Master thesis in concentrated solar power: CFD simulation of a Sodium/Molten-Salt heat exchanger

  • chair:
  • place:

    Master Thesis

  • institute:

    Institute of Neutron Physics and Reactor Technology (INR)

  • starting date:

    immediately

  • Kontaktperson:

    M. Sc. Björn Brenneis (bjoern.brenneis@kit.edu) and

    Dr.-Ing. Sebastian Ruck (sebastian.ruck@kit.edu)

Liquid metals are characterized by excellent heat transfer properties compared to other heat transfer media. Due to their high thermal conductivity and allowable maximum temperatures for single phase conditions, high wall heat flux densities and enthalpy fluxes can be achieved in heat exchangers under high temperature conditions. Thus, they are a distinguished heat transfer media in receivers of concentrating solar power plants. The heat generated by the solar thermal energy in the receiver can either be directly transferred to the gas turbine cycle via a liquid-metal/gas heat exchanger, or first transferred to a molten salt running secondary cycle with a thermal heat storage via a liquid metal/molten salt heat exchanger.

 

Within the scope of the work, a numerical model of a liquid metal/molten salt tube and shell heat exchanger for CSP is to be developed. The layout and constructive design is derived from the relevant model parameters and the thermal-fluid-dynamic boundary conditions occurring in solar thermal power plants by using thermal design software. In order to identify critical flow areas  and highlight thermal flow field optimization within the heat exchanger, the flow will be modeled by computational fluid dynamics (CFD).

 

The master thesis includes the following tasks:

  • Working in the field: Computational fluid dynamics, turbulence modelling, heat exchanger design, liquid metal flows concentrated solar power plants
  • Layout and design of a liquid metal/molten salt tube and shell heat exchanger for different operation conditions
  • Geometry and numerical grid generation for CFD
  • CFD simulation and result evaluation
  • Writing the master thesis and presenting the results within a scientific colloquium

 

Duration: 6 Month

Starting Date:  immediately

Location: Institute of Neutron Physics and Reactor Technology (INR)
Group: Facility Design, System Dynamics and Safety

Contact and Supervisor: M. Sc. Björn Brenneis (bjoern.brenneis@kit.edu) and Dr.-Ing. Sebastian Ruck (sebastian.ruck@kit.edu)