The Design and Testing of a Molten Salt Steam Generator for Solar Application

1988 ◽  
Vol 110 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. A. Allman ◽  
D. C. Smith ◽  
C. R. Kakarala
Keyword(s):  
Molten Salt ◽  
Steam Generator ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Process Conditions ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Overall Design ◽  
Central Receiver ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Design And Testing ◽  
Solar Application

This paper describes the design and testing of the Steam Generator Subsystem (SGS) for the Molten Salt Electric Experiment at Sandia Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Molten Salt Electric Experiment (MSEE) has been established at the Department of Energy’s five megawatt thermal Solar Central Receiver Test Facility, to demonstrate the feasibility of the molten salt central receiver concept. The experiment is capable of generating 0.75 megawatts of electric power from solar energy, with the capability of storing seven megawatt-hours of thermal energy. The steam generator subsystem transfers sensible heat from the solar-heated molten nitrate salt to produce steam to drive a conventional turbine. This paper discusses the design requirements dictated by the steam generator application and also reviews the process conditions. Details of each of the SGS components are given, featuring the aspects of the design and performance unique to the solar application. The paper concludes with a summary of the test results confirming the overall design of the subsystem.

Operation of Large-Scale Pumps and Valves in Molten Salt

1994 ◽  
Vol 116 (3) ◽  
pp. 137-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. C. Smith ◽  
E. E. Rush ◽  
C. W. Matthews ◽  
J. M. Chavez ◽  
P. A. Bator
Keyword(s):  
Molten Salt ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Solar Power ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Plant Design ◽  
Thermal Test ◽  
Central Receiver ◽  
Solar Power Plants ◽  
Careful Design

The molten salt pump and valve (P&V) test loops at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF) operated between Jan. 1988 and Oct. 1990. The purpose of the P&V test was to demonstrate the performance, reliability, and service life of full-scale hot and cold salt pumps and valves for use in commercial central receiver solar power plants. The P&V test hardware consists of two pumped loops; the “Hot Loop” to simulate the hot (565°C) side of the receiver and the “Cold Loop” to simulate the receiver’s cold (285°C) side. Each loop contains a pump and five valves sized to be representative of a conceptual 60-MWe commercial solar power plant design. The hot loop accumulated over 6700 hours of operation and the cold loop over 2500 hours of operation. This project has demonstrated that standard commercial scale pump and valve designs will work in molten salt. The test also exposed some pitfalls that must be avoided in specifying such equipment. Although certainly not all of the pitfalls were discovered, careful design and specification should result in reliable or at least workable equipment.

scholarly journals Development and Experimental Validation for Quantifying the Moisture Carryover in a Moisture Separator Using an Air/Water Test Facility

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Kihwan Kim ◽  
Wooshik Kim ◽  
Jaebong Lee ◽  
Woo-Jin Jeon
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Method ◽  
Steam Generator ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Inherent Limitation ◽  
Water Test ◽  
Moisture Separator ◽  
Important Design ◽  
Similarity Law

The moisture carryover (MCO) of the primary separator in a steam generator is the most important design parameter to ensure high efficiency in a steam generator. There is an inherent limitation to experimentally evaluate the MCO under the prototype conditions. In this study, the air/water test facility was constructed based on the similarity law, and a new isokinetic system was developed to quantify the MCO. Several experiments were performed for the mass quality ranging from 0.315 to 0.382. The accuracy and versatility of the experimental method was verified experimentally using a full and half scale of separators. The test results were compared with the prototype results. It was proved to be a reliable experimental method for evaluating the MCO of the moisture separator.

Development and Analysis of the Heliostat Focusing and Canting Enhancement Technique for Full Heliostat Alignments

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle Chavez ◽  
Evan Sproul ◽  
Julius Yellowhair
Keyword(s):  
Digital Camera ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Total System ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Error Sources ◽  
Stationary Target ◽  
Enhancement Technique ◽  
Central Receiver ◽  
Solar Noon ◽  
Utility Scale

Central receiver power towers are regarded as a proven concentrating solar power (CSP) technology for generating utility-scale electricity. In central receiver systems, improper alignment (canting and focusing) of heliostat facets results in beam spillage at the receiver and leads to significant degradation in performance. As a result, proper alignment of heliostats is critical for increasing plant efficiency. Past tools used for analyzing and correcting heliostat alignment at the National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF) have proven to be laborious and inaccurate, sometimes taking up to six hours per heliostat. In light of these drawbacks, Sandia National Labs (SNL) and New Mexico Tech (NMT) have created the Heliostat Focusing and Canting Enhancement Technique (H-FACET). H-FACET uses a high-resolution digital camera to observe the image of a stationary target reflected by a heliostat facet. By comparing this image to a theoretical image generated via a custom software package, technicians can efficiently identify and correct undesirable deviations in facet orientation and shape. Previous tests have only proven the viability of H-FACET for canting heliostats. As a result, SNL and NMT have expanded H-FACET’s capabilities and analyzed the system’s ability to simultaneously cant and focus heliostats. Initial H-FACET focusing test results have shown improved beam sizes and shapes for single facets. Furthermore, simulations of these tests revealed an approximated system accuracy of better than 1.80 milliradians. This accuracy accounted for technician, position, and additional error sources, suggesting that H-FACET was capable of focusing facets to an even greater accuracy than those seen in the initial tests. When implemented for simultaneous canting and focusing of heliostats, H-FACET has demonstrated its capability to increase peak flux and decrease beam size. These full alignment test results demonstrated an average total system accuracy of 1.17 milliradians on five heliostats. As before, this accuracy included multiple error sources which cannot be corrected by H-FACET. Additionally, these tests revealed that H-FACET can align heliostats in about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Finally, two heliostats aligned with H-FACET maintained average accuracies 1.46 and 1.24 milliradians over a four hour window centered about solar noon. This implies that H-FACET is capable of aligning heliostats to a true off-axis alignment over NSTTF’s operating window. In light of these results, SNL has implemented both the focusing and canting portions of H-FACET at the NSTTF.

Jülich Solar Power Tower—Experimental Evaluation of the Storage Subsystem and Performance Calculation

2011 ◽  
Vol 133 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Zunft ◽  
Matthias Hänel ◽  
Michael Krüger ◽  
Volker Dreißigacker ◽  
Felix Göhring ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Power ◽  
Measurement Data ◽  
Test Results ◽  
High Discharge ◽  
Central Receiver ◽  
Solid Media ◽  
Storage Behavior ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Solar Power Tower ◽  
Set Up

Storage technology based on solid media heated in direct contact—so-called regenerators—is well suited to promote the market introduction of solar central receiver plants with air receivers. However, starting from existing technologies, several design issues need to be addressed. A test campaign was performed at the Solar Power Tower Jülich, an experimental central receiver plant, to experimentally verify the functionality and to quantify the performance of the plant’s storage subsystem. To this end, a gas burner used during commissioning of the plant, was reactivated and used to run a series of operation sequences. Computer simulations have been set up and applied to retrace the storage behavior to confirm the validity of the underlying models and to gain further insight into the relevant phenomena. The test results confirm the full functionality of the storage subsystem, the ability to perform cycling at high discharge heat rates and relatively low heat losses, supporting the view that the technology represents a promising basis for up-scaled implementations. Measurement data and simulation results are in good agreement, confirming the maturity of existing design tools.

Development and Evaluation of a Supercharged Steam Generating System

1963 ◽  
Vol 85 (4) ◽  
pp. 302-310
Author(s):  
W. A. Fritz ◽  
L. Cohen
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Steam Generator ◽  
Development Program ◽  
The United States ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Steam Generators ◽  
Generator System ◽  
Generating System

The Naval Boiler and Turbine Laboratory has recently completed an evaluation and development program of a supercharged steam generator system. The installation for this program was the only one of its type in the United States. The agenda developed and the test facility and instrumentation system designed were specifically adapted to the requirements of a supercharged system. Modifications required during the development and the test results obtained are briefly discussed. As a result of this program, supercharged steam generators are being installed in the Navy’s DE1040 Class ships.

Experiments and Analysis on the Molten Salt Direct Absorption Receiver Concept

1988 ◽  
Vol 110 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. S. Bohn ◽  
K. Y. Wang
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Numerical Model ◽  
Molten Salt ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Direct Absorption ◽  
Film Stability ◽  
Maintenance Costs ◽  
Salt Film ◽  
Central Receiver

This paper presents results of experiments on the Direct Absorption Receiver (DAR) concept using molten salt as the working fluid. The DAR concept may result in a solar central receiver that costs 50 percent less than the current tube receiver and has significantly lower operational and maintenance costs. These experiments were aimed at determining whether the DAR concept is technically feasible and were carried out at the Advanced Components Test Facility, Atlanta, GA. Results are based on several days of operating with solar flux ranging up to 50 W/cm2 and also on a numerical model that is capable of predicting the thermal performance of the DAR salt film. Issues relating to thermal efficiency, absorber-to-salt heat transfer, and salt film stability are addressed.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document