High Flux Central Receivers of Molten Salts for the New Generation of Commercial Stand-Alone Solar Power Plants

2008 ◽  
Vol 130 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesús M. Lata ◽  
Manuel Rodríguez ◽  
Mónica Álvarez de Lara
Keyword(s):  
Molten Salt ◽  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Solar Power ◽  
Material Selection ◽  
Thermal Power ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Plant Production ◽  
Receiver System ◽  
Solar Power Plants

Molten salt technology represents nowadays the most cost-effective technology for electricity generation for stand-alone solar power plants. Although this technology can be applied to both concentrating technologies, parabolic through and central receiver systems (CRSs), CRS technology can take advantages from its higher concentration, allowing to work at higher temperatures and therefore with a reduction in the size and cost of the storage system. The receiver system is the “door” for which the energy passes from the field collector to the thermal-electric cycle; it represents, therefore, the core of the CRS and its performance directly affects plant production. Starting from the published lessons from SOLAR TWO receiver technology, the validation of an improved receiver for molten salt technology was assumed as part of the SOLAR TRES solar thermal power commercial plant development. Main challenges for the new receiver were to increase its allowable peak flux up to 1MW∕m2 in order to maximize the thermal efficiency of the CRS solar power plant, and to improve its safe life without limiting the incident fluxes that the field of heliostats is able to deliver with an optimized pointing strategy. Several advanced features in geometric and thermodynamic aspects and in its material selection have been implemented on the receiver. With the results of a sensitivity analysis carried out with an own code developed by SENER (SENREC), a prototype receiver panel was designed, fabricated, and installed in a proper test bed at the PSA. Test validation on this panel was carried out in 2007. The initial test results show a very good behavior of the prototype receiver, which allows to anticipate that the objectives of its design can be fulfilled. SENER and CIEMAT have joined forces to face up the challenge of sizing and designing a new molten salt receiver of high thermal efficiency, able to operate at high fluxes without compromising its durability (at least 25years). Main challenges for the new receiver design were to optimize the receiver dimensions and receiver tube sizes and material selection to surpass the operating conditions in the new plants with respect to SOLAR TWO.

scholarly journals Concentrated Solar Power Plants with Molten Salt Storage: Economic Aspects and Perspectives in the European Union

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrzej Bielecki ◽  
Sebastian Ernst ◽  
Wioletta Skrodzka ◽  
Igor Wojnicki
Keyword(s):  
Molten Salt ◽  
Molten Salts ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Solar Power ◽  
Economic Aspects ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Concentrated Solar Power ◽  
Eu Legislation ◽  
Solar Power Plants ◽  
Concentrated Solar Power Plants

Concentrated solar power plants belong to the category of clean sources of renewable energy. The paper discusses the possibilities for the use of molten salts as storage in modern CSP plants. Besides increasing efficiency, it may also shift their area of application: thanks to increased controllability, they may now be used not only to cover baseload but also as more agile, dispatchable generators. Both technological and economic aspects are presented, with focus on the European energy sector and EU legislation. General characteristics for CSP plants, especially with molten salt storage, are discussed. Perspectives for their development, first of all in economic aspects, are considered.

Operation of Large-Scale Pumps and Valves in Molten Salt

1994 ◽  
Vol 116 (3) ◽  
pp. 137-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. C. Smith ◽  
E. E. Rush ◽  
C. W. Matthews ◽  
J. M. Chavez ◽  
P. A. Bator
Keyword(s):  
Molten Salt ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Solar Power ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Plant Design ◽  
Thermal Test ◽  
Central Receiver ◽  
Solar Power Plants ◽  
Careful Design

The molten salt pump and valve (P&V) test loops at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF) operated between Jan. 1988 and Oct. 1990. The purpose of the P&V test was to demonstrate the performance, reliability, and service life of full-scale hot and cold salt pumps and valves for use in commercial central receiver solar power plants. The P&V test hardware consists of two pumped loops; the “Hot Loop” to simulate the hot (565°C) side of the receiver and the “Cold Loop” to simulate the receiver’s cold (285°C) side. Each loop contains a pump and five valves sized to be representative of a conceptual 60-MWe commercial solar power plant design. The hot loop accumulated over 6700 hours of operation and the cold loop over 2500 hours of operation. This project has demonstrated that standard commercial scale pump and valve designs will work in molten salt. The test also exposed some pitfalls that must be avoided in specifying such equipment. Although certainly not all of the pitfalls were discovered, careful design and specification should result in reliable or at least workable equipment.

scholarly journals A Novel Modeling of Molten-Salt Heat Storage Systems in Thermal Solar Power Plants

Energies ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. 6721-6740 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rogelio Menéndez ◽  
Juan Martínez ◽  
Miguel Prieto ◽  
Lourdes Barcia ◽  
Juan Sánchez
Keyword(s):  
Molten Salt ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Solar Power ◽  
Heat Storage ◽  
Storage Systems ◽  
Solar Power Plants

scholarly journals Domestic Material Content in Molten-Salt Concentrating Solar Power Plants

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig Turchi ◽  
Parthiv Kurup ◽  
Sertac Akar ◽  
Francisco Flores
Keyword(s):  
Molten Salt ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Solar Power ◽  
Concentrating Solar Power ◽  
Material Content ◽  
Solar Power Plants

scholarly journals Thermophysical properties experimentally tested for NaCl-KCl-MgCl2 eutectic molten salt as a next generation high temperature HTF in CSP systems

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Xiaoxin Wang ◽  
Jusus Rincon ◽  
Peiwen Li ◽  
Youyang Zhao ◽  
Judith Vidal
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
High Temperature ◽  
Power Systems ◽  
Molten Salt ◽  
Thermophysical Properties ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Solar Power ◽  
Thermal Power ◽  
Thermal Storage ◽  
Heat Of Fusion

Abstract A new eutectic chloride molten salt, MgCl2-KCl-NaCl (wt.% 45.98-38.91-15.11), has been recognized as one of the most promising high-temperature heat-transfer fluids (HTF) for both heat transfer and thermal storage for the 3rd Generation concentrated solar thermal power (CSP) systems. For the first time, some essential thermophysical properties of this eutectic chloride molten salt needed for basic heat transfer and energy storage analysis in the application of concentrating solar power systems have been experimentally tested and provided as functions of temperature in the range from 450 °C to 700 °C. The studied properties include heat capacity, melting point, heat of fusion, viscosity, vapor pressure, density, and thermal conductivity. The property equations provide essential database for engineers to use to calculate convective heat transfer in concentrated solar receivers, heat exchangers, and thermal storage for concentrated solar power plants.

Thermal Performance of Steam Receiver in Tower-Type Solar Power Plants

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai Yan ◽  
Xiaojiang Wu ◽  
Jianbin Liu
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Heat Loss ◽  
Thermal Performance ◽  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Solar Power ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Receiver Design ◽  
Solar Power Plants ◽  
Performance Calculation

In this paper, the thermal performance of steam receiver in tower-type solar power plants has been performed using the tower-type solar receiver design program developed by Shanghai boiler works Co Ltd. In the program, the integrated effect of three types of heat transfer, i.e. heat conduction, convection and radiation, in the process of heat transfer of receivers has been considered. With integrating the characteristics and the working conditions of receivers of both steam and molten salt, the developed program can be used to perform the thermal performance calculations for the receivers of both working fluids. The proposed program was validated through Solar Two project and the satisfactory results achieve. A steam receiver in a tower-type solar power plant with double superheats is selected as an example for thermal performance calculation. In view of the receiver operating in subcritical status, the thermal performance calculation is carried out for two sections, the one for evaporation and that for superheat. In evaporation section, the working fluid is circulated with a circulating pump at a very high circulating ratio. At the outlet of panels, the qualities of working fluid can reach to maximum about 0.35. Besides, the great difference of qualities of working fluid at the outlet of panels is observed. Even for some pipes of some panels, the working fluid at the outlet is in liquid phase. The distribution of metal temperature at fin end of panels in the evaporation region varies dramatically from place to place and reaches to over 520 °C. In superheat region, the temperature of the outer front crown of tubes is concerned. The highest front point temperature of pipe, which reaches to maximum over 660 °C, is in the middle region of the last parts of the primary superheat pass. The thermal efficiency distribution of the receiver, including the evaporation and the superheat regions, are also performed. The results show that the averaged efficiency is about 86%. Besides, the phenomenon of negative thermal efficiency happens in both two regions. That is because the solar incidence cannot compensate the natural heat loss due to incident radiation reflection, the pipe wall infrared radiation and convective heat loss.

scholarly journals Performance Assessment and Improvement of Central Receivers Used for Solar Thermal Plants

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 3079 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albarbar ◽  
Arar
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Aspect Ratio ◽  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Solar Power ◽  
Thermal Power ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
Energy Status ◽  
Storage Unit

In this work, the energy status and supply plans of Saudi Arabia are discussed with a focus on concentrated solar power (CSP) technologies. Subsequently, optimal designs for a 20 MWe solar power plant external receiver, combined with a 15 h thermal energy storage unit, operating under the weather conditions of Neom City, located in northeast Saudi Arabia, is proposed. The effects of receiver tube diameters, tube thicknesses, tube thermal conductivity and receiver’s performance are studied in detail and compared to those used in a well know operational CSP plant. Results show that a smaller tube diameter and thickness give higher receiver thermal efficiency but increase the annual cost of pumping energy. However, that increment in cost is negligible compared to the total energy gained. Furthermore, the aspect ratio is investigated and it was found that a higher aspect ratio gives a higher thermal efficiency. The thermal efficiency of the optimised receiver was increased by about 1% more than the reference plant. In addition, the new design decreases the total estimated cost of tube material by approximately 43%. It is anticipated that the reported results could pave the path for more efficient solar thermal power plants.

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