Cross Effect Between Temperature and Consolidation on the Flow Behavior of Granular Materials in Thermal Energy Storage Systems

Calcium looping (CaL) process offers a promising option to boost the energy efficiency and dispatchability in concentrated solar power (CSP) plants. Backed by ample experience on lime and cement industry, the CaL integration in CSP plants could be not only a feasible and reliable technology for ener...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Durán-Olivencia, F. J., Espín, M. J., Valverde, José Manuel
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2020
País:España
Institución:Universidad Loyola Andalucía
Repositorio:Brújula
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.uloyola.es:20.500.12412/5033
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12412/5033
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Calcium Looping (CaL)
Concentrated Solar Power (CSP)
Thermochemical Energy Storage (TCES)
Thermal Energy Storage (TES)
Cohesive Granular Media
Fluidization
Descripción
Sumario:Calcium looping (CaL) process offers a promising option to boost the energy efficiency and dispatchability in concentrated solar power (CSP) plants. Backed by ample experience on lime and cement industry, the CaL integration in CSP plants could be not only a feasible and reliable technology for energy storage but also a low-cost choice based on the abundance and cheap price of limestone (CaCO3). However, to date, there is no deep fundamental understanding about how different conditions through the pipes and in storage silos affect the flowability of the granular medium. This is a critical issue, therefore, concerning the ease with which the granular medium is transported, fluidized, or stored. Our present work challenges the status quo on the granular-based energy storage systems in which many central questions about powder dynamics through the circuit have been dodged. To deeply explore and figure out optimal settings, we have investigated the potential side effects that change in temperature and consolidations can induce in the powder flowability. In so doing, we analyze the variation of the tensile strength of the powder while it is being fluidized in a wide range of temperatures and consolidations. The powder, CaCO3 with a particle size around 50 μm, was chosen to mimic the actual conditions in CaL-CSP pilot plants (currently under development). The results show a severe impact on cohesion when the CaCO3 granular medium is exposed at different temperatures ranging from ambient to 500oC, and consolidation stresses up to 2 kPa. With cohesion increasing up until an order of magnitude in this range of relatively low consolidations, it is a foregone conclusion that those changes uncover a scenario that has not been brought up so far.