scholarly journals Rheological Characteristics of Molten Salt Seeded with Al2O3 Nanopowder and Graphene for Concentrated Solar Power

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Xiao ◽  
Gan Zhang ◽  
Yulong Ding ◽  
Dongsheng Wen
Keyword(s):  
Molten Salts ◽  
Reasonable Agreement ◽  
Solar Power ◽  
Concentrated Solar Power ◽  
Solar Salt ◽  
Shear Rates ◽  
Temperature Range ◽  
Pure Salt ◽  
Fluid Behaviour ◽  
Thermo Physical Properties

HITEC salt (NaNO2-NaO3-KNO3) and solar salt (NaO3-KNO3) are typical molten salts used in concentrated solar power. Adding nanoparticles is an effective method to improve the thermo-physical properties of pure salt. It is indispensable to experimentally study the rheological behaviours of salt seeded with nanoparticles, which can increase the specific heat capacity of pure salt. In this work, the viscosities of HITEC salt were measured with different shear rates in the temperature range of 200 °C to 450 °C firstly, while those of solar salt were measured in the temperature range of 250 °C to 500 °C. The experimental data showed reasonable agreement with the literature correlations, which verify the Newtonian behaviours of pure salts. The evolutions of the viscosities of nanocomposites in the same temperature range were measured and analysed, where the nanocomposites were synthesized with 1 wt.% or 2 wt.% Al2O3 nanopowder and graphene, respectively. Results showed that the addition of Al2O3 nanopowder had relatively little effect on viscosity, and the variations were about −35.4%~8.1% for the HITEC salt nanocomposites and −9.2%~68.1% for the solar salt nanocomposites. While graphene would apparently increase the viscosities of HITEC salt and solar salt, HITEC salt with the addition of graphene showed slight non-Newtonian fluid behaviour.

Experimental Study of Nanoengineered Molten Salts as Thermal Energy Storage in Solar Power Plants

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hani Tiznobaik ◽  
Donghyun Shin
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Physical Properties ◽  
High Temperatures ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Molten Salts ◽  
Solar Power ◽  
Operating Temperature ◽  
Concentrated Solar Power ◽  
Thermo Physical Properties

In a concentrated solar power (CSP), high operating temperature (over 500 °C) is the key for enhancing the efficiency of the system. The operating temperature of the system mainly relies on thermal energy storage (TES) material. Existing TES materials such as mineral oil or paraffin wax cannot be applicable at high temperatures, since these materials are not thermally stable over 400 °C. However, very few materials are suitable and reliable for the high temperatures. Using molten salts (e.g., alkali nitrate, alkali carbonate, alkali chloride, etc.) as thermal energy storage material is an alternative way due to several benefits. They are cheap and environmentally safe compared with the conventional TES materials. They are thermally stable at higher temperatures (over 500 °C). However, their usage is limited due to low thermo-physical properties (e.g. Cp is less than 1.6 J/g°C). The low thermo-physical properties can be improved by dispersing nanoparticles into the salts. In this study, nanomaterials were synthesized by dispersing inorganic nanoparticles into ionic salts. Modulated differential scanning calorimeter (MDSC) was used to measure the heat capacity of the nanomaterials. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used for material characteristic analysis. Hence, the application of the nanomaterials as thermal energy storage in a concentrated solar power was explored.

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.

Rheology of Solar-Salt based nanofluids for concentrated solar power. Influence of the salt purity, nanoparticle concentration, temperature and rheometer geometry

2018 ◽  
Vol 176 ◽  
pp. 357-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Belén Muñoz-Sánchez ◽  
Javier Nieto-Maestre ◽  
Elisabetta Veca ◽  
Raffaele Liberatore ◽  
Salvatore Sau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Power ◽  
Nanoparticle Concentration ◽  
Concentrated Solar Power ◽  
Solar Salt

scholarly journals Dynamic corrosion testing of metals in solar salt for concentrated solar power

2021 ◽  
Vol 232 ◽  
pp. 111331
Author(s):  
Florian Sutter ◽  
Ceyhun Oskay ◽  
Mathias Christian Galetz ◽  
Teresa Diamantino ◽  
Fátima Pedrosa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Power ◽  
Corrosion Testing ◽  
Concentrated Solar Power ◽  
Solar Salt

Compatibility of container materials for Concentrated Solar Power with a solar salt and alumina based nanofluid: A study under dynamic conditions

2020 ◽  
Vol 146 ◽  
pp. 384-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier Nieto-Maestre ◽  
Belén Muñoz-Sánchez ◽  
Angel G. Fernández ◽  
Abdessamad Faik ◽  
Yaroslav Grosu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Power ◽  
Concentrated Solar Power ◽  
Solar Salt ◽  
Dynamic Conditions

scholarly journals Design of a 100 kW Concentrated Solar Power on Demand Volumetric Receiver With Integral Thermal Energy Storage Prototype

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoni Gil ◽  
Daniel S. Codd ◽  
Lei Zhou ◽  
David Trumper ◽  
Ronald B. Campbell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Solar Power ◽  
Continuous Production ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Mixing Enhancement ◽  
Concentrated Solar Power ◽  
Solar Salt ◽  
On Demand

A new concept of Thermal Energy Storage (TES) system based on current available technologies is being developed under the framework of the Masdar Institute (MI) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) collaborative Flagship Program. The key feature of this concept lies on concentrating sun light directly on the molten salt storage tank, avoiding the necessity of pumping the salts to the top of a tower thereby avoiding thermal losses and pumping and electric tracing needs inherent in most conventional CSP plants. This Concentrated Solar Power on Demand (CSPonD) volumetric receiver/TES unit prototype will be tested in the existing MI heliostat field and beam down tower in Abu Dhabi (UAE) which will collect and redirect solar energy to an upwards-facing final optical element (FOE). These energy will be concentrated on the aperture of the prototype designed to store 400 kWh of energy allowing 16 hours of continuous production after sunset using Solar Salt (60%NaNO3 + 40%KNO3) as storage material. The tank is divided in two volumes: one cold in the bottom region, where Solar Salt is at 250 °C and another hot on the upper region, at 550 °C. A moving divider plate with active control separates both volumes. The plate includes mixing enhancement features to help with convection on the hot volume of salts. It’s expected that results will demonstrate the technical feasibility and economic viability of this concept allowing its scale up at commercial size.

scholarly journals An Analysis of the Effect of Molten Salt Thermal Storage on Parabolic Trough Concentrated Solar Power Plant Efficiency

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 3-13
Author(s):  
Christopher Hickin ◽  
Henry Li ◽  
Sharnan Kemp
Keyword(s):  
Solar Energy ◽  
Theoretical Analysis ◽  
Molten Salt ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Solar Power ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Operating Time ◽  
Concentrated Solar Power ◽  
Parabolic Trough ◽  
Temperature Range

In the development of renewable energy sources, there has been a trend toward increasing and stabilising the power output of Concentrated Solar Power Plants (CSPPs) during times of reduced solar resource through the use of Thermal Energy Storage Devices (TESDs). This study investigates whether the use of a molten salt TESD decreases the efficiency of a parabolic trough CSPP due to additional system energy losses despite prolonging the operational time of the CSPP. A theoretical analysis of a simplified CSPP was made to determine if a TESD would impact the efficiency of the CSPP. This was followed up by a survey of currently active parabolic trough CSPPs both with and without molten salt TESDs. The theoretical analysis illustrated that a TESD would have no effect on the efficiency of a CSPP. However, the survey revealed that the use of a TESD improved the efficiency of a CSPP. The results of the study don't support the theoretical analysis or the hypothesis suggesting that a property has been overlooked. This property is most likely to be that generators tend to operate best within a certain temperature range, and in a CSPP the optimum temperature range cannot be maintained. This results in a generator being selected capable of operating for the longest period with the lowest amount of excess solar energy. When a TESD is implemented, the excess solar energy is stored for later use, prolonging the generator's running time and increasing the useable energy. The realisation of the ability of a TESD to increase the efficiency of a CSPP as well as extending its operating time shows a promising area of development in CSPP technology and increasing its application in electricity generation.

Use of Silica Coated Zinc Nanoparticles for Enhancement in Thermal Properties of Carbonate Eutectic Salt for Concentrated Solar Power Plants

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Syed Muhammad Mujtaba Rizvi ◽  
Yousof Nayfeh ◽  
Baha El Far ◽  
Donghyun Shin
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Thermal Properties ◽  
Molten Salts ◽  
Solar Power ◽  
Heat Storage ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Thermal Storage ◽  
Transfer System ◽  
Concentrated Solar Power ◽  
Zinc Nanoparticles

Abstract Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) is one of the most efficient mega-scale renewable Energy sources. However, the overall cost of energy production is not viable for commercial usage and supplanting with fossil fuels or energy produced by nuclear ways. Its operational cost mainly lies in the electrical and thermal systems of the plant. The thermal system comprises of heat storage and heat transfer system. Any enhancement to heat storage or transfer system will directly reduce the cost of operation and increase the yield. Conventionally, oils stable up to 400C were used to transfer and store heat, however more recently, molten salts have been operational in the field for purpose of heat transfer but still, their thermal storage and conduction are limited. The current work explores the possibility of boosting the thermal storage capacity of molten salts through the latent heat of added phase change materials and increasing the specific heat at the same time by adding silica encapsulated zinc nanoparticles. We studied the advantage of adding coated Zn nano-sized particles to carbonate eutectic mixture for enhanced thermal energy storage and heat capacity enhancement. Zinc particles (40nm–60nm) obtained from the commercial sources were coated with silica shells using the solgel process under alkaline conditions. The nano-capsules were then dispersed in a mixture of carbonate salts. A differential scanning calorimeter was employed to characterize the thermal properties of the mixture. Tranmission electron miocroscopy was employed to characterize nanoparticles and electron diffraction Spectroscopy was performed to characterize materials and strcutures involved.

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