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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - IN-POWER (Advanced Materials technologies to QUADRUPLE the Concentrated Solar Thermal current POWER GENERATION)

Teaser

Summary

International studies indicate that 50% of CAPEX goes to solar and thermal conversion fields and OPEX represents around 20% of total costs. IN-POWER takes these hypotheses as a baseline of its research, focusing on how to reduce these costs, improving at same time the annual energy production of the CSP technologies.
IN-POWER aims to develop and integrate new innovative material consist of:
1. High reflectance, tailored shapes, self-healing and anti-soiling coated, light glass-free smart mirrors,
2. Optimized and lighter mirror support structure,
3. High-operational-temperature absorber coating in new vacuum-free-designed lineal receiver.
4. Novel modular solar field architecture and design achievable by these new components. Having the identical low associated environmental impact, this promising technology is expected to decrease the land use by four-time.
5. High-operating-temperature thermal storage materials (TES) that will guarantee up to three-time increase in thermal capacity respect to standard TES, depending on Heat Transfer Fluid (HTF), also leading to the reduction of thermal storage system size.
6. IN-POWER will validate these novel functional materials and new manufacturing processes and will guarantee decrease in Levelised Cost of Electricity below 0.10 â‚¬/KWh beyond 2020 by validating these technologies in Lineal Fresnel Collector and Parabolic through Collector pilot plants under 2100-2700 kWh/(mÂ²a).

Work performed

As starting point, In Power consortium defines reference materials, components and CSP plants in WP2.
The new multicoated polymeric mirror is developed in WP3. NEMATIA works on mirror design (small and up-scaled component), and tools for its fabrication. Its design for small mirror is ready and the up-scaled one is in progress. GEOCAD took these designs and prepare the tools and molds for the injection of polymeric substrate. The first series of 100cm2 mirror has been done and coated by successive layers: reflective layer self-healing layer and antisoiling layer. KOLZER developed tools for coat several mirrors with suitable homogeneity for high reflective KPI. In parallel, VOTTELER is working in upgrade its self-healing coating increasing antisoiling properties. LEITAT also develops a new antisoiling for mild environmental conditions.
Once the reference materials for absorber coating are defined, IK4-TEKNIKER looks for optimal multilayer configuration in WP4. A stack of layers comprising IR reflecting mirror, absorber and antireflective layer is defined, and different combinations of these materials are studied. Values of absorbance are very close to the expected target and also an impressive reduction in emissivity is achieved. Different test and modelling are under development to define final stack of layers.
In WP5, the new thermal storage materials and thermal storage systems are developed. FERTIBERIA is working in a new formulation of eutectic mixture, which have been studied and well modelled and selection is ready. Thermal capacity of binary system is closed to the target KPIs. CEA LITEN is working in encapsulated phase change materials (PCM) that can be combined with eutectic mixture in a thermocline design. Among this, CEA is also working in anticorrosion coatings for thermal storage tank, due to thermal cycling. Using the properties of the new materials, CEA is modelling two types of thermal storage systems.
In line with WP3, in WP6, the consortium is working in optimized the solar field of CSP plants. A new composite, designed by LEITAT, for replace current steel, has been defined to make a new design for mirrorâ€™s support. Different modelling of such composite has been done, looking for a right composition that accomplishes mechanical properties. Mechanical properties are measured and validation of the model is done. Testing of new composite sample has been done, and also modelling of mechanical test has been validated using empirical data from mechanical characterization and accelerated aging test.
In parallel, taking into account the material properties of the mirror, a new design of solar field is ongoing. First model is introduced in TRACE PRO software by LEITAT and from now, different optimization steps will be done, feeding from WP3 data regarding the materials.
WP 7 starts in month 18, which planning of tests is already planned by ENEA, considering test for the different samples and the timeline of the test, in laboratory and in pilot plants. In parallel, three types of assessment are done in WP8: economical, environmental and standardization. First definition of model LCOE calculation is in progress by OHLi. Cost of reference materials and starting LCOE, defined in WP2, are inputs for this model. These values are monitoring in the previous WPs in order achieve real reduced costs at the end of the project. An environmental LCA of baseline of CSP plants defined in WP2 with reference materials and components is in progress.

Final results

IN-POWER mirror activities achieve a 30% of weight reduction (compare with glassy mirror), high robustness showed by scratch test. Among this first trials indicates a 0,95 in hemispherical reflectivity in 590-720 nm and 0,94 of specular reflectivity and hemispherical average of 0.93. New composite for mirror support allows, among reduction in costs, mass reduction of 30%, with high robustness showed by mechanical tests under standards. The innovative solar field design is reported and now optical-thermal modelling is in progress.
High performance advanced cermet absorber coatings has been achieved with absorbance of 0.93 and emissivity of 0.5. On the other hand, advanced coatings, to be used in vacuum receiver at 600ÂºC using molten salts as heat transfer fluid, are in progress. Up to now, absorbance of 0.969 has been achieved and emissivity (400) of 13.2% which is under optimization in order to reduce in 10% de thermal losses.
Up to now, two thermal storage eutectic salts has been selected by FERTIBERIA (1) working between 113ÂºC to 550ÂºC temperature range and (2) between 208ÂºC and 575ÂºC. Using physical and chemical characterization done by CEA and LEITAT, modelization of such compounds let to further optimization of eutectic mixtures. Manufacturing cost reduction up to 20% will be studied in the next months. CEA LITEN has been screened several encapsulated PCM where best option has melting temperature point between 574 and 582ÂºC. This encapsulated PCM layer in TES system will reduce the thermal losses during cycling. In parallel, CEA is working in anticorrosive coating for TES tanks, looking for wet processed low cost anticorrosive solution instead of vacuum high cost current solutions.
Two TES have been studied; one with two tanks and thermocline tank, which validation of this model is in progress. Next steps will be the final definition of thermal storage materials in terms of performance and costs.
Moreover, to ensure IN-POWER technologies adoption and production of, activities regarding sustainability, standardization, manufacturing process assessment are considered. Kolzer has been studied alternative metal from Ag as metallic reflective layers. Up to now, best results come from Ag coatings. However more assays are in progress as deposition of multimetal stacked reflective layer. First results in antisoaling properties of self healing layer and antisoaling layer indicate an improvement on hydrophobicity, indicating that less water will be need it for O&M activities.