Different fluid compositions have been considered as heat transfer fluids (HTF) for concentrating solar power (CSP) applications. In linear focusing CSP systems synthetic oils are prevalently employed; more recently, the use of molten salt mixtures in linear focusing CSP systems has been proposed too. This paper presents a comparative assessment of thermal oils and five four nitrate/nitrite mixtures, among the ones mostly employed or proposed so far for CSP applications. The typical medium-size CSP plant (50 MWe) operating with synthetic oil as HTF and the “solar salt” as TES was considered as a benchmark. In the first part of the paper, physical properties and operation ranges of different HTFs are reviewed; corrosion and environmental issues are highlighted too. Besides an extensive review of HTFs based on data available from the open literature, the authors report their own obtained experimental data needed to thoroughly compare different solutions. In the second part of the paper, the impact of the different HTF options on the design and operation of CSP plants are analyzed from techno-economic perspectives.

Molten salts eutectics are promising candidates as phase change materials (PCMs) for thermal storage applications, especially considering the possibility to store and release heat at high temperatures. Although many compounds have been proposed for this purpose in the scientific literature, very few data are available regarding actual applications. In particular, there is a lack of information concerning thermal storage at temperatures around 600 °C, necessary for the coupling with a highly efficient Rankine cycle powered by concentrated solar power (CSP) plants. In this contest, the present work deals with a thermophysical behavior investigation of a storage heat exchanger containing a cost-effective and safe ternary eutectic, consisting of sodium chloride, potassium chloride, and sodium carbonate. This material was preliminarily and properly selected and characterized to comply with the necessary melting temperature and latent enthalpy. Then, an indirect heat exchanger was considered for the simulation, assuming aluminum capsules to confine the PCM, thus obtaining the maximum possible heat exchange surface and air at 5 bar as heat transfer fluid (HTF). The modelling was carried out setting the inlet and outlet air temperatures at, respectively, 290 °C and 550 °C, obtaining a realistic storage efficiency of around 0.6. Finally, a conservative investment cost was estimated for the storage system, demonstrating a real possible economic benefit in using these types of materials and heat exchange geometries, with the results varying, according to possible manufacturing prices, in a range from 25 to 40 EUR/kWh.

This study provides a comprehensive review of molten salt technology, as well as electrochemical and thermochemical processes aimed at hydrogen and syngas production. First, this research illustrates the current types of molten salt mixtures, detailing their main applications and thermophysical properties. Then, the analysis delves into existing thermo-electrochemical cycles and their specific operating conditions for producing hydrogen and syngas. Moreover, this study assesses the compatibility of these processes with molten salt integration. This investigation involved a comprehensive review of the existing technical and scientific literature, blending insights and practical experiences to offer detailed data on the topics explored. The findings suggest that molten salts, with their medium–high operating temperatures, can markedly improve the efficiency and sustainability of hydrogen and syngas production. Furthermore, this study outlines the pivotal role these technologies can play in achieving the European Union’s ambitious goals by enhancing the use of renewable energy sources and advancing the shift to carbon-free solutions.

Parabolic trough concentrated solar power (CSP) plants are particularly promising renewable sources of energy, whose easy integration with thermal energy storage (TES) systems allows to mitigate the intermittency of electricity generation. Currently, molten nitrates, with two tanks arrangement, are mainly used for sensible heat accumulation. To reduce costs and make the CSP storage systems more manageable, single tank configurations have been proposed, where the cold and hot fluids are stored in the same container and separated because of their density difference. The aim of the present work is to study the storage performances presented by two novel ternary and quaternary mixtures, proposed within the European project IN POWER. An experimental campaign was preliminarily performed to investigate the fluids thermo-physical properties, and the obtained values were utilized as input data to model the discharge phase in a thermocline tank. The simulation results were compared with the ones acquired considering two commercial materials, namely, solar salt and Hitec XL®. Overall, considering same temperature ranges, higher discharging times are obtained for the quaternary and ternary mixtures, with the ternary presenting a smaller thermocline thickness than the solar salt while this parameter is the same considering the quaternary and Hitec XL®.

Thermal oils have been utilized as heat transfer fluids for several decades in many applications, including industrial facilities, power plants and solar receiver systems. Despite their large employment, very few data are available about oils behavior under thermal stress and related degradation processes. For these reasons, the thermal stability of a silicone-based diathermic oil, Bluesil FLD 550 HT, was investigated in the present work. A laboratory-scale set-up was assessed to perform controlled heating tests, and fresh and thermally aged oils samples were analyzed to determine changes in chemical composition and thermo-physical features. Degradation products in the gaseous and vapor phase were also detected and analyzed by online and offline measurements. The obtained results are compared with the ones present for aromatic oils, largely employed as heat transfer media. Bluesil showed a higher thermal resistance compared to aromatic materials, and, thanks to its low volatility together with a high chemical stability, it was successfully tested up to 500 °C. According to its polymeric structure, thermal degradation processes occur mainly through Si-O bond scission, leading to both the segmentation of silicone chains and the formation of cross-linked species as byproducts.

Chemical systems for thermal energy storage are promising routes to overcome the issue of solar irradiation discontinuity, helping to improve the cost-effectiveness and dispatchability of this technology. The present work is concerned with the simulation of a configuration based on an indirect-packed bed heat exchanger, for which few experimental and modelling data are available about practical applications. Since air shows advantages both as a reactant and heat transfer fluid, the modelling was performed considering a redox oxide based system, and, for this purpose, it was considered a pelletized aluminum/manganese spinel. A symmetrical configuration was selected and the calculation was carried out considering a heat duty of 125 MWth and a storage period of 8 h. Firstly, the heat exchanger was sized considering the mass and energy balances for the discharging step, and, subsequently, air inlet temperature and mass flow were determined for the charging step. The system performances were then modelled as a function of the heat exchanger length and the charging and discharging time, by solving the relative 1D Navier-Stokes equations. Despite limitations in the global heat exchange efficiency, resulting in an oversize of the storage system, the results showed a good storage efficiency of about 0.7.