Comparison and Assessment of the Creep-Fatigue and Ratcheting Design Methods for a Reference Gen3 Molten Salt Concentrated Solar Power Receiver

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Barua ◽  
M. C. Messner ◽  
M. D. McMurtrey
Keyword(s):  
Molten Salt ◽  
Solar Power ◽  
Design Methods ◽  
Material Behavior ◽  
Outlet Temperature ◽  
Power Cycle ◽  
Inelastic Analysis ◽  
Fatigue Damage Accumulation ◽  
Creep Fatigue ◽  
Design Calculations

Abstract The Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) Gen3 Demonstration Roadmap has recognized Supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) Brayton Cycle as the best-fit power cycle as it provides thermal efficiency benefits relative to the conventional Steam-Rankine cycles. However, to enable the integration of sCO2 Brayton Power Cycle, it is necessary to increase the outlet temperature of current molten salt CSP systems from 565°C to approximately 720°C. Increasing the temperature of the salt brings significant material and engineering challenges. Creep-fatigue damage accumulation and ratcheting deformation are important design considerations for receivers operating at high temperature due to frequent transient loads caused by diurnal cycling and thermal shocks from transitions between sun and cloud cover. In this work, a reference thermomechanical model of a Gen3 CSP receiver is developed to evaluate different creep-fatigue and ratcheting design approaches identified in Section III, Division 5, of ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code. The design methods are then ordered based on design margin and ease of use. Design by elastic perfectly-plastic analysis is found to be the most conservative among the methods. Elastic analysis is the easiest to perform but the design calculations are extremely complicated. In contrast, design calculations are straight forward in inelastic analysis method but it requires developing a sophisticated inelastic constitutive model describing the material behavior. Several recommendations are made for developing creep-fatigue and ratcheting design rules for CSP systems.

Structural Evaluation With Elastic and Inelastic Analysis Methods on a High Temperature Storage Tank Subjected to Static and Dynamic Loadings

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen Wang ◽  
Xiaochun Zhang ◽  
Xiaoyan Wang ◽  
Maoyuan Cai
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Elevated Temperature ◽  
Molten Salt ◽  
Fatigue Damage ◽  
Storage Tank ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Elastic Analysis ◽  
Inelastic Analysis ◽  
Analysis Methods ◽  
Creep Fatigue

Abstract The structural integrity of reactor components is very essential for the reliable operation of all types of power plants, especially for components operating at elevated temperature where creep effects are significant and where components are subjected to high-temperature alteration and seismic transient loading conditions. In this article, a molten salt storage tank in high temperature thorium molten salt reactor (TMSR) is evaluated according to ASME-III-5-HBB high temperature reactor code. The evaluation based on 3D finite element analyses includes the load-controlled stress, the effects of ratcheting, and the interaction of creep and fatigue. The thermal and structural analysis and the application procedures of ASME-HBB rules are described in detail. Some structural modifications have been made on this molten salt storage tank to enhance the strength and reduce thermal stress. The effects of ratcheting and creep-fatigue damage under elevated temperature are investigated using elastic analysis and inelastic analysis methods for a defined representative load cycle. In addition, the strain range and the stress relaxation history calculated by elastic and inelastic methods are compared and discussed. The numerical results indicate that the elastic analysis is conservative for design and a full inelastic analysis method for estimating input for creep-fatigue damage evaluation need to be developed.

Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Power Cycle Configurations for Use in Concentrating Solar Power Systems

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig S. Turchi ◽  
Zhiwen Ma ◽  
John Dyreby
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Energy Storage ◽  
Molten Salt ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Solar Power ◽  
Brayton Cycle ◽  
Concentrating Solar Power ◽  
Power Cycle ◽  
Cycle Efficiency

Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plants utilize oil, molten salt or steam as the heat transfer fluid (HTF) to transfer solar energy to the power block. These fluids have properties that limit plant performance; for example, the synthetic oil and molten salt have upper temperature limits of approximately 390°C and 565°C, respectively. While direct steam generation has been tested, it requires complex controls and has limited options for integration of thermal energy storage. Use of carbon dioxide as the HTF and power cycle working fluid offers the potential to increase thermal cycle efficiency while maintaining simplicity of operation and thermal storage options. Supercritical CO2 (s-CO2) operated in a closed-loop recompression Brayton cycle offers the potential of higher cycle efficiency versus superheated or supercritical steam cycles at temperatures relevant for CSP applications. Brayton-cycle systems using s-CO2 have smaller weight and volume, lower thermal mass, and less complex power blocks versus Rankine cycles due to the higher density of the fluid and simpler cycle design. Many s-CO2 Brayton power cycle configurations have been proposed and studied for nuclear applications; the most promising candidates include recompression, precompression, and partial cooling cycles. Three factors are important for incorporating s-CO2 into CSP plants: superior performance vs. steam Rankine cycles, ability to integrate thermal energy storage, and dry-cooling. This paper will present air-cooled s-CO2 cycle configurations specifically selected for a CSP application. The systems will consider 10-MW power blocks that are tower-mounted with an s-CO2 HTF and 100-MW, ground-mounted s-CO2 power blocks designed to receive molten salt HTF from a power tower.

scholarly journals Creep-Fatigue Design Applied to Molten Salt Solar Receivers

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward F. Radke ◽  
David T. Wasyluk ◽  
David J. Dewees ◽  
James M. Tanzosh
Keyword(s):  
Solar Energy ◽  
Molten Salt ◽  
High Heat ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Property Development ◽  
Inelastic Analysis ◽  
Fatigue Design ◽  
Fatigue Data ◽  
Creep Fatigue ◽  
Design Activities

The development of solar energy for commercial power generation has been an active area of work for several decades. A limiting design consideration for solar receivers is creep-fatigue because of the high heat fluxes involved and the inherent cyclic nature of solar energy. Design activities and concerns are presented for a recent commercial molten salt receiver application. A critical review of available creep-fatigue data and methods is provided and supplemented with detailed inelastic analysis. Recommendations are made for both design and further material property development that would help to remove conservatism and increase reliability. Paper published with permission.

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.

scholarly journals Calorimetric Evaluation of Novel Concentrating Solar Receiver Geometries With Enhanced Effective Solar Absorptance

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesus D. Ortega ◽  
Julius E. Yellowhair ◽  
Clifford K. Ho ◽  
Joshua M. Christian ◽  
Charles E. Andraka
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Solar Power ◽  
Solar Furnace ◽  
Heat Transfer Fluid ◽  
Discrete Ordinates ◽  
Base Case ◽  
Outlet Temperature ◽  
Black Paint ◽  
Solar Absorptance ◽  
Flow Rates

Direct solar power receivers consist of tubular arrays, or panels, which are typically tubes arranged side by side and connected to an inlet and outlet manifold. The tubes absorb the heat incident on the surface and transfer it to the fluid contained inside them. To increase the solar absorptance, high temperature black paint or a solar selective coating is applied to the surface of the tubes. However, current solar selective coatings degrade over the lifetime of the receiver and must be reapplied, which reduces the receiver thermal efficiency and increases the maintenance costs. This work presents an evaluation of several novel receiver shapes which have been denominated as fractal like geometries (FLGs). The FLGs are geometries that create a light-trapping effect, thus, increasing the effective solar absorptance and potentially increasing the thermal efficiency of the receiver. Five FLG prototypes were fabricated out of Inconel 718 and tested in Sandia’s solar furnace at two irradiance levels of ∼15 and 30 W/cm2 and two fluid flow rates. Photographic methods were used to capture the irradiance distribution on the receiver surfaces and compared to results from ray-tracing models. This methods provided the irradiance distribution and the thermal input on the FLGs. Air at nearly atmospheric pressure was used as heat transfer fluid. The air inlet and outlet temperatures were recorded, using a data acquisition system, until steady state was achieved. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models, using the Discrete Ordinates (DO) radiation and the k-ω Shear Stress Transport (SST) equations, were developed and calibrated, using the test data, to predict the performance of the five FLGs at different air flow rates and irradiance levels. The results showed that relative to a flat plate (base case), the new FLGs exhibited an increase in the effective solar absorptance from 0.86 to 0.92 for an intrinsic material absorptance of 0.86. Peak surface temperatures of ∼1000°C and maximum air temperature increases of ∼200°C were observed. Compared to the base case, the new FLGs showed a clear air outlet temperature increase. Thermal efficiency increases of ∼15%, with respect to the base case, were observed. Several tests, in different days, were performed to assess the repeatability of the results. The results obtained, so far, are very encouraging and display a very strong potential for incorporation in future solar power receivers.

Development of High Temperature, Corrosion Resistant Sensors for Concentrating Solar Power Systems

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael W. Usrey ◽  
Yiping Liu ◽  
Mark Anderson ◽  
Jon Lubbers ◽  
Brady Knowles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Molten Salt ◽  
Solar Power ◽  
Thermal Flux ◽  
Temperature Cycling ◽  
Chloride Salt ◽  
Concentrating Solar Power ◽  
Salt Corrosion ◽  
Chloride Salts ◽  
Functional Ceramics

Solar power is a sustainable resource which can reduce the power generated by fossil fuels, lowering greenhouse gas emissions and increasing energy independence. The U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative has set goals to increase the efficiency of concentrating solar power (CSP) systems. One SunShot effort to help CSP systems exceed 50% efficiency is to make use of high-temperature heat transfer fluids (HTFs) and thermal energy storage (TES) fluids that can increase the temperature of the power cycle up to 1300°C. Sporian has successfully developed high-temperature operable pressure, temperature, thermal flux, strain, and flow sensors for gas path measurements in high-temperature turbine engines. These sensors are based on a combination of polymer derived ceramic (PDC) sensors, advanced high-temperature packaging, and integrated electronics. The overall objective is the beneficial application of these sensors to CSP systems. Through collaboration with CSP industry stakeholders, Sporian has established a full picture of operational, interface, and usage requirements for trough, tower, and dish CSP architectures. In general, sensors should have accurate measurement, good reliability, reasonable cost, and ease of replacement or repair. Sensors in contact with hot salt HTF and TES fluids will experience temperature cycling on a daily basis, and parts of the system may be drained routinely. Some of the major challenges to high-temperature CSP implementation include molten salt corrosion and flow erosion of the sensors. Potential high-temperature sensor types that have been identified as of interest for CSP HTF/TES applications include temperature, pressure, flow, and level sensors. Candidate solar salts include nitrate, carbonate, and chloride, with different application temperatures ranging from 550°C-900°C. Functional ceramics were soaked for 500 hours in molten nitrate, carbonate, and chloride salts, showing excellent corrosion resistance in chloride salts and good resistance in nitrate salts. The demonstration of functional ceramics in relevant HTFs laid the foundation for full prototype sensor and packaging demonstration. Sporian has developed a packaging approach for ceramic-based sensors in various harsh gaseous environments at temperatures up to 1400°C, but several aspects of that packaging are not compatible with corrosive and electrically conductive HTFs. In addition to consulting published literature, a 300 hour soak test in molten chloride salt allowed the authors to identify suitable structural metals and ceramics. Based on discussions with stakeholders, molten salt corrosion testing and room-temperature water flow testing, suitable for CSP sensor/packaging concepts were identified for future development, and initial prototypes have been built and tested.

A Viscoplastic Model for Alloy 617 for Use With the ASME Section III, Division 5 Design by Inelastic Analysis Rules

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. C. Messner ◽  
T.-L. Sham
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Alloy 617 ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
Material Models ◽  
Experimental Database ◽  
Viscoplastic Model ◽  
Analysis And Design ◽  
Inelastic Analysis ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Creep Fatigue

Abstract The rules for the design of high temperature reactor components in Section III, Division 5, Subsection HB, Subpart B (HBB) of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code contain two options for evaluating the deformation-controlled design limits on strain accumulation and creep-fatigue: design by elastic analysis and design by inelastic analysis. Of these options design by inelastic analysis tends to be less overconservative and produce more efficient designs. However, the HBB currently does not provide approved material models for use with the inelastic analysis rules, limiting their widespread use. A nonmandatory appendix has been developed to provide general guidance on appropriate material models and provide reference material models suitable for use with the design by inelastic analysis approach. This paper describes a viscoplastic model for Alloy 617 suitable for use with the HBB rules proposed for incorporation into the new appendix. The model represents the high temperature creep, creep-fatigue, and tensile response of Alloy 617 and accurately accounts for rate sensitivity across a wide range of temperatures. The focus in developing the model was on capturing key features of material deformation required for accurately executing the HBB rules and on developing a relatively simple model form that can be implemented in commercial finite element analysis software. The paper validates the model against an extensive experimental database collected as part of the Alloy 617 Code qualification effort as well as against specialized experimental tests examining the effect of elastic follow up on stress relaxation and creep deformation in the material.

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