Thermodynamic Analysis of Non-Stoichiometric Perovskites as a Heat Transfer Fluid for Thermochemical Energy Storage in Concentrated Solar Power

The implementation of efficient and cost effective thermal energy storage in concentrated solar power (CSP) applications is crucial to the wide spread adoption of the technology. The current push to high-temperature receivers enabling the use of advanced power cycles has identified solid particle receivers as a desired technology. A potential way of increasing the specific energy storage of solid particles while simultaneously reducing plant component size is to implement thermochemical energy storage (TCES) through the use of non-stoichiometric perovskite oxides. Materials such as strontium-doped lanthanum cobalt ferrites (LSCF) have been shown to have significant reducibility when cycling temperature and oxygen partial pressure of the environment [1]. The combined reducibility and heat of the oxidation and reduction reactions with the sensible change in temperature of the material leads to specific energy storage values approaching 700 kJ kg−1. A potential thermochemical energy storage system configuration and modeling strategy is reported on, leading to a parametric study of critical operating parameters on the TCES subsystem performance. For the LSCF material operating between 500 and 900°C with oxygen partial pressure swings from ambient to 0.0001 bar, system efficiencies of 68.6% based on the net thermal energy delivered to the power cycle relative to the incident solar flux on the receiver and auxiliary power requirements, with specific energy storage of 686 kJ kg−1 are predicted. Alternatively, only cycling the temperature between 500 and 900°C without oxygen partial pressure swings results in TCES subsystem efficiencies up to 76.3% with specific energy storage of 533 kJ kg−1.