A Novel Storage Method for CSP Plants Allowing Operation at High Temperature

Storing heat using packed beds of chemically inert materials, such as the spheres of alumina under development by CUNY, can be used to decrease the cost of thermal energy storage.

City College of New York (CCNY), under the Thermal Storage FOA, is developing and testing a novel thermal storage method that allows operation at very high temperatures.

Approach

CCNY is working to develop a storage method that can be applied to all existing CSP technologies. The college is also creating a mathematical model that describes the phenomena involved in the heat storage and recovery. The goal is to prepare a complete design package allowing reliable scale-up and optimization for any design.

Innovation

The proposed design substantially extends both upper and lower operating temperature constraints, which allows reduction of the costs below the cost goals fixed by DOE. This design also eliminates the need for heat tracing along a parabolic trough system that is capable of operation at a temperature of at least 500°C.

Publications, Patents, and Awards

At this time, this project does not have published articles, patents, or awards.

Quarterly Progress Reports

CSP Program Overview

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