The crescent dunes concentrating solar power plant in nevada uses molten salt technology to store heat and generate electricity and can provide power to 75,000 homes during peak operations. A molten salt reactor msr is a class of nuclear fission reactor in which the primary nuclear reactor coolant andor the fuel is a molten salt mixture. Thorcon the doable molten salt reactor executive summary jack devanney. Molten salt is more economically viable than other htfs, such as mineral oil 19, 20. New solar plant uses molten salt to store energy springwise. Successful operation of the converted plant, called solar two, will reduce economic risks in building. With almost no reduction in operating efficiency and low capital costs per kilowatthour compared to other solar energy storage system solutions. Most molten salt design require highly enriched lithium7, which is not currently available in anything. Molten salt circulation pumps circulate the primary heat transfer fluid molten salt through the solar receiver to heat it up and to either feed the solar steam generator, store the energy during the high sun radiation hours cold salt pumps, or deliver it after the sunset hot salt pumps. Author links open overlay panel qiang peng a xiaoxi yang a c jing.
Design of new molten salt thermal energy storage material for solar thermal power plant. Molten salt energy storage man molten salt energy storage mosas uses salt as a storage medium. Nevadas new molten salt solar plant will produce power. The aurora plant solves this problem by using molten salt to store power. The technology was developed in the 90s by the sandia national laboratories 18. Concentrating solar power and thermal energy storage. This kind of solar energy operates by using curved mirrors to focus incoming solar energy on a single tower, in the form of heat. Molten salt offers a way to store large amounts of heat with relatively small volumes of fluid helping stabilise the supply of power from intermittent sources like solar. The inclusion of thermal energy storage is viewed as an essential aspect to the commercial viability of csp plants in the u. The cost model provides a reference plant that interfaces with nrels system advisor model or sam.
Molten salt storage in concentrated solar power plants could meet the electricityondemand role of coal and gas, allowing more old, fossil fuel plants to retire. Nowadays many scientific and technological efforts are being devoted to research and development on thermal energy storage for solar power plants. Molten salt thermal energy storage materials for solar power generation ramana g. Recently several new heat transfer fluids htf have been proposed and analyzed with the aim of reducing the levelized costs of electricity lcoe of parabolic trough power plants. Moir and edward teller lawrence livermore national laboratory, p. Similarly watercooled silo liners have been successfully employed in many nuclear reactor systems. One power tower pilot plant to molten nitrate salt technology.
With extensive turnkey power plant and equipment experience, ge renewable. Pdf solar thermal energy with moltensalt storage for. Solar thermal energy with moltensalt storage for residential heating application. Since molten saltbased power plants were designed from the ground up for base load generation, they address these storage problems. Could nextgen reactors spark revival in nuclear power. Technology next generation molten salt reactor msr proprietary msr design the integral molten salt reactor imsr high technology readiness conducting basicpreliminary engineering work concludes with construction and licensing of the. Hybrid electricalthermal hydrogen production process integrated with a molten salt reactor nuclear power plant. Design of new molten salt thermal energy storage material. This paper presents an optimal design procedure for internally insulated, carbon steel, molten salt thermal storage tanks for parabolic trough solar power plants. Neither the united states nor atomic energy commission, nor any of their employees, nor any of. The power plant, also called the super mirror power plant, works by using 12,000 mirrors that concentrate the sunlight onto a receiver at the top of a solar tower, which then heats the molten salt.
Pdf twotank molten salt storage for parabolic trough. Since molten salt based power plants were designed from the ground up for base load generation, they address these storage problems. Molten salt power tower cost model for the system advisor. Canadas terrestrial energy succeeded at the canadian nuclear safety commission in the next step to licensing their advanced nuclear integral molten salt. A molten salt inertial fusion energy power plant designfinal report. Molten salt reactors represent the future of nuclear energy on the basis of being clean, safe and costeffective means of meeting increased energy demands on a sustainable basis. Department of energy solar energy technologies office seto supports earlystage. Crescent dunes was the first concentrated solar power csp plant with a central receiver tower and advanced molten salt energy storage technology from solarreserve.
This thermal storage is commonly used in molten salt power plants. Nitrate salts decompose above 600620c chlorides and carbonates are good candidates. Fluoride chemistry under 5% leu oncethrough fuel cycle thermal spectrum graphite moderator integral core architecture. Box 808, l637 livermore, california 94551 received august 9, 2004 accepted for publication december 30, 2004. Molten nitrate salt development for thermal energy storage in parabolic trough solar power systems robert w. Hybrid electricalthermal hydrogen production process. Which of the three concept leads to the highest electricity generation for a given fusion power remains to be seen. In addition, overall cost for the technology must continue to decline to be competitive with alternative generation methods. Sep 17, 2009 this paper presents an optimal design procedure for internally insulated, carbon steel, molten salt thermal storage tanks for parabolic trough solar power plants. Solar thermal energy with molten salt storage for residential heating application.
If a molten salt reactor loses electric power as happened at the fukushima plant following the tsunami, the fuel automatically drains into an auxiliary tank and freezes solid in a few hours. This month, the italian utility enel unveiled archimede, the first concentrating solar power csp plant in the world to use molten salts for heat transfer and storage, and the first to be fully. Nov 10, 2017 canadas terrestrial energy succeeded at the canadian nuclear safety commission in the next step to licensing their advanced nuclear integral molten salt reactor. Concentrating solar power csp technologies are seen as the solar programs most attractive option for. A moltensalt inertial fusion energy power plant designfinal report. A successful nuclear step for new molten salt reactors. The exact size of the vessel and insulation layers and the shape of the roof are optimized by minimizing the total investment cost of the storage system under three technical. To begin with, liquid salt is pumped through panels or electric heaters where it is heated up to 570 c. The salt is typically a blend of sodium and potassium nitrate, which are ingredients sold commercially as fertilizer.
The steam is then used to power a conventional steam turbine, generating electricity step 4. In general, a nuclear reactor is a key device of nuclear power plants, nuclear research facilities or nuclear propelled ships. Nevadas new molten salt solar plant will be run by rocket scientists from pratt and whitney. Molten salt heated steam generators are also proven technology, with recent and very successful experience in advanced, largescale, salt cooled concentrated solar power csp projects. Domestic material content in moltensalt concentrating. W7405erg26 a new approach to the design of steam generators for molten salt reactor power plants a. The paper discusses the possibilities for the use of molten salts as storage in modern csp plants. The worlds first molten salt concentrating solar power plant. Terry murphy who is the president of solarreserve says, molten salt is the secret sauce. Engineers from rocketdyne are instrumental in developing this technology. An existing simulation model at fraunhofer ise has been adapted to. Briggs oak ridge national laboratory, oak ridge, tennessee 37830 received august 4, 1969 revised october 10, 1969 moltensalt breeder reactors msbrs are being developed by the oak ridge national laboratory for generating lowcost power while. Candidate molten salt blankets, conclusions continued achievable ms exit temperature highest for dc concept with lead multiplier t 700c and lower for the two cases with be multiplier 650c.
This power plant will consume molten salt, water, suns heat and rocket science to generate electricity. Molten salt circulation pump for heliostat central tower with molten salt and heat storage. Molten salt heated steam generators are also proven technology, with recent and very successful experience in advanced, largescale, saltcooled concentrated solar power csp projects. News image with the worlds need for energy continuing to grow, engineers are looking for solutions that not only increase the efficiency of power generation solutions, but. Pdf molten salt tower technology is successful due to its advantage on high operation temperature and nonintermittence electricity production. High temperature molten salt loop schematic with potential surface and fluid temperatures. Power steam cycle rankine as it was mentioned, the power plant operates at 25 mwe. In such a plant, molten salt is used as the htf, hence the name.
Molten salt thermal energy storage materials for solar. Concentrating solar power provides utilityscale electricity and energy storage thermal energy storage options sensible heat storage molten salt, particles latent heat storage thermochemical storage cost of csp with storage is currently cheaper than photovoltaics with largescale battery storage. Model results for a 50 mwe power plant are presented and compared to real data from an equivalent. A new hot salt pump has been developed for molten salt solar power tower applications that will reduce the capital cost of the plant, eliminate many of the piping, valve and sump problems. A commonly used thermal salt is the eutectic mixture of 60% sodium nitrate and 40% potassium nitrate, which can be. Molten salt a boost for solar power generation engineers. Siegel sandia national laboratories, po box 969 livermore, ca 94551, usa and sandia national laboratories, po box 5800 albuquerque, new mexico 87185, usa abstract.
At the end, a heat storage system two tanks of molten salt has been taken into account to improve the operating hours of the power plant. Design of a 25 mwe solar thermal power plant in iran with. Technology next generation molten salt reactor msr proprietary msr design the integral molten salt reactor imsr high technology readiness conducting basicpreliminary engineering work concludes with construction and licensing of the first commercial imsr power plant 400 mwth reactor. During the day, the plant will use more than 10,000 large tracking mirrors, called heliostats, spread over a 4square mile area, to collect and concentrate the suns rays onto a large heat exchanger atop a 500foot tower. Molten salt storage in concentrated solar power plants could meet the. After exiting the steam generator, the molten salt is sent to the cold salt thermal storage tank step 5 and the cycle is repeated. Most common nuclear reactors are light water reactors lwr, that are based on the uranium fuel cycle and use an enriched uranium fuel 4% of u235 as a. Concentrated solar power plants with molten salt storage. Molten salt storage in concentrated solar power plants could meet the electricityondemand role of coal and gas. Identifying solar field parameters at the design point 2. The salt is a combination of sodium and potassium nitrate, with a melting temperature of 460f. Benefits at a glance makes fluctuating renewable energy dispatchable longterm storage of renewable energy decarbonized power generation retrofitting of thermal power plants, e.
First molten salt solar thermal power plant runs at full. Imsr400 main heat transport path for power generation the imsr uses molten fluoride salt, a highly stable, inert liquid with robust coolant properties and high intrinsic radionuclide retention properties, for its primary fuel salt. Waas i this report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by the united states government. Companies such as solarreserve have championed the use of molten salt in solar thermal projects. Assessment of molten salt blankets for power plants. Jul 22, 2010 this month, the italian utility enel unveiled archimede, the first concentrating solar power csp plant in the world to use molten salts for heat transfer and storage, and the first to be fully. Molten salt makes it possible, and prices are falling fast. Optimal design of a molten salt thermal storage tank for. Main purpose of the nuclear reactor is to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction. In a moltensalt power tower, salt at about 290c is pumped from a cold storage tank to a receiver, where concentrated sunlight from the heliostat field heats the salt to about 565c.
Details of the life cycle assessment have been published elsewhere 1. Molten salt is the most common fluid medium used in concentrated solar thermal plants. Concentrated solar power plants belong to the category of clean sources of renewable energy. Abundant use of fossil fuels to meet ever increasing global energy demand has put question marks upon. Besides increasing efficiency, it may also shift their area of application. Molten nitrate salt development for thermal energy storage. Hybrid electricalthermal hydrogen production process integrated with a molten salt reactor nuclear power plant author. Molten salt csps seem to be the most promising regarding both economic and technical factors.
Msrs offer multiple advantages over conventional nuclear power plants, although for historical reasons they have not been deployed the concept was first established in the 1950s. A comparison of supercritical carbon dioxide power cycle configurations with an emphasis on csp applications. Molten salts fluoride, chloride, and nitrate can also be used as heat transfer fluids as well as for thermal storage. Thermal energy storage enables power generation on cloudy days, or long after sunset. Department of metallurgical and materials engineering, the university of alabama, tuscaloosa, al 354870202, usa. The salt is a combination of sodium and potassium nitrate, with a. For comparison, a 200 mw csp molten salt plant has an installed cost of energy storage at 30 eurkwh, while the storage system lifetime is estimated at 30 years. The crescent dunes solar energy project is a 110 megawatt mw net solar thermal power project with 1. The userdefined power cycle option is available as part of the physical trough, molten salt power tower, and molten salt linear fresnel csp models in sam. The conversion involves installation of a new receiver, a new thermal storage system, and a new steam generator.
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