Phase-change thermal energy storage: Final subcontract report

Technical Report · Wed Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1989

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5159078· OSTI ID:5159078

The research and development described in this document was conducted within the US Department of Energy's Solar Thermal Technology Program. The goal of this program is to advance the engineering and scientific understanding of solar thermal technology and to establish the technology base from which private industry can develop solar thermal power production options for introduction into the competitive energy market. Solar thermal technology concentrates the solar flux using tracking mirrors or lenses onto a receiver where the solar energy is absorbed as heat and converted into electricity or incorporated into products as process heat. The two primary solar thermal technologies, central receivers and distributed receivers, employ various point and line-focus optics to concentrate sunlight. Current central receiver systems use fields of heliostats (two-axes tracking mirrors) to focus the sun's radiant energy onto a single, tower-mounted receiver. Point focus concentrators up to 17 meters in diameter track the sun in two axes and use parabolic dish mirrors or Fresnel lenses to focus radiant energy onto a receiver. Troughs and bowls are line-focus tracking reflectors that concentrate sunlight onto receiver tubes along their focal lines. Concentrating collector modules can be used alone or in a multimodule system. The concentrated radiant energy absorbed by the solar thermal receiver is transported to the conversion process by a circulating working fluid. Receiver temperatures range from 100{degree}C in low-temperature troughs to over 1500{degree}C in dish and central receiver systems. 12 refs., 119 figs., 4 tabs.

• Research Organization: Solar Energy Research Inst., Golden, CO (USA); Luz International Ltd., Los Angeles, CA (USA); CBY Associates, Inc., Washington, DC (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE/CE
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-83CH10093
• OSTI ID: 5159078
• Report Number(s): SERI/STR-250-3516; CONF-8810464--Summ.; ON: DE89009426
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
140700 -- Solar Thermal Power Systems
142000* -- Solar Energy-- Heat Storage-- (1980-)
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
COMMERCIAL SECTOR
COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS
DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMS
DESIGN
DOCUMENT TYPES
ENERGY TRANSFER
EQUIPMENT
HEAT TRANSFER
MACHINERY
MANAGEMENT
MOLTEN SALTS
OPERATION
PERFORMANCE TESTING
PLANNING
POWER PLANTS
PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
PROGRESS REPORT
RANKINE CYCLE
RECOMMENDATIONS
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
SALTS
SOLAR POWER PLANTS
STEAM TURBINES
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
TEMPERATURE EFFECTS
TESTING
THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE EQUIPMENT
THERMODYNAMIC CYCLES
TURBINES
TURBOMACHINERY
energy storage
energy storage systems
phase-change materials
sensible heat storage
solar thermal power plants