Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
Energy storage is vital for on-demand electricity generation from renewable sources like wind and solar. Besides employing batteries, retrofitting conventional fossil-fired power plants with thermal energy storage might present a highly cost-effective solution. State-of-the-art molten salt storage systems currently operate at a maximum temperature of 565 °C. At a higher permanent temperature, nitrate salts start to decompose. The actual wall temperatures of power components for heating, such as solar receivers and electrical heaters, may exceed temperature limits. To date, there is no clear threshold identified up to which heating surfaces in contact with nitrate salt can be operated without leading to the degradation of the salt, which is inevitably followed by increased corrosivity. In this study, possible mechanisms affecting the maximum permissible wall temperature of heating surfaces are identified. The local production of oxygen and nitrite at hot surfaces and its accumulation in the entire system is looked at in an experiment with 9.3 kg of nitrate salt. The effect of high wall temperatures on the evolution of oxygen and nitrite content over time is monitored and analyzed. Parametric studies with an experimentally validated physical model focusing on the nitrate/nitrite equilibrium reveal major influencing factors, with wall temperatures significantly exceeding current design limits. These findings potentially allow for more compact and cost-effective heating components. This work supports the advancement of high-temperature thermal energy storage systems essential for the scalability and economic competitiveness of renewable energy infrastructure.
Building similarity graph...
Analyzing shared references across papers
Loading...
Thomas Bauer
Energies
Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (DLR)
Building similarity graph...
Analyzing shared references across papers
Loading...
Thomas Bauer (Sun,) studied this question.
www.synapsesocial.com/papers/69402c6e2d562116f290341e — DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/en18236308