Research progress on protective coatings against molten nitrate salts for thermal energy storage in concentrating solar power plants

Concentrating solar power(CSP) has garnered considerable global attention as a reliable means of generating bulk electricity, effectively addressing the intermittent nature of solar resources.The integration of molten salt technology for thermal energy storage(TES) has further contributed to the growth of CSP plants;however, the corrosive nature of molten salts poses challenges to the durability of container materials, necessitating innovative corrosion mitigation strategies.This review summarizes scientific advancements in high-temperature anticorrosion coatings for molten nitrate salts, highlighting the key challenges and future trends.It also explores various coating types, including metallic, ceramic, and carbon-based coatings, and compares different coating deposition methods.This review emphasizes the need for durable coatings that meet long-term performance requirements and regulatory limitations, with an emphasis on carbon-based coatings and emerging nanomaterials.A combination of multiple coatings is required to achieve desirable anticorrosion properties while addressing material compatibility and cost considerations.The overall goal is to advance the manufacturing, assembly, and performance of CSP systems for increased efficiency, reliability, and durability in various applications.

A power plant for integrated waste energy recovery from liquid air energy storage and liquefied natural gas

Liquefied natural gas(LNG)is regarded as one of the cleanest fossil fuel and has experienced significant developments in recent years.The liquefaction process of natural gas is energy-intensive,while the regasification of LNG gives out a huge amount of waste energy since plenty of high grade cold energy(-160℃)from LNG is released to sea water directly in most cases,and also sometimes LNG is burned for regasification.On the other hand,liquid air energy storage(LAES)is an emerging energy storage technology for applications such as peak load shifting of power grids,which generates 30%-40%of compression heat(-200℃).Such heat could lead to energy waste if not recovered and used.The recovery of the compression heat is technically feasible but requires additional capital investment,which may not always be economically attractive.Therefore,we propose a power plant for recovering the waste cryogenic energy from LNG regasification and compression heat from the LAES.The challenge for such a power plant is the wide working temperature range between the low-temperature exergy source(-160℃)and heat source(-200℃).Nitrogen and argon are proposed as the working fluids to address the challenge.Thermodynamic analyses are carried out and the results show that the power plant could achieve a thermal efficiency of 27%and 19%and an exergy efficiency of 40%and 28%for nitrogen and argon,respectively.Here,with the nitrogen as working fluid undergoes a complete Brayton Cycle,while the argon based power plant goes through a combined Brayton and Rankine Cycle.Besides,the economic analysis shows that the payback period of this proposed system is only 2.2 years,utilizing the excess heat from a 5 MW/40 MWh LAES system.The findings suggest that the waste energy based power plant could be co-located with the LNG terminal and LAES plant,providing additional power output and reducing energy waste.

Molten Salts and Applications Ⅱ: 565℃ Molten Salt Solar Energy Storage Design, Corrosion, and Insulation

Excess energy from various sources can be stored in molten salts (MS) in the 565 °C range. Large containers can be used to store energy at excess temperatures in order to generate eight hours or more of electricity, depending on the container size, to be used during peak demand hours or at night for up to a week. Energy storage allows for a stable diurnal energy supply and can reduce the fluctuation due to weather conditions experienced at thermal solar power stations. Supported by Office of Naval Research (ONR), this paper discusses the design considerations for molten salt storage tanks. An optimal molten salt storage tank design layout is presented, as well as alternative designs for the storage tanks. In addition, the costs and corrosion effects of various molten salts are discussed in order to show the effects these considerations have on the design process.

Molten Salts and Applications Ⅲ: Worldwide Molten Salt Technology Developments in Energy Production and Storage

Supported by Office of Naval Research (ONR), this paper presents a survey of molten salt technology used in solar power storage. Excess energy from solar power stations and other baseline power production methods can be stored in molten salts (MS) in the 565°C range, therefore allowing the use of large containers to store energy for up to a week and generate eight hours of electricity or more to be used during peak demand hours, at night, or adverse weather conditions, depending on the container size. The technology could also be used to conserve the spin off energy in the grids from nuclear or coal power production. Real life examples of concentrating solar power (CSP) plants, both domestically and worldwide, are presented with details about the type of solar collection, capacity, and energy production. Commercial solar power stations have been constructed in the United States and overseas, particularly in Spain, with molten salt being considered for use in these facilities. Some facilities use a field of flat mirrors and collection towers while others use parabolic troughs.

Battery Energy Storage System and Demand Response Based Optimal Virtual Power Plant Operation

With certain controllability of various distribution energy resources (DERs) such as battery energy storage system (BESS), demand response (DR) and distributed generations (DGs), virtual power plant (VPP) can suitably regulate the powers access to the distribution network. In this paper, an optimal VPP operating problem is used to optimize the charging/discharging schedule of each BESS and the DR scheme with the objective to maximize the benefit by regulating the supplied powers over daily 24 hours. The proposed solution method is composed of an iterative dynamic programming optimal BESS schedule approach and a particle swarm optimization based (PSO-based) DR scheme approach. The two approaches are executed alternatively until the minimum elec-tricity cost of the whole day is obtained. The validity of the proposed method was confirmed with the obviously decreased supplied powers in the peak-load hours and the largely reduced electricity cost.

Electrochemical Lithium Storage Performance of Molten Salt Derived V_(2)SnC MAX Phase

MAX phases are gaining attention as precursors of two-dimensional MXenes that are intensively pursued in applications for electrochemical energy storage.Here,we report the preparation of V_(2)SnC MAX phase by the molten salt method.V_(2)SnC is investigated as a lithium storage anode,showing a high gravimetric capacity of 490 mAh g−1 and volumetric capacity of 570 mAh cm^(−3) as well as superior rate performance of 95 mAh g^(−1)(110 mAh cm^(−3))at 50 C,surpassing the ever-reported performance of MAX phase anodes.Sup-ported by operando X-ray diffraction and density functional theory,a charge storage mechanism with dual redox reaction is proposed with a Sn-Li(de)alloying reaction that occurs at the edge sites of V_(2)SnC particles where Sn atoms are exposed to the electrolyte followed by a redox reaction that occurs at V_(2)C layers with Li.This study offers promise of using MAX phases with M-site and A-site elements that are redox active as high-rate lithium storage materials.

Comprehensive Molten Salt Storage Shell and Supporting Structure Design and Analysis-Part I:A Conductive and Convective Theoretical Heat Transfer Analysis for Molten Salt Cylindrical Shells at 565℃ and 700℃

In this paper a full theoretical thermal analysis of a large molten salt container,80-foot in diameter and 46-foot high,including a four-foot elliptic shell roof,is presented for two temperatures,the standard 565℃ and a futuristic 700℃,which substantially improves the efficiency of the molten salt containers through the use of a highly stable chloride salt called SS700(SaltStream 700).The theoretical analysis includes conductive and convective heat transfer analysis in the steel container,elliptic roof shell,the fiberglass insulation,and firebrick insulation,and includes thermal insulation designs to safeguard against energy losses at high temperatures.The underlying soil and the high temperature concrete foundation were analyzed theoretically using conductive heat transfer,however the area surrounding the soil surface around the bottom of the molten salt storage tank had convective heat transfer analysis included.The final designs presented in this paper seek to limit heat losses to a maximum of 250 W/m^(2) while being able to operate at a minimum external ambient temperature of-10℃,which determines the thicknesses of the fiberglass and firebrick insulation.

Comprehensive Molten Salt Storage Shell and Supporting Structure Design and Analysis-Part II:A Conductive and Convective Numerical Finite Element Heat Transfer Analysis for Molten Salt Cylindrical Shells at 700℃,and Comparison with Theoretical Analysis

In this paper a finite element thermal analysis model-using COMSOL-of a large molten salt container,80-foot in diameter and 46-foot high that includes a four-foot elliptic shell roof,is presented for a futuristic 700℃ design,which uses a highly stable chloride salt called SS700(SaltStream 700)that improves the efficiency of the tank when compared to the traditional 565℃.The FEA(finite element analysis)includes conductive and convective heat transfer analysis in the steel container,elliptic roof shell,the fiberglass insulation,and firebrick insulation,and includes thermal insulation designs to safeguard against energy losses at high temperatures.The underlying soil and the high temperature concrete foundation were analyzed by finite element using conductive heat transfer,however the area surrounding the soil surface around the bottom of the MS storage tank had convective heat transfer analysis included.The finite elements analyses presented are to verify the final fiberglass and firebrick insulation designs,which seeks to limit heat losses to a maximum of 250 W/m^(2) while being able to operate at a minimum external ambient temperature of-10℃.These results are also compared to previously calculated theoretical results.

Test Facility for Low Potential Pumped Storage Power Plants and Hydrokinetic Turbines

The electric energy which is generated by wind power plants depends on the wind speed and exceeds with strong permissible wind speed the electric energy requirements of the country. In order not to reduce this electrical energy, it must be stored. The sensible energy storage is currently the pumped storage power plants. As the mountain ranges for conventional pumped storage power plants with drop heights of H 〉 600 m are strictly limited, the development of low potential pumped storage power plants has begun. Increasing the capacity of pumped storage power plants with regard to the wind power plants is urgently needed. In this paper, it is shown using the example of an unneeded port facility, how a port facility can be used after low conversion as a test facility for low potential pumped storage power plants and at the same time for the testing of hydro-kinetic turbines. This type of pump storage power plants does not save the energy due to large drop heights, but primarily due to the large volume flow of water.

Present status of pumped hydro storage operations to mitigate renewable energy fluctuations in Japan

This paper focuses on pumped hydro energy storage(PHES)plants’current operations after electricity system reforms and variable renewable energy(VRE)installations in Japan.PHES plants have historically been developed to create electricity demand at night in order to operate base load power plants,such as nuclear power plants,in stable conditions.Therefore,many PHES plants are located midway between nuclear power plants and large demand areas.However,all nuclear power plants had to–at least temporarily–shut down after the Great East Japan Earthquake followed by a nuclear accident at Fukushima Daiichi in 2011,and renewable energy power plants have been deployed rapidly after the introduction of a feed-in-tariff(FIT)scheme.Therefore,PHES plants are being used to mitigate fluctuations of VRE,especially in areas where renewable energy has been significantly installed.The daily highest capacity ratio of PHES plants in Kyushu area has recorded three times higher than it in the other areas where the past operating mode is still conducted.But those operations on PHES plants are simply followed as a dispatch rule of the Organization for Crossregional Coordination of Transmission Operators(OCCTO),market-based operations have not been conducted enough yet.The market design shall be changed to harmonize VRE installation and PHES plants’operations are necessary to make the transition from the past operating mode of PHES plants across Japan.

Molten Salts and Applications Ⅰ: Molten Salt History, Types, Thermodynamic and Physical Properties, and Cost

Excess energy from solar, nuclear or coal power stations can be stored in molten salts (MS) in the 565 °C range. At elevated temperature, large containers can be used to store energy for up to a week and generate eight hours or more, depending on the container size, of electricity to be used at night or during peak demand hours. A stable diurnal energy supply is made available by energy storage and the fluctuation experienced at thermal solar power stations caused by weather conditions is reduced. Supported by Office of Naval Research (ONR), this paper presents a survey of molten salt properties used in solar power storage, as well as the history of molten salt usage for energy storage and production. The history of molten salt usage includes past, current, and future developments involving molten salt usage for nuclear and solar energy storage and production. Density, melting temperature, viscosity, electric conductivity, surface tension, and heat capacity of various molten salts are discussed. Since costs are important factor in selecting a molten salt compound, salts costs are presented. Recommendations are made regarding the efficient use of various types of molten salt.

Stability Enhancement of Small-Scale Power Grid with Renewable Power Sources by Variable Speed Diesel Power Plant

This paper proposes a power control method to improve a stability of a small-scale power grid with renewable energy sources. In an isolated small- scale power grid such as an island, diesel power plant is main power source which has an environmental burden and expensive running cost due to high priced fossil fuel. Thus, expanding installation of the renewable energy sources such as a wind power is strongly desirable. Such fluctuating energy sources, however, harm power quality of the small-scale power grid, and in addition, conventional power plant in the small-scale power grid cannot, in general, stabilize the grid system with such fluctuating power sources. In this study, Variable Speed Doubly-Fed Induction Generator (VS-DFIG) is proposed to be in-stalled at a diesel power plant instead of a conventional Fixed Speed Synchronous Generator (FS-SG), because quick control of a power balance in the small-scale power grid can be achieved by using the inertial energy of VS-DFIG. In addition, utilization of a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) is also considered to assist cooperatively the VS-DFIG control. As a result of the simulation analysis by using the proposed method, it is verified that frequency fluctuations due to renewable energy source can be effectively reduced by quick power control of the VS-DFIG compared to the conventional FS-SG, and further control ability can be obtained by utilizing BESS. Moreover, the transient stability of a small-scale power grid during a grid fault can also be enhanced.

Low-Carbon Dispatching for Virtual Power Plant with Aggregated Distributed Energy Storage Considering Spatiotemporal Distribution of Cleanness Value

The scale of distributed energy resources is increasing,but imperfect business models and value transmission mechanisms lead to low utilization ratio and poor responsiveness.To address this issue,the concept of cleanness value of distributed energy storage(DES)is proposed,and the spatiotemporal distribution mechanism is discussed from the perspectives of electrical energy and cleanness.Based on this,an evaluation system for the environmental benefits of DES is constructed to balance the interests between the aggregator and the power system operator.Then,an optimal low-carbon dispatching for a virtual power plant(VPP)with aggregated DES is constructed,where-in energy value and cleanness value are both considered.To achieve the goal,a green attribute labeling method is used to establish a correlation constraint between the nodal carbon potential of the distribution network(DN)and DES behavior,but as a cost,it brings multiple nonlinear relationships.Subsequently,a solution method based on the convex envelope(CE)linear re-construction method is proposed for the multivariate nonlinear programming problem,thereby improving solution efficiency and feasibility.Finally,the simulation verification based on the IEEE 33-bus DN is conducted.The simulation results show that the multidimensional value recognition of DES motivates the willingness of resource users to respond.Meanwhile,resolving the impact of DES on the nodal carbon potential can effectively alleviate overcompensation of the cleanness value.

Corrosion evaluation and resistance study of alloys in chloride salts for concentrating solar power plants

Thermal energy storage(TES)systems based on molten salt are widely used in concentrating solar power(CSP)plants.The investigation of the corrosion behavior of alloy materials in molten salt is crucial for the correct selection of alloy materials and the design of TES systems.In this study,the corrosion behavior of 304,310S,316,and In625 alloys in molten chloride salts(27 mol%NaCl-22 mol%KCl-51 mol%MgCl,)was investigated.The evolution of mass loss of the alloy samples with corrosion time and temperature and the analysis of the experimental results by scanning electron microscopy(SEM),energy dispersive spectrometer(EDS),and X-ray diffraction(XRD)revealed the corrosion mechanism of the alloy samples in molten chloride salts.The main factors affecting the corrosion of the alloy samples were further analyzed.It was found that the loose multi-layer corrosion was formed on the surface of the corroded alloy samples with the increase in corrosion degree.Moreover,the experimental results.showed that Mo played a positive role in improving the corrosion resistance of the alloy samples because the presence of Mo could inhibit the outward diffusion of alloying element Cr.This work enriches the molten salt corrosion database and provides a reference for the selection of alloy materials for TES systems with potential application in CSP plants.

Design and Operational Strategy Research for Temperature Control Systems of Isothermal Compressed Air Energy Storage Power Plants

Energy storage technology is critical for intelligent power grids. It has great significance for the large-scale integration of new energy sources into the power grid and the transition of the energy structure. Based on the existing technology of isothermal compressed air energy storage, this paper presents a design scheme of isothermal compressed air energy storage power station, which uses liquid to compress air, hydraulic piston to transfer potential energy, hydraulic turbine to generate electricity at constant pressure, and liquid occupancy to store the gas at constant pressure. Then the technical features and control strategies of its internal temperature control subsystem are studied, and the mathematical model is constructed. A hierarchical relay operation is put forward to address the actual construction and operational requirements of compressed air energy storage power plants. Finally, through physical platform experiments and MATLAB simulation, the feasibility of the design is validated.

Modeling and Energy Efficiency Analysis of Thermal Power Plant with High Temperature Thermal Energy Storage(HTTES)

This paper presents the recent research on the study of the strategies for the flexible operation of the thermal power plant to meet the requirement of load balance. The study aimed to investigate the feasibility of bringing the High Temperature Thermal Energy Storage(HTTES) to the thermal power plant steam-water cycle, to identify the suitable HTTES in the cold(hot) section of the reheating pipeline and to test the efficiency of the HTTES integration to increase the flexibility of peak shaving and energy efficiency via thermal power plant with HTTTES modelling and simulation. Thermoflex was adopted to perform the simulation and a 300 MW subcritical coal-fired power plant model was implemented onto the software platform. The simulation results show that it is feasible to extract steam from the steam turbine to charge the HTTES, and to discharge the stored thermal energy back to the power generation process, and to analyse the improved capability of the plant flexible operation with HTTES. Then the study was extended to analyse the effect of thermal energy temperature, the opening of the regulating valve, and the pipeline pressure loss aspects on thermal efficiency of the whole plant. The study is beneficial to achieve more economic operation of the thermal power plant with HTTES integration. It is concluded that the introduction of the HTTES can improve the consumption of wind power, and these ideas and methods for solving the energy consumption of the renewable energy and reducing the peak energy consumption are provided.

Increasing Coal-Fired Power Plant Operational Flexibility by Integrating Solar Thermal Energy and Compressed Air Energy Storage System

This paper proposed a novel integrated system with solar energy,thermal energy storage(TES),coal-fired power plant(CFPP),and compressed air energy storage(CAES)system to improve the operational flexibility of the CFPP.A portion of the solar energy is adopted for preheating the boiler’s feedwater,and another portion is stored in the TES for the CAES discharging process.Condensate water from the CFPP condenser is used for cooling compressed air during the CAES charging process.The thermodynamic performance of the integrated system under different load conditions is studied.The system operations in a typical day are simulated with EBSILON software.The system enables daily coal saving of 9.88 t and reduces CO_(2)emission by 27.95 t compared with the original CFPP at 100%load.Under partial load conditions,the system enables maximum coal saving of 10.29 t and maximum CO_(2)emission reduction of 29.11 t at 75%load.The system has maximum peak shaving depth of 9.42%under 40%load condition.The potential of the system participating ancillary service is also discussed.It is found that the integration of solar thermal system and CAES system can bring significant ancillary service revenue to a conventional CFPP.

Stochastic price based coordinated operation planning of energy storage system and conventional power plant

A generation company(GENCO)which has a conventional power plant(CPP)intends to add an energy storage system(ESS)beside the CPP to increase its flexibility and profitability.For this purpose,a new model is proposed for coordinated operation planning of the CPP and ESS in energy and spinning reserve markets in the presence of a bilateral contract.The proposed model is based on the stochastic price based unit commitment(PBUC)and price based storage commitment(PBSC).The uncertainties of the energy and spinning reserve prices and delivery requests in the spinning reserve market are modeled via scenarios based upon historical data.The proposed model maximizes the profitability of the ESS beside the CPP and encourages the GENCO to invest the ESS.ESS technology options to use beside the CPP are determined by economic assessments.Numerical results show that utilization of ESSs improves the technical operation of CPPs,as well as GENCOs’profitability.

Optimal allocation method of energy storage for integrated renewable generation plants based on power market simulation

This study designs and proposes a method for evaluating the configuration of energy storage for integrated re-newable generation plants in the power spot market,which adopts a two-level optimization model of“system simulation+plant optimization”.The first step is“system simulation”which is using the power market simu-lation model to obtain the initial nodal marginal price and curtailment of the integrated renewable generation plant.The second step is“plant optimization”which is using the operation optimization model of the integrated renewable generation plant to optimize the charge-discharge operation of energy storage.In the third step,“sys-tem simulation”is conducted again,and the combined power of renewable and energy storage inside the plant is brought into the system model and simulated again for 8,760 h of power market year-round to quantify and compare the power generation and revenue of the integrated renewable generation plant after applying energy storage.In the case analysis of the provincial power spot market,an empirical analysis of a 1 GW wind-solar-storage integrated generation plant was conducted.The results show that the economic benefit of energy storage is approximately proportional to its capacity and that there is a slowdown in the growth of economic benefits when the capacity is too large.In the case that the investment benefit of energy storage only considers the in-come of electric energy-related incomes and does not consider the income of capacity mechanism and auxiliary services,the income of energy storage cannot fulfill the economic requirements of energy storage investment.

Simulation and analysis of a peak regulation gas power plant with advanced energy storage and cryogenic CO_(2) capture

Flexible gas power plants are subject to energy storage,peak regulations,and greenhouse gas emissions.This study proposes an integrated power generation system that combines liquid air energy storage(LAES),liquefied natural gas(LNG)cold energy utilization,gas power systems,and CO_(2) capture and storage(CCS)technologies,named the LAES-LNG-CCS system.The off-peak electricity can be stored in liquid air.During the peak period,air and gas turbines generate supplementary electricity.Both LNG chemical energy and cold energy were considered:the former was used for gas power plants,and the latter was used for LAES regasification and CCS processes.Based on the thermodynamic analysis,we evaluated the effects of the recovery pressure,CCS pressure,and combustion temperature on the system power consumption and efficiency.The results demonstrated that the system recovery pressure,CCS pressure,and combustion temperature had the greatest effects on system power generation.Round-trip efficiency(RTE)was significantly affected by combustion temperature.The largest exergy loss occurred in the gas power plant.The optimal system operating ranges of the system recovery pressure,CCS pressure,and combustion temperature were 6−10 MPa,0.53−0.8 MPa,and 1,503−1,773 K,where the RTEs and𝜂Ex,RS reached 55%−58.98%and 74.6%−76%,respectively.The proposed system can simultaneously achieve the synergistic functions of large-scale energy storage,multilevel energy utilization,peak regulation,and carbon emission reduction.It can also be widely used in advanced distributed energy storage applications in the future.