Study of Material Compatibility for a Thermal Energy Storage System with Phase Change Material

Songgang Qiu, Laura Solomon and Ming Fang
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Songgang Qiu: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
Laura Solomon: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
Ming Fang: Bechtel National Incorporation, Hanford Waste Treatment Plant, Richland, WA 99354, USA

Energies, 2018, vol. 11, issue 3, 1-18

Abstract: The suitability of stainless steel 316L and Inconel 625 for use in a latent heat thermal energy storage (TES) system was investigated. A NaCl–NaF eutectic mixture with a melting temperature of 680 °C was used as the phase change material (PCM). Containers were filled with the PCM prior to heating to 750 °C, then examined after 100 and 2500 h of high-temperature exposure by analyzing the material surface and cross-section areas. A small amount of corrosion was present in both samples after 100 h. Neither sample suffered significant damage after 2500 h. The undesirable inter-granular grain boundary attack found in SS316L samples was in the order of 1–2 µm in depth. On Inconel 625 sample surface, an oxide complex formed, resisting material dissolution into the PCM. The surface morphology of tested samples remained largely unchanged after 2500 h, but the corrosion pattern changed from an initially localized corrosion penetration to a more uniform type. After 2500 h, the corrosion depth of Inconel 625 remained at roughly 1–2 µm, indicating that the corrosion rate decelerated. Both materials demonstrated good compatibility with the chosen NaF–NaCl eutectic salt, but the low corrosion activity in Inconel 625 samples shows a performance advantage for long term operation.

Keywords: thermal energy storage (TES); phase change material (PCM); concentrating solar power (CSP); molten salt; material compatibility; corrosion rate (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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