Robust High-Temperature Heat Exchangers

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This team will develop a high-performance heat exchanger based on a new ceramic-metal composite material (cermet) for transfer of high-temperature (greater than 750 ° Celsius) molten chlorides, with supercritical carbon dioxide as the working fluid for energy conversion in the power block of a concentrating solar thermal power system. The higher failure strengths and thermal conductivities at 800 °C of these cermets instead of metal alloys will allow the team to design smaller, lower-cost heat exchangers than would otherwise be possible. By tailoring the cermet surface and fluid chemistry, the cermets also have the ability to withstand thermal cycling and thermal shock, as well as resist corrosion from molten salts and fluids based on supercritical carbon dioxide.