Master Thesis - Topic Concentrated Solar Power: Numerical flow simulation of Sodium/sCO2 and Sodium/He-heat exchangers

The heat flux density at the focus point of concentrated solar power plants (CSP) often reaches values of 4-8 MW/m2. To extract the heat from the receiver, liquid metals - and among them liquid sodium – are well suited for that purpose.

Within the secondary ciruit, sCO2 can play an important role as heat transfer medium in efficient Brayton cycles. In addition, Helium can be used for that purpose in special cases.

This thesis aims at a designing a heat exchanger that matches the requirements above. The design rules can include parameters for processes of additive manufacturing such as Selective Laser Melting. This enables a monolithic design, a high functional integration and a good performance due to fine grade channels within the structure.

The Master thesis should first identify proper parameters for a tube bundle heat exchanger. These parameters should be applied by means of CFD simulations on a case study of a 700kWth CSP-plant to realize a functional construction and a high performance.

Experiences in numerical fluid dynamics and heat transfer are desirable.

Duration: 6 Months
Start of the Master Thesis: immediately

Location: Institute for Neutron Physics and Reactor Technology, KIT Campus North
Group: Facility Design, System Dynamics and Safety

Contact: Dr. Joachim Fuchs (joachim.fuchs@kit.edu) and Dr. Michael Böttcher (michael.boettcher@kit.edu)