The next generation of concentrating solar power (CSP) plants will require thermal storage to enable dispatchable renewable energy. One storage option to achieve &gt;50% electrical efficiency at &gt;700°C is chloride salts. Initial work is evaluating compatibility of commercial Ni-based alloys under isothermal conditions in a sealed Ni or Mo capsules at 800°C. The MgCl<sub>2</sub>-KCl-NaCl salt from a commercial source was purified using a laboratory process to minimize the O content as well as the S and Br levels found in the starting salt. The first series of experiments was conducted for 100 h at 800°C using alloys such as 230 (Ni-22Cr-12W) and 600 (Ni-16Cr-9Fe). Multiple experiments are being conducted with the same conditions to evaluate reproducibility of mass change as well as depth of Cr dissolution, which is the typical alloy degradation mechanism in halide salts. Once reasonable compatibility is observed in static conditions, the next phase of the work is to conduct experiments in flowing salt using a thermal convection loop, where the temperature gradient is more representative of the CSP application.

Compatibility studies of Ni-base alloys with commercial molten chloride salt

256th National Meeting (2018)

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