Comparative review of different influence factors on molten salt corrosion characteristics for thermal energy storage

Abstract As high-temperature heat transfer medium and thermal energy storage material, molten salts are widely applied in concentrating solar power (CSP) plants and molten salt reactors (MSR). The molten salt corrosion is a crucial influence factor for the system safety operation. Different influence factors such as temperature, impurity, alloy composition, gas atmosphere, nanofluids and flow state on molten salt corrosion are comparatively summarized in this work. Meanwhile, the corrosion mechanisms of nitrate, carbonate, chloride and fluoride salts are emphatically reviewed. Furthermore, the anti-corrosion strategies of metallic materials to molten salt are presented. Finally, the future research directions of molten salt corrosion characteristics are proposed. This work could provide practical guidance for the application selection of metal materials in the CSP and MSR system.