Report
CSP Gen3: Liquid-Phase Pathway to SunShot
Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI)
2021
Abstract
The United States Department of Energy (DOE) established the Concentrating Solar Power Generation 3 (CSP Gen3) program to promote the development of advanced CSP systems capable of producing electricity at a levelized cost of energy (LCOE) less than $60/MWh, based on criteria published in the CSP Gen3 Roadmap and a subsequent funding opportunity announcement (Gen3 FOA). This report documents the progress and potential of the “Liquid Pathway” to meet these objectives. The Liquid Pathway proposes the use of low-cost molten chloride salts for energy storage, mated with an operationally flexible solar receiver that employs liquid-metal sodium for heat capture and transfer to the storage salt. This approach leverages molten-salt technology from the current state-of-the-art CSP power towers embodied by plants such as Gemasolar, Crescent Dunes, Noor III, and the DEWA 700 CSP project. Furthermore, the design builds on the knowledge gained over decades of use of liquid-metal sodium as a high-temperature heat transfer fluid (HTF) in solar tests and nuclear-power applications. The commercial representation of the proposed Gen3 design incorporates a high-efficiency sodium receiver operating at ~740°C, with a liquid-liquid heat exchanger feeding a two-tank, molten-chloride salt storage system. Chloride salt is dispatched to a supercritical CO2 (sCO2) power cycle to provide electric power to the grid. The design integration is a conceptual match for the current sodium receiver → solar salt storage → steam-Rankine power cycle promoted by developer Vast Solar, which may facilitate commercial acceptance and development.
Details
- Title
- CSP Gen3: Liquid-Phase Pathway to SunShot
- Authors
- Craig Turchi (Author) - National Renewable Energy LaboratorySamuel H. Gage (Author) - National Renewable Energy LaboratoryJanna Martinek (Author) - National Renewable Energy LaboratorySameer Jape (Author) - National Renewable Energy LaboratoryKen Armijo (Author) - Sandia National Laboratories CaliforniaJoe Coventry (Author) - Australian National UniversityJohn Pye (Author) - Australian National UniversityCharles-Alexis Asselineau (Author) - Australian National UniversityFelix Venn (Author) - Australian National UniversityWilliam Logie (Author) - Australian National UniversityArmando Fontalvo (Author) - Australian National UniversityShuang Wang (Author) - Australian National UniversityRobbie McNaughton (Author) - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research OrganisationDaniel Potter (Author) - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research OrganisationTheodore A. Steinberg (Author) - Queensland University of TechnologyGeoffrey Will (Author) - Queensland University of Technology
- Publication details
- 163 pages
- Publisher
- Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI)
- DOI
- 10.2172/1807668
- Organisation Unit
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99984378902621
- Output Type
- Report
Metrics
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