Technical and Economic Feasibility of Molten Chloride Salt Thermal Energy Storage Systems

Samuel Gage; Devon Kesseli; Jacob Dupree; Chase Kimbal; Joe Rigby; James Yates; Brad Morrison; Gordon Bigham; Craig Turchi

doi:10.1016/j.solmat.2021.111099

Technical and Economic Feasibility of Molten Chloride Salt Thermal Energy Storage Systems

Samuel Gage, Devon Kesseli, Jacob Dupree, Chase Kimbal, Joe Rigby, James Yates, Brad Morrison, Gordon Bigham, Craig Turchi

Center for Energy Conversion and Storage Systems

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

16 Scopus Citations

Abstract

A techno-economic study is performed to assess the feasibility of molten chloride salt thermal energy storage (TES) systems for next generation concentrating solar power. Refractory liners internally insulate tanks to allow tank shells to be constructed from carbon steel. The liner must not be wetted by salt to maintain predictable thermal properties and manageable heat loss out of the tank. The commercial scale tank liner is an anchored brick and mortar design with expansion joints to accommodate thermal expansion. Finite element analysis is performed to optimize the thermal and mechanical profile of the tank. Equalizing the shell temperature between the water-cooled foundation and the shell wall is necessary to minimize differential thermomechanical stress and lower overall stress values below industrial allowable limits. The cost of the TES system is estimated to be $60/kWh_th, which is four times greater than Department of Energy targets. Solutions to reduce system cost and overall risk are proposed.

Original language	American English
Article number	Article No. 111099
Number of pages	8
Journal	Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells
Volume	226
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2021.111099 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2021.111099
State	Published - 1 Jul 2021

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier B.V.

NREL Publication Number

NREL/JA-5700-77891

Keywords

Commercial scale TES tank design
Finite element analysis
Gen3 CSP Liquid pathway
Molten chloride salts
Techno-economic analysis

UN SDGs

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Gage, S., Kesseli, D., Dupree, J., Kimbal, C., Rigby, J., Yates, J., Morrison, B., Bigham, G., & Turchi, C. (2021). Technical and Economic Feasibility of Molten Chloride Salt Thermal Energy Storage Systems. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 226, Article Article No. 111099. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2021.111099, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2021.111099

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abstract = "A techno-economic study is performed to assess the feasibility of molten chloride salt thermal energy storage (TES) systems for next generation concentrating solar power. Refractory liners internally insulate tanks to allow tank shells to be constructed from carbon steel. The liner must not be wetted by salt to maintain predictable thermal properties and manageable heat loss out of the tank. The commercial scale tank liner is an anchored brick and mortar design with expansion joints to accommodate thermal expansion. Finite element analysis is performed to optimize the thermal and mechanical profile of the tank. Equalizing the shell temperature between the water-cooled foundation and the shell wall is necessary to minimize differential thermomechanical stress and lower overall stress values below industrial allowable limits. The cost of the TES system is estimated to be $60/kWhth, which is four times greater than Department of Energy targets. Solutions to reduce system cost and overall risk are proposed.",

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AU - Gage, Samuel

AU - Kesseli, Devon

AU - Dupree, Jacob

AU - Kimbal, Chase

AU - Rigby, Joe

AU - Yates, James

AU - Morrison, Brad

AU - Bigham, Gordon

AU - Turchi, Craig

PY - 2021/7/1

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AB - A techno-economic study is performed to assess the feasibility of molten chloride salt thermal energy storage (TES) systems for next generation concentrating solar power. Refractory liners internally insulate tanks to allow tank shells to be constructed from carbon steel. The liner must not be wetted by salt to maintain predictable thermal properties and manageable heat loss out of the tank. The commercial scale tank liner is an anchored brick and mortar design with expansion joints to accommodate thermal expansion. Finite element analysis is performed to optimize the thermal and mechanical profile of the tank. Equalizing the shell temperature between the water-cooled foundation and the shell wall is necessary to minimize differential thermomechanical stress and lower overall stress values below industrial allowable limits. The cost of the TES system is estimated to be $60/kWhth, which is four times greater than Department of Energy targets. Solutions to reduce system cost and overall risk are proposed.

KW - Commercial scale TES tank design

KW - Finite element analysis

KW - Gen3 CSP Liquid pathway

KW - Molten chloride salts

KW - Techno-economic analysis

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M1 - Article No. 111099

ER -

Technical and Economic Feasibility of Molten Chloride Salt Thermal Energy Storage Systems

Abstract

Bibliographical note

NREL Publication Number

Keywords

UN SDGs

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