Preparation and Characterization of Andalusite Ceramic Used for Solar Thermal Power Generation

High-temperature thermal storage material is one of the critical materials of solar thermal power generation system. Andalusite, kaolin, talc, γ-Al2O3 and partially stabilized zireonia were used as the raw materials, and in-situ synthesis of cordierite was adopted to fabricate thermal storage material for solar thermal power generation via pressureless sintering. The phase compositions, microstructures and thermal shock resistances of the sintered samples were analyzed by XRD, SEM and EDS, and the corresponding mechanical properties were measured. The results show that the major phases of the samples are mullite and zirconium silicate, and the pores distribute uniformly. After being sintered at 1 460℃C, A4 sample exhibits a better mechanical performance and thermal shock resistance, its loss rate of bending strength after 30 cycles thermal shock is 3.04%, the bulk density and bending strength are 2.86 g.cm^-3 and 139.66 MPa, respectively. The better thermal shock resistance of the sample is closely related to the effect of zirconium silicate, such as its uniform distribution, nested growth with mullite, low thermal expansion coefficient, high thermal conductivity, etc. This ceramic can be widely used as one of potential thermal storage materials of solar thermal power generation system.

In-Situ Preparation and Thermal Shock Resistance of Mullite-Cordierite Heat Tube Material for Solar Thermal Power

In order to improve the thermal shock resistance of solar thermal heat transfer tube material, the mullite-cordierite composite ceramic as solar thermal heat transfer tube material were fabricated by pressureless sintering using a-Al203, Suzhou kaolin, talc, and feldspar as starting materials. The important parameter for solar thermal transfer tube such as water absorption （W）, bulk density （Db）, and the mechanical properties were investigated. The phase composition and microstructure of the composite ceramics were analyzed by XRD and SEM. The experimental results show that the B3 sintered at 1 300 ℃ and holding for 3 h has an optimum thermal shock resistance. The bending strength loss rate of B3 is only 2% at 1 100℃ by air quenching-strength test and the sample can endure 30 times thermal shock cycling, and the water absorption, the bulk density and the bending strength are 0.32%, 2.58 g·cm-3, and 125.59 MPa respectively. The XRD analysis indicated that the phase compositions of the sample were mullite, cordierite, corundum, and spinel. The SEM images illustrate that the cordierite is prismatic grain and the mullite is nano rod, showing a good thermal shock resistance for composite ceramics as potential solar thermal power material.

Operation Strategy Analysis and Configuration Optimization of Solar CCHP System

This paper proposed a new type of combined cooling heating and power(CCHP)system,including the parabolic trough solar thermal(PTST)power generation and gas turbine power generation.The thermal energy storage subsystem in the PTST unit provides both thermal energy and electrical energy.Based on the life cycle method,the configuration optimization under eight operation strategies is studied with the economy,energy,and environment indicators.The eight operation strategies include FEL,FEL-EC,FEL-TES,FEL-TES&EC,FTL,FTL-EC,FTL-TES,and FTL-TES&EC.The feasibility of each strategy is verified by taking a residential building cluster as an example.The indicators under the optimal configuration of each strategy are compared with that of the separate production(SP)system.The results showed that the PTST-CCHP system improves the environment and energy performance by changing the ratio of thermal energy and electric energy.The environment and energy indicators of FEL-TES&EC are superior to those of FTL-TES&EC in summer,and the results are just the opposite in winter.The initial annual investment of the PTST-CCHP system is higher than that of the SP system,but its economic performance is better than that of the SP system with the increase of life-cycle.

Structural Optimization of the Inlet Header of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Printed Circuit Board Heat Exchanger

Supercritical carbon dioxide printed circuit board heat exchangers are expected to be applied in third-generation solar thermal power generation.However,the uniformity of supercritical carbon dioxide entering the heat exchanger has a significant impact on the overall performance of the heat exchanger.In order to improve the uniformity of flow distribution in the inlet header,this article studies and optimizes the inlet header of a printed circuit board heat exchanger through numerical simulation.The results indicate that when supercritical carbon dioxide flows through the header cavity,eddy currents will be generated,which will increase the uneven distribution of flow rate,while reducing the generation of eddy currents will improve the uniform distribution of flow rate.When the dimensionless factor of the inlet header is 6,the hyperbolic configuration is the optimal structure.We also reduced the eddy current region by adding transition segments,and the results showed that the structure was the best when the dilation angle was 10°,which reduced the non-uniformity by 21%compared to the hyperbolic configuration,providing guidance for engineering practice.

Numerical Study on Heat Transfer and Frictional Resistance of Two Types of Molten Salts in Straight Channels and Supercritical Carbon Dioxide in Airfoil Channels

Molten salt and supercritical carbon dioxide(sCO_(2))are considered to be one of the most promising combined heat transfer refrigerants for third-generation solar thermal power generation.To evaluate the potential of chloride salts and carbonates in third-generation solar thermal power generation,this paper uses molten salts and sCO_(2)as the working media of printed circuit board heat exchangers(PCHE),and uses numerical simulation to study the heat transfer and friction of PCHE channels with different molten salts and sCO_(2),and establishes predictive correlations respectively.A local heat transfer and friction study was conducted on the sCO_(2)side of the airfoil channel,and it was found that the inlet mass flow rate has a significant impact on it,while the inlet temperature has a relatively small impact.A comprehensive comparison was made between the heat transfer and friction of two molten salts,and the comprehensive performance of chloride salts was 70%-80%higher than that of carbonates.The results indicate that the potential of chloride salts in third-generation solar thermal power generation is much greater than that of carbonates.