Optical Transparency of Inexpensive Salt Solutions for Construction of Density-Gradient Solar Ponds
A laboratory testing protocol has been developed that will permit a comparative evaluation of the optical performance of candidate salts for use in stabilizing solar ponds. Extinction coefficients measured for the salts and for water in dual-beam spectrophotometer fitted with 10-cm quartz sample cells were input to a digital model that convolutes a solar spectrum with an assumed salt/water concentration gradient similar to that to be established in the solar pond. The model determined the fraction of available solar energy transmitted to the pond storage layer. This information was used to estimate the size of the pond needed to meet a given set of thermal demands if the candidate salt were to be used. One candidate salt, a by-product from a flue-gas desulfurization process, was tested according to this protocol. Results indicated that this salt would perform poorly in comparison to commercially available sodium chloride; however, a sensitivity analysis revealed sources of error in the spectrophotometric measurement procedure, which may have led to an unduly pessimistic prediction of performance. These errors are being corrected, and this and other candidate salts will be subject to further evaluation for use in ponds to be constructed on-site.
- Research Organization:
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC36-08GO28308
- OSTI ID:
- 6277175
- Report Number(s):
- SERI/RR-641-615; MainId:66938; UUID:1e342b93-bfd1-e411-b769-d89d67132a6d; MainAdminID:49009
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
CONSTRUCTION
COPPER
DENSITY
DISPERSIONS
ELEMENTS
EQUIPMENT
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
IRON
LIGHT TRANSMISSION
MAGNESIUM
METALS
MIXTURES
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PONDS
SALINITY GRADIENTS
SALTS
SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS
SODIUM CHLORIDES
SODIUM COMPOUNDS
SOLAR COLLECTORS
SOLAR ENERGY
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SOLAR PONDS
SOLUTIONS
STABILIZATION
TRANSITION ELEMENTS