Experimental investigation of vertical electric heater for powder particles for CSP applications and energy storage

Background

Concentrating solar power (CSP) plant use heat from concentrated solar radiation to generate electricity with a conventional power cycle. To enable a demand-oriented electricity production, a thermal energy storage (TES) component of such should be considered. Solid particles, due to their simplicity and cost-effectiveness, are particularly promising TES candidates for central receiver plants based on air receivers or particle receivers. These materials can be used both as storage inventory and as heat transfer medium, which bring additional advantage due to availability and low cost of operation. In upcoming next gen CSP it is expected that solid media will be replacing molten salt mixtures with much cheaper and large temperature range particles as heat transfer fluid and thermal storage medium will allow higher storage capacities that can be used on an intra-week basis, thereby increasing the flexibility of CSP generation, hence its value for the grid. Actively hybridized CSP-PV plants in which part of the PV energy, when in surplus, can be transformed into thermal energy, stored and delivered at a later stage when more valuable, offer and additional option and wide deployment opportunities.

To be able to achieve such active hybridization, suitable particle electric heaters capable of high temperature up heating must be developed and validated. Besides the CSP application, the proposed electric heater would have wide applicability and deployment potential also in the context of particle based long duration energy storages.

Thesis objectives

The aim of this thesis is too experimentally investigate the performance of proposed vertical electric heater for olivine particles operating up to 750° C. This work will provide the background for a prototype development and up-scaled unit validation to be performed by industrial partners in the context of a broader Horizon Europe project (Powder2Power).

Main deliverables

Final project report and presentation comprising a description of project, literature review, particles heater base design and optimization, and final suggestions.
Experimental campaign results and analysis.