In the process of energy storage and power generation in molten salt tanks, the ceramic particle layer at the bottom of the tank plays a critical role in load-bearing and thermal insulation. Under cyclic loading, analyzing the effects of particle compression, flow, and contact stress on the overall settlement of the ceramic particle layer provides an important basis for design. In this study, the Hertz-Mindlin contact model in EDEM software was employed to establish a discrete element particle simulation model for the ceramic particle layer at the bottom of the molten salt tank. Simulations were conducted for the compaction backfill process and full-tank working conditions, and a comparative analysis was performed to investigate the effects of pre-compaction processes and particle size distribution on the compression settlement and maximum equivalent stress of the ceramic particles, as well as the influence of randomness in discrete element analysis results. The results indicate that for a ceramic particle layer height of 1.6 m and a particle size range of 5~20 mm, adopting a segmented compaction backfill process under a 50 000-ton tank load results in a maximum internal particle stress of 18.1~21.8 MPa and an overall settlement of 20.44~29.6 mm. As the particle size increases, the maximum stress decreases, with a maximum stress of 12 MPa observed for particle sizes of 15~20 mm. However, the settlement increases significantly, reaching 184 mm. Therefore, a wide particle size distribution range is beneficial for reducing settlement. Considering these factors comprehensively, the optimal configuration is a particle size range of 5~20 mm with a segmented and repeated pre-compaction process. Accounting for the influence of particle randomness, the maximum stress of the ceramic particle layer is 23.16 MPa, and the maximum settlement is 23.5 mm, meeting the design requirements.