MAN Energy Solutions delivers molten-salt circuit for solar-research facility

Molten-salt storage and the energy transition

Norbert Anger, Site Manager of MAN Energy Solutions in Deggendorf, said: “Already today, renewable sources supply almost 50% of the German electricity mix with this set to rise to at least 65% by 2030. Storage solutions will therefore play an increasingly central role in ensuring a reliable and efficient energy-supply. Molten-salt circuits already have large storage capacities and can store energy, for example from renewable-energy sources, for a particularly long time and at low cost.”

Molten-Salt Energy Storage (MAN MOSAS) uses salt as a storage medium. For this purpose, the salt is first heated to a temperature of, typically, 565°C and then fed into a hot storage tank. The thermal energy can be stored in the tank for several days and – if required at a later date – can be converted back into electricity, for example by means of a steam turbine. During this process, the salt is cooled to around 290°C and is then available for further storage processes in the cold storage tank.

“We analyse how liquid salts behave at even higher temperatures. Our goal is to raise the salt temperature to 600°C. In doing so, we are striving to further increase efficiency and also reduce the cost of electricity production,” said Miriam Ebert, Project Manager at the German Aerospace Centre’s Institute for Solar Research. “On a small scale, the molten-salt circuit in our pilot plant works almost like a larger, solar-thermal power plant. This means that our findings can be scaled up to an industrial level.”

20 years of co-operation

MAN Energy Solutions and DLR have worked together on various contracts since 2001, including engine test stands for Ariane rocket engines at the Lampoldshausen site. For two years now, the DLR and MAN have been jointly involved in the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy’s ‘HPMS II’ research project. MAN has already begun developing and manufacturing the solar receiver required for this project.

Based on decades of experience in engineering and the production of molten-salt-cooled reactor systems for the chemical industry at the MAN site in Deggendorf – along with successful co-operation in joint research projects – MAN Energy Solutions won the new order in a Europe-wide tender. The company has now assumed responsibility for the detailed engineering of the molten-salt circuit, its manufacture and installation, as well as its commissioning. The aim is to commercialise molten-salt technology as an important part of the energy transition.

For more news and technical articles from the global renewable industry read our latest issue of Energy Global magazine.

Energy Global’s Summer 2020 issue

The Summer issue of Energy Global provides in-depth technical articles covering technological advancements and future outlooks in the renewables sector, from companies including Sulzer, Power Ledger, JinkoSolar, Trelleborg Applied Technologies, Clir Renewables, and many more. The issue covers a spectrum of clean energies, from wind to hydrogen to solar to biofuels.

Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/solar/25092020/man-energy-solutions-delivers-molten-salt-circuit-for-solar-research-facility/