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Title: Boiling behavior of sodium-potassium alloy in a bench-scale solar receiver

Abstract

During 1989-90, a 75-kW{sub t} sodium reflux pool-boiler solar receiver was successfully demonstrated at Sandia National Laboratories. Significant features of this receiver include (1) boiling sodium as the heat transfer medium and (2) electric-discharge-machined (EDM) cavities as artificial nucleation sites to stabilize boiling. Since this first demonstration, design of a second-generation pool-boiler receiver that will bring the concept closer to commercialization has begun. For long life, the new receiver uses Haynes Alloy 230. For increased safety factors against film boiling and flooding, it has a refined shape and somewhat larger dimensions. To eliminate the need for trace heating, the receiver will boil the sodium-potassium alloy NaK-78 instead of sodium. To reduce manufacturing costs, it will use one of a number of alternatives to EDM cavities for stabilization of boiling. To control incipient-boiling superheats, especially during hot restarts, it will contain a small amount of inert gas. Before the new receiver design could be finalized, bench-scale tests of some of the proposed changes were necessary. A series of bench-scale pool boilers were built from Haynes Alloy 230 and filled with NaK-78. Various boiling-stabilizer candidates were incorporated into them, including laser-drilled cavities and a number of different sintered-powder-metal coatings. These bench-scale poolmore » boilers have been operated at temperatures up to 750{degree}C, heated by quartz lamps with incident radiant fluxes up to 95 W/cm{sup 2}. The effects of various orientations and added gases have been studied. results of these studies are presented. 15 refs.« less

Authors:
; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
10149102
Report Number(s):
SAND-91-2801C; CONF-920801-3
ON: DE92014947
DOE Contract Number:  
AC04-76DP00789
Resource Type:
Conference
Resource Relation:
Conference: 27. intersociety energy conversion engineering conference,San Diego, CA (United States),3-7 Aug 1992; Other Information: PBD: [1992]
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
14 SOLAR ENERGY; 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; SODIUM ALLOYS; MATERIALS TESTING; POTASSIUM ALLOYS; SOLAR RECEIVERS; WORKING FLUIDS; BENCH-SCALE EXPERIMENTS; STIRLING ENGINES; SOLAR THERMAL CONVERSION; BOILING; BOILERS; 140700; 141000; 360104; SOLAR THERMAL POWER SYSTEMS; SOLAR COLLECTORS AND CONCENTRATORS; PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Citation Formats

Moreno, J B, Andraka, C E, and Moss, T A. Boiling behavior of sodium-potassium alloy in a bench-scale solar receiver. United States: N. p., 1992. Web.
Moreno, J B, Andraka, C E, & Moss, T A. Boiling behavior of sodium-potassium alloy in a bench-scale solar receiver. United States.
Moreno, J B, Andraka, C E, and Moss, T A. 1992. "Boiling behavior of sodium-potassium alloy in a bench-scale solar receiver". United States.
@article{osti_10149102,
title = {Boiling behavior of sodium-potassium alloy in a bench-scale solar receiver},
author = {Moreno, J B and Andraka, C E and Moss, T A},
abstractNote = {During 1989-90, a 75-kW{sub t} sodium reflux pool-boiler solar receiver was successfully demonstrated at Sandia National Laboratories. Significant features of this receiver include (1) boiling sodium as the heat transfer medium and (2) electric-discharge-machined (EDM) cavities as artificial nucleation sites to stabilize boiling. Since this first demonstration, design of a second-generation pool-boiler receiver that will bring the concept closer to commercialization has begun. For long life, the new receiver uses Haynes Alloy 230. For increased safety factors against film boiling and flooding, it has a refined shape and somewhat larger dimensions. To eliminate the need for trace heating, the receiver will boil the sodium-potassium alloy NaK-78 instead of sodium. To reduce manufacturing costs, it will use one of a number of alternatives to EDM cavities for stabilization of boiling. To control incipient-boiling superheats, especially during hot restarts, it will contain a small amount of inert gas. Before the new receiver design could be finalized, bench-scale tests of some of the proposed changes were necessary. A series of bench-scale pool boilers were built from Haynes Alloy 230 and filled with NaK-78. Various boiling-stabilizer candidates were incorporated into them, including laser-drilled cavities and a number of different sintered-powder-metal coatings. These bench-scale pool boilers have been operated at temperatures up to 750{degree}C, heated by quartz lamps with incident radiant fluxes up to 95 W/cm{sup 2}. The effects of various orientations and added gases have been studied. results of these studies are presented. 15 refs.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/10149102}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1992},
month = {Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1992}
}

Conference:
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