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The concept of CSPonD Demo project is based on a single and open molten salt tank as a thermal solar receiver and storage unit. Therefore, the effect of external environment such as sand and air on the thermophysical properties of nitrate salt (60 wt. % sodium nitrate, 40 wt. % potassium nitrate) has been investigated in this work. Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) was used to determine the melting, solidification temperatures while the thermal stability and mass loss measurements were carried on Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA). Measurements under nitrogen indicate that the adding 2% (w/w) sand has negative impact by increasing the solidification temperature, mass loss percentage and decreasing the stability limit. While the melting temperature was not affected by the sand and by the preparation method. On the other hand, measurement under air showed an increase of the stability limit and decrease of the mass loss percentage. Furthermore, the measurements for the mass loss under air did not reach...

Solar Salt (60 wt. % sodium nitrate, 40 wt. % potassium nitrate) is one candidate salt mixture for the CSPonD Demo project (Concentrated Solar Power On Demand Demonstration), ongoing collaboration between Masdar Institute and MIT. One prototype is under preparation at the Masdar Institute Solar Platform in Abu Dhabi. In this new concept, the salt will be used as an open direct absorption solar receiver integrated with a storage system so that the effects of dust/sand and moisture on the thermophysical properties have to be investigated. Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) was used to study the thermal stability and mass loss, while a Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) was used to study the thermal properties and heat capacity of the salt mixture with and without sand. Considering the worst case scenario, the maximum mass loss rate at 550 °C, and in a fully open configuration, was measured to be 0.29 % per hour, around 2.34 per day of use (8 h of operation). The effect of sand was the same under nitrog...

An upward-facing three-dimensional secondary concentrator, herein termed Final Optical Element (FOE), is designed to be used in a beam-down tower in combination with an open volumetric direct-absorption molten-salt receiver tank acting simultaneously as a thermal energy storage system. It allows reducing thermal losses from the open receiver by decreasing its aperture area while keeping minimal spillage losses. The FOE is exposed to high solar fluxes, a part of which is absorbed by its reflector material, leading to material degradation by overheating. Consequently, the FOE may require active cooling. A thermal model of the FOE under passive cooling mechanism is proposed as a first step to evaluate its sensitivity to some design parameters. Then, it will be used to evaluate the requirements for the active cooling system. The model provides insights on the FOE thermal behavior and highlights the effectiveness of a design modification on passive cooling enhancement. First prototype tests under reduced flux ...