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 a Brayton-cycle via a liquid-metal/gas heat exchanger, or indirectly by a secondary circuit transferred to steam circuit. To equalize the fluctuating heat input from solar radiation, the liquid metal can be temporarily stored in thermal liquid metal heat storage units and provide heat for the primary or secondary circuit as needed.

Within the scope of the work, the thermal flow in a thermocline sodium thermal storage will be studied by means of CFD for typical thermal-hydraulic boundary conditions of solar thermal power plants. The aim is the optimization of the thermal flow filed inside the storage tank as well as the identification of critical flow areas.

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

Development of a CFD model of the Na-He thermal storage

CFD simulation and result evaluation

Writing the master thesis and presenting the results within a scientific colloquium

Duration: 6 Month

Starting Date:  immediately

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)