Design and thermodynamic analysis of 1050 MW coal-fired power unit coupled with molten salt thermal energy storage system

Xiaoming Zhou, Zhu Zhang and Yanni Jiang

Energy, 2025, vol. 320, issue C

Abstract: The application of molten salt energy thermal storage technology in coal-fired power unit can substantially augment their deep peaking capabilities and facilitate the utilization of renewable energy. Nevertheless, existing studies exhibit a critical gap in systematically analyzing the molten salt thermal energy storage integration with 1000-MW class coal-fired power units for comprehensive steam thermal energy recovery. To bridge this research gap while optimizing the thermodynamic performance of integrated energy systems, this study develops a hybrid molten salt energy storage system incorporating phase-change and liquid molten salts, engineered for a 1050 MW ultra-supercritical coal-fired unit. Comprehensive techno-economic analyses of 14 retrofitting schemes were conducted through thermodynamic and numerical simulations methods. The findings indicate that the utilization of the combined heat storage system of liquid molten salt and phase-change molten salt can significantly improve the efficiency of the coupled system, with the maximum cycle efficiency of the heat storage system reaching 76.22 %. Moreover, the investment payback period of the heat storage system can reach 3.72 years. It meets the deep peak-shaving demands of 1000-MW class coal-fired power units while demonstrating significant competitive advantages in the market.

Keywords: 1050 MW; Coal-fired power unit; Molten salt energy storage; Peak shaving; Flexible operation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:320:y:2025:i:c:s036054422500934x

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.135292

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