Study on the coupled photon-thermal-stress integration method, characteristics with time and failure criterion in the solar molten salt cavity receiver

Abstract

In this paper, the studies on the characteristics with time and failure criterion in the solar molten salt cavity receiver are carried out based on the coupled photon-thermal-stress integration method. Especially, the truly non-uniformed solar heat flux in the cavity receiver with different time are simulated using the optical simulation approach coupling the Monte Carlo ray tracing and Gebhart methods proposed by our team. Besides, the complex coupled heat transfer process of conduction, convection and radiative in the receiver are also comprehensively considered. Based on the integrally model, the solar flux, temperature and thermal stress on the absorber surfaces with different time are obtained. Then, the influences of different tube materials, flow layouts of molten salt on the coupling performances of photon-thermal-stress conversion process are discussed. Finally, the stress failure criterion in the molten salt cavity receiver is proposed based on the fracture mechanics theory. The results show that the temperature and thermal stress are influenced significantly by the non-uniformed solar flux, the distribution of temperature and thermal stress are also extremely non-uniformed. The solar flux and thermal stress change remarkably with different time, the peak heat flux and stress are maximum at 12:00 noon, and the peak thermal stress could increase by 11% and 10% compared with 11:00 and 13:00. It is also found that the peak thermal stress would be reduced effectively when the receiver tube with better thermal conductivity property and the molten salt flow layout which is from low-flux area to high-flux area are adopted. For example, compared with 800H receiver tube, the peak thermal stress of 316H tube could be reduced by 37%. Meanwhile, the peak thermal stress of flow layout which is from low to high flux area would be 20% lower than that with the opposite layout. The fracture toughness of receiver tube, which is influenced by the molten salt corrosion, is one of the key parameters to assess stress failure. Based on the stress failure criterion of critical solar flux proposed by this paper, the critical heat flux of stress failure would exhibit a decreasing trend when the fracture toughness degradation is serious in the molten salt receiver.