Identifying structural integrity issues for molten salt phase change material thermal storage systems from corrosion behavior

The Australian Solar Thermal Research Institute (ASTRI) is currently extending their research into supercritical CO2 Concentrated Solar-thermal Power (CSP) capability development. This new phase of research focuses of developing the knowledge and skills required for realizing CSP with a particular focus on the design, operation and maintenance of infrastructure. ASTRI CSP brings with it new challenges which have not been faced before by traditional power generation as ASTRI CSP operates at significantly higher temperatures, up to 750°C, that are cyclic on a daily basis, as well as operating in new corrosive environments that contain molten salt phase change materials (PCMs). This article takes an overview of corrosion and mechanical structural integrity with regards to material selection for ASTRIs emerging thermal storage CSP technology.