Molten salt offers several significant advantages as a medium for thermal energy storage, especially in applications like concentrated solar power and renewable energy systems:
- High Heat Capacity and Thermal Conductivity: Molten salts have large heat capacity and excellent thermal conductivity, which allows them to store and transfer large amounts of thermal energy efficiently. This property enables effective capture and release of heat for power generation.
- Wide Operating Temperature Range and Large Temperature Difference: Molten salts can operate at temperatures exceeding 400 °C, providing a broad temperature range for energy storage. This allows for a large temperature difference between hot and cold storage tanks, which improves storage density and overall system efficiency.
- Stability and Long Life: Molten salts store energy through sensible heat without undergoing chemical changes. This chemical stability results in a long operational lifespan and repeated use without degradation, enhancing reliability and reducing replacement costs.
- Low Viscosity: In their operating temperature range, molten salts have fluidity comparable to water, which reduces pumping energy requirements and improves system efficiency.
- Cost-effectiveness and Abundant Availability: The salts used (such as sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate) are inexpensive and widely available, making molten salt systems economical compared to other thermal storage options.
- Long-duration Energy Storage: Properly insulated molten salt tanks can retain heat effectively for extended periods, up to a week, enabling long-duration energy storage that supports grid reliability and renewable energy integration.
- Scalability and Full Output Delivery: Systems like MAN MOSAS can deliver full rated power output for up to 24 hours, allowing continuous power generation even when renewable sources like solar are unavailable, by using stored thermal energy.
- Integration with Renewable Energy and Conventional Turbines: Molten salt thermal storage is particularly well suited for coupling with solar thermal plants and can use stored heat to produce superheated steam to drive conventional steam turbines, facilitating a seamless transition to renewable energy.
These advantages make molten salt thermal energy storage a highly flexible, efficient, and sustainable solution for high-temperature, long-duration energy storage, crucial for enhancing the reliability of renewable power generation and grid management.
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