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Title: High Temperature Performance of High-efficiency, Multi-layer Solar Selective Coatings for Tower Applications

Abstract

The roadmap to next-generation concentrating solar power plants anticipates a progression to central towers with operating temperatures in excess of 650°C. These higher temperatures are required to drive higher power-cycle efficiencies, resulting in lower cost energy. However, these conditions also place a greater burden on the materials making up the receiver. Any novel absorber material developed for next-generation receivers must be stable in air, cost effective, and survive thousands of heating and cooling cycles. The collection efficiency of a power tower plant can be increased if the energy absorbed by the receiver is maximized while the heat loss from the receiver to the environment is minimized. Thermal radiation losses can be significant (>7% annual energy loss) with receivers at temperatures above 650°C. We present progress toward highly efficient and durable solar selective absorbers (SSAs) intended for operating temperatures from 650°C to 1000°C. Selective efficiency (ηsel) is defined as the energy retained by the absorber, accounting for both absorptance and emittance, relative to the energy incident on the surface. The low emittance layers of multilayer SSAs are binary compounds of refractory metals whose material properties indicate that coatings formed of these materials should be oxidation resistant in air to 800-1200°C. Onmore » this basis, we initially developed a solar selective coating for parabolic troughs. This development has been successfully extended to meet the absorptance and emittance objectives for the more demanding, high temperature regime. We show advancement in coating materials, processing and designs resulting in the initial attainment of target efficiencies ηsel > 0.91 for proposed tower conditions. Additionally, spectral measurements show that these coatings continue to perform at targeted levels after cycling to temperatures of 1000°C in environments of nitrogen and forming gas.« less

Authors:
; ; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Solar Energy Technologies Office
OSTI Identifier:
1898947
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1215027
Report Number(s):
NREL/JA-5500-62935
Journal ID: ISSN 1876-6102; S1876610215003525; PII: S1876610215003525
Grant/Contract Number:  
25833; AC36-08GO28308; AR0670-4918
Resource Type:
Published Article
Journal Name:
Energy Procedia (Online)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Name: Energy Procedia (Online) Journal Volume: 69 Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 1876-6102
Publisher:
Elsevier
Country of Publication:
Netherlands
Language:
English
Subject:
14 SOLAR ENERGY; 47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION; concentrating solar power (CSP); CSP; high temperatures; coatings

Citation Formats

Gray, M. H., Tirawat, R., Kessinger, K. A., and Ndione, P. F. High Temperature Performance of High-efficiency, Multi-layer Solar Selective Coatings for Tower Applications. Netherlands: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.1016/j.egypro.2015.03.046.
Gray, M. H., Tirawat, R., Kessinger, K. A., & Ndione, P. F. High Temperature Performance of High-efficiency, Multi-layer Solar Selective Coatings for Tower Applications. Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2015.03.046
Gray, M. H., Tirawat, R., Kessinger, K. A., and Ndione, P. F. Fri . "High Temperature Performance of High-efficiency, Multi-layer Solar Selective Coatings for Tower Applications". Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2015.03.046.
@article{osti_1898947,
title = {High Temperature Performance of High-efficiency, Multi-layer Solar Selective Coatings for Tower Applications},
author = {Gray, M. H. and Tirawat, R. and Kessinger, K. A. and Ndione, P. F.},
abstractNote = {The roadmap to next-generation concentrating solar power plants anticipates a progression to central towers with operating temperatures in excess of 650°C. These higher temperatures are required to drive higher power-cycle efficiencies, resulting in lower cost energy. However, these conditions also place a greater burden on the materials making up the receiver. Any novel absorber material developed for next-generation receivers must be stable in air, cost effective, and survive thousands of heating and cooling cycles. The collection efficiency of a power tower plant can be increased if the energy absorbed by the receiver is maximized while the heat loss from the receiver to the environment is minimized. Thermal radiation losses can be significant (>7% annual energy loss) with receivers at temperatures above 650°C. We present progress toward highly efficient and durable solar selective absorbers (SSAs) intended for operating temperatures from 650°C to 1000°C. Selective efficiency (ηsel) is defined as the energy retained by the absorber, accounting for both absorptance and emittance, relative to the energy incident on the surface. The low emittance layers of multilayer SSAs are binary compounds of refractory metals whose material properties indicate that coatings formed of these materials should be oxidation resistant in air to 800-1200°C. On this basis, we initially developed a solar selective coating for parabolic troughs. This development has been successfully extended to meet the absorptance and emittance objectives for the more demanding, high temperature regime. We show advancement in coating materials, processing and designs resulting in the initial attainment of target efficiencies ηsel > 0.91 for proposed tower conditions. Additionally, spectral measurements show that these coatings continue to perform at targeted levels after cycling to temperatures of 1000°C in environments of nitrogen and forming gas.},
doi = {10.1016/j.egypro.2015.03.046},
journal = {Energy Procedia (Online)},
number = C,
volume = 69,
place = {Netherlands},
year = {Fri May 01 00:00:00 EDT 2015},
month = {Fri May 01 00:00:00 EDT 2015}
}

Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2015.03.046

Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 19 works
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Works referenced in this record:

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