Flight experiment of thermal energy storage

Conference · Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:5657654

Namkoong, D

Brayton and Stirling power systems under current considerations for missions in the near future require working fluid temperatures in the 1100 to 1300+ K range. TES materials that meet these requirements fall into the fluoride family of salts. These salts store energy as a heat of fusion, thereby transferring heat to the fluid at constant temperature during shade. The principal feature of fluorides that must be taken into account is the change in volume that occurs with melting and freezing. Salts shrink as they solidify, a change reaching 30 percent for some salts. The location of voids that form as result of the shrinkage is critical when the solar dynamic system reemerges into the sun. Hot spots can develop in the TES container or the container can become distorted if the melting salt cannot expand elsewhere. Analysis of the transient, two-phase phenomenon is being incorporated into a three-dimensional computer code. The code is capable of analysis under microgravity as well as 1 g. The objective of the flight program is to verify the predictions of the code, particularly of the void location and its effect on containment temperature. The four experimental packages comprising the program will be the first tests of melting and freezing conducted under microgravity. Each test package will be installed in a Getaway Special container to be carried by the shuttle. The package will be self-contained and independent of shuttle operations other than the initial opening of the container lid and the final closing of the lid. Upon the return of the test package from flight, the TES container will be radiographed and finally partitioned to examine the exact location and shape of the void. Visual inspection of the void and the temperature data during flight will constitute the bases for code verification.*** ABSTRACT OVERFLOW --

• Research Organization: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Cleveland, OH (USA). Lewis Research Center
• OSTI ID: 5657654
• Report Number(s): N-89-24440; NASA-TM-102081; E-4843; NAS-1.15:102081; CONF-890815-
• Resource Relation: Conference: 24. intersociety energy conversion engineering conference, Arlington, VA (USA), 6-11 Aug 1989
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
25 ENERGY STORAGE
HEAT SINKS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
VOIDS
HEAT STORAGE
FLUORIDES
SOLAR THERMAL POWER PLANTS
WORKING FLUIDS
FIELD TESTS
FREEZING
MELTING
SHRINKAGE
THERMODYNAMIC CYCLES
ENERGY STORAGE
FLUIDS
FLUORINE COMPOUNDS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
POWER PLANTS
SIMULATION
SINKS
SOLAR POWER PLANTS
STORAGE
TESTING
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
140702* - Solar Thermal Power Systems- Central Receiver
250600 - Energy Storage- Thermal