slab could result in local molten salt solidification and foundation settlement. This work proposes a novel foundation configuration with road base, light expanded clay aggregate, thermal clay blocks and fire bricks as insulation materials. The temperature distribution and heat loss of the tank foundations are studied at different scales through experimental and numerical methods. A laboratory foundation is set up to prove the feasibility of foundation materials, which is used in the thermal energy storage system of the 1 MW_th pilot plant. According to the results, the pilot foundation has a reasonable temperature distribution. Moreover, the foundation configuration and materials are applied to an industrial molten salt tank foundation. The maximum temperature of external surface of the foundation drops from 162.6 °C to 37.3 °C, the maximum temperature of concrete slab decreases from 96.1 °C to 43.2 °C, and the heat loss of foundation reduces by 39.8%. The results indicate that the foundation with the proposed configuration and materials could enhance the thermal performance of the tank foundation and decrease the heat loss through the tank foundation. The proposed foundation is of great significance for guiding the construction of the thermal storage system of commercial concentrated solar power plants.

由硝酸钠和硝酸钾混合而成的两罐式热能存储系统是集中式太阳能发电厂中最常用的方法之一。然而，储罐地基的不合理的热性能，例如过多的热损失和混凝土板的过热，可能导致局部熔融盐的凝固和地基的沉降。这项工作提出了一种新颖的地基配置，其中包括路基，轻质膨胀粘土骨料，导热粘土块和耐火砖作为绝缘材料。通过实验和数值方法研究了不同尺度下储罐基础的温度分布和热损失。建立了一个实验室基础以证明基础材料的可行性，该基础材料用于1 MW _th的热能存储系统试验工厂。根据结果​​，试验基础具有合理的温度分布。而且，基础构造和材料被应用于工业熔融盐罐基础。地基外表面的最高温度从162.6°C降至37.3°C，混凝土板的最高温度从96.1°C降低至43.2°C，地基的热损失降低了39.8％。结果表明，具有所提出的构造和材料的基础可以增强罐基础的热性能，并减少通过罐基础的热损失。所提出的基础对指导商业性集中式太阳能发电厂的蓄热系统的建设具有重要意义。