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Powerful solar

Bislang werden Thermoöle in Parabolrinnenkraftwerken eingesetzt. Thermoöl fließt in den Absorberrohren (dunkles Rohr links im Bild). Auf diese Absorberrohre konzentrieren die Parabolspiegel das Licht, hier wird die Sonnenstrahlung in Wärme umgewandelt mit der für einen konventionellen Kraftwerksprozess Dampf erzeugt wird. In einer neu entwickelten Testanlage wird geschmolzenes Salz durch die Absorberrohre fließen.

Siemens Energy wird zusammen mit dem Deutschen Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) und Partnern aus der deutschen Industrie eine Kraftwerks-Testanlage für den Betrieb mit geschmolzenem Salz (Molten Salt) als Wärmeträgermedium in Portugal . Build Salt is less expensive than conventional heat transfer materials, in addition, a power plant operating at higher temperatures, which means greater efficiency.

Over a period of three years, the plant on the grounds of the University of Evora, some 130 kilometers southeast of Lisbon tested and optimized. The DLR is involved in the planning and conceptual design of the test facility and the training of the collector. DLR researchers will also accompany the experimental farm scientifically. The research project "High performance solar thermal systems (HPS) is funded by the Federal Ministry of Environment. Among the partners in addition to the DLR, the K + S AG and Senior Berghofer GmbH The grounds and infrastructure for the investment made by the Portuguese utility Energias de Portugal (EDP) is available.

goal of the research project led by Siemens is to investigate efficiency and the reliability of parabolic trough power plants with liquid salt as heat transfer medium. This type of solar thermal power plants with parabolic mirrors concentrate sunlight onto a receiver tube, which contains a heat transfer medium. While coming in today's commercial parabolic trough power plants, thermal oil as heat transfer medium used, which has a continuous use of up to allow 400 degrees Celsius, to the test system with molten salt at temperatures above 500 degrees Celsius are run by. In a novel once-through steam generators are the salt of its energy to an attached water-steam cycle. The increase over the prior art steam temperatures allow higher efficiencies of the power block.

salt can be used not only as a heat transfer medium in parabolic trough power plants, already in existing solar power plants is used liquid salt in huge tanks as heat storage. Such power stations are going with a two-circuit system with synthetic oil in the collector field and liquid-salt storage system. If salt as a storage and used as a carrier medium is a two-circuit system is no longer necessary. This leads to a reduction of system complexity and investment.

In the test facility should studied different salts on the application potential of be. These include an advanced form of the usual "Solar Salts," but also salts based on other components. The challenge for the development of new salts is, inter alia, heat transfer materials are low melting point. The potential risk of freezing in the salt-bearing systems, and thermal losses can be reduced significantly. The test facility should therefore be improved molten salt, a custom system design and appropriate operational concepts are developed.

text and image: German Aerospace Center (DLR)