Comparative study of thermally stratified tank using different heat transfer materials for concentrated solar power plant

This paper presents a comparative analysis of thermal and mechanical behaviors of the thermally stratified heat storage system using three different heat transfer materials, which are the binary nitrate salt, ternary nitrate salt and liquid lead–bismuth eutectic (LBE) alloy. The discharging behaviors of the tank using three different heat transfer materials are investigated by using both the algebraic and numerical models. For all the three materials, the algebraic results are consistent with the simulation ones. During the discharging process, in comparison, the thermal stratification thickness of the tank using the binary nitrate salt is relatively smaller, which can lead to a better discharging performance. The comparison results of expanding behaviors of the standby tank reveal that the thermal stratification thicknesses of tanks using the three different heat transfer materials all increase with the standby time increased. Compared with the other two materials, the thermal stratification thickness of the tank using the binary nitrate salt is the smallest at the same standby time. The comparison results of mechanical behaviors of the tank demonstrate that the maximum mechanical stress of the tank using the liquid LBE is the greatest, while the tank using the molten salts can have better mechanical properties

Analyzing the effects of government policy and solar photovoltaic hydrogen production on promoting CO2 capture and utilization by using evolutionary game analysis

This study aims at proposing a public-private partnership project including the government (GOVT), coal-fired power plant (CTPP) and solar photovoltaic power plant (PVPP) toward carbon emission reduction and neutralization in China. The project is formed using the CO2 capture and utilization (CCU) and solar PV hydrogen production technologies. When all the participators cooperate, the influence of typical factors on the project is evaluated using the evolutionary game theory method. The results show that increasing the CCU subsidy can strengthen the participating intention of the CTPP but will reduce that of the GOVT. Improving the green electricity subsidy can strengthen the participating intention of the PVPP but will decrease that of the GOVT. To ensure the smooth running of the project, a relatively higher carbon emission penalty and a higher sales price of methanol should be ensured, the PVPP should control its daily working hours appropriately, and the proportion of electricity quantity of the PVPP used for hydrogen production should be increased. In this study, the suggested ranges of CCU and green electricity subsidy coefficients are 0.03–0.05 $/kWh and 0.0035–0.0045$/kWh, the carbon emission penalty coefficient should be greater than 11 $/t, and the suggested range of daily working hours of the PVPP is 7–8 h