【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Processing Equipment】45-ton class pilot-scale unit for the purification of ultra-high-temperature chlorides from 1985 to 2022
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The last edit to this post was made by Desert Fish on January 27, 2023, at 15:22. On April 7, 2022, the installation of the main equipment for the 45-ton class ultra-high temperature chloride purification production pilot plant was completed. This plant was developed jointly by the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, which is a member of the Solar Thermal Alliance, and Lanzhou Lanshi Energy Equipment Engineering Research Institute Co., Ltd. It is reported that the ultra-high-temperature chloride molten salt (referred to as chloride salt) produced by this device can be used at temperatures up to 720°C, which significantly improves the thermoelectric conversion efficiency of power cycle systems. It can be applied in advanced supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton power cycle systems and supercritical steam turbine systems, with power generation efficiencies exceeding 50%.
Dong Yajun, a senior engineer at Lansi Research Institute, explained that solar thermal power plants are equipped with molten salt energy storage systems. Current thermal power plants primarily use binary solar salt (60% sodium nitrate + 40% potassium nitrate, with a melting point of 220°C and a maximum operating temperature of 565°C) as the medium for energy storage and heat transfer. The solar thermal energy is stored in the molten salt through a concentration system, and heat exchange between the molten salt and water generates high-temperature, high-pressure superheated steam, which is then used to drive turbines to generate electricity. The power output is stable and controllable, allowing for steady power generation for the designated duration even at night or in conditions with no sunlight. Compared to solar salt, chlorides can operate at higher temperatures, exhibit greater stability, and have lower costs; they can be used in areas such as molten salt solar thermal power plants, the retrofitting of thermal power plants for greater flexibility, clean heating, and the utilization of renewable energy.
Tang Zhongfeng, a researcher at the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, said that compared with Solar Salt, chlorides have advantages such as a wide operating temperature range, strong heat transfer and storage capacity, good stability at high temperatures, high safety levels, and good cost-effectiveness, making them very promising materials for high-temperature heat transfer and storage. By using chlorides as the heat transfer and storage medium, the upper operating temperature can reach over 800°C. Employing chlorides as such a medium in next-generation solar thermal power generation systems can effectively reduce the costs of thermal power generation, improve efficiency, and better meet the needs for large-scale and long-duration energy storage. At the same time, chlorides, as heat storage materials, can not only reduce energy costs and improve the annual energy utilization efficiency and effectiveness, but also enhance the reliability and stability of system operation; therefore, they hold great potential for application in areas such as solar thermal utilization, renewable energy storage, high-temperature electrolytic hydrogen production, molten salt reactors, recovery of industrial waste heat, and magnetohydrodynamic power generation. At present, the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics is actively promoting the operation of a pilot-scale production facility for 45-ton-class ultra-high-temperature chloride purification, in order to master the key technical aspects involved in scaling up such processes at high temperatures. The Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics is actively working on advancing the key technologies for the 10MW ultra-high temperature chloride salt energy storage demonstration project.
In 2010, the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics established the Molten Salt Chemical Engineering Technology Department, which is primarily engaged in the design and preparation of molten salts, the testing of their physical properties and structural analysis, the purification and recycling of molten salts as well as life cycle assessment, the evaluation of molten salt corrosion and corrosion control methods, and research on molten salt heat transfer and storage technologies as well as key equipment and system technologies related to molten salts. Its main goal is to address the scientific and technical issues associated with the use of molten salts throughout their entire lifecycle in the energy sector. At present, the research team is focusing on clean energy sources such as photothermal technology and energy storage, with an emphasis on engineering applications ； Providing working fluid design, testing, analysis, and evaluation, equipment development, system design, as well as operation, maintenance, and tuning for heat storage and exchange ； It holds CNAS and CMA certifications, and develops new materials, key equipment, and related services.
If the large amounts of waste salt residues generated by the brine treatment systems in coal chemical enterprises can be used as raw material for molten salt storage systems in solar thermal power plants, thereby enabling the reuse of these wastes, it would represent an environmentally beneficial research topic that benefits both the country and its people. It is hoped that researchers will take note of this issue.
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Thank you for sharing; kudos to technological progress