Materials selection for thermal energy storage systems in parabolic trough collector solar facilities using high chloride content nitrate salts
Author/s
Ruiz-Cabañas, F. Javier; Prieto, Cristina; Madina, Virginia; Fernández, A. Inés; Cabeza, Luisa F.Date
2017-04Keywords
Corrosion
Carbon steel
A516 Gr70
Solar salts
Chlorides
Thermal energy storage (TES)
Abstract
The increasing role of concentrated solar power (CSP) within the renewable energy portfolio is attributed to the possibility of integrating thermal energy storage (TES) systems. Then, CSP technology has become one of the most interesting clean options to deliver dispatchable power on demand. Nowadays, commercial facilities use high quality solar salts (60%:40% NaNO3 and KNO3 by weight) as storage medium due to the attractive properties of this fluid to be applied under CSP operation conditions. Taking into account that CSP installations are designed with really large TES systems containing tens of thousands of tons, the use of lower quality nitrates salts would reduce the molten salts inventory cost and finally the investment cost of the CSP storage systems at commercial scale. The most important drawback of selecting low quality nitrates salts for high temperature CSP applications is the corrosion impact produced by impurities. Accordingly, chlorides have been identified in the state ...
Type
journal article