Power Generation Technology ›› 2025, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (5): 872-884.DOI: 10.12096/j.2096-4528.pgt.24057

• Energy Storage • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Recent Developments on the Application of Chloride Molten Salt Heat Storage Technology to New Energy Power Generation

Bo ZOU1, Jiandi REN1, Daoming XU1, Lisheng DENG2, Lida LIAO1, Junbing XIAO1,2   

  1. 1.School of Energy and Power Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha 410114, Hunan Province, China
    2.CAS Key Laboratory of Renewable Energy, Guangzhou 510640, Guangdong Province, China
  • Received:2024-07-03 Revised:2024-10-25 Published:2025-10-31 Online:2025-10-23
  • Supported by:
    the National Natural Science Foundation of China(52206192);CAS Key Laboratory of Renewable Energy,Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion(E229kf1001);Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province(2022JJ40499);Outstanding Youth Program of the Scientific Research Fund of Hunan Provincial Education Department(22B0289);Postgraduate Research Innovation of Changsha University of Science and Technology(CSLGCX23075)

Abstract:

Objectives Under the background of “double carbon”, molten salt thermal storage technology has been developed rapidly. Chloride molten salt has been used in solar thermal power generation and renewable energy peaking due to its advantages of good energy storage density, wide operating temperature range and low cost, therefore, the research progress of chloride molten salts in the field of new energy power generation is reviewed. Methods This work reviews domestic and international research on chloride molten salt materials, summarizes the methods to improve the thermal conductivity of chloride molten salts, outlines the measurement and regulation ways for the phase change behavior of chloride molten salts, and describes the corrosion studies on chloride molten salts. The application of chloride molten salt in the fields of photovoltaic power generation, new energy consumption and thermal power plant renovation is highlighted. It is pointed out that photovoltaic power generation is an important application of chloride molten salt in large-scale energy storage, and renewable energy consumption is a new strategy for the application of chloride molten salt. Finally, it outlooks the problems that need to be solved in the future development of chloride molten salt heat storage technology. Conclusions The development of alloy materials capable of withstanding high temperatures and corrosive environments, the exploration of cost-effective corrosion control technologies, and the collaborative development of chloride molten salt purification and corrosion mitigation methods are proposed as key issues for the commercialization of molten salt thermal storage technology. The transformation and upgrading of traditional energy systems by adopting molten salt thermal storage technology to realize clean and efficient energy utilization is an important trend in the future development of the energy field.

Key words: new energy, energy storage, solar energy, chloride molten salt, photothermal power generation, phase change heat storage, thermal conductivity, corrosion

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