Ana García-Romero

Preparation of nanofluids based on solar salt and boehmite nanoparticles: Characterization of starting materials

A nanofluid composed of Solar Salt (SS) and boehmite nanoparticles (A) in a concentration of 1% by weight, is proposed as thermal storage medium for Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants. A wide characterization of the raw materials has been done, focused on their thermal stability and the nanoparticle primary size and shape among other properties such as its specific heat and crystalline structure. Some features of the final nanofluids have been also investigated: thermal stability, nanoparticle sizes and their distribution and specific heat. The showed results confirm that these materials are thermally stable in the working temperature range both individually and combined. In addition, the synthesis procedure implemented is effective to keep the nanoparticle sizes in the nanometric range (<100 nm). These findings mean the first step to carry on research and characterization of this nanofluid.

Molten salt based nanofluids based on solar salt and alumina nanoparticles: An industrial approach

Thermal Energy Storage (TES) and its associated dispatchability is extremely important in Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants since it represents the main advantage of CSP technology in relation to other renewable energy sources like photovoltaic (PV). Molten salts are used in CSP plants as a TES material because of their high operational temperature and stability of up to 600°C. Their main problems are their relative poor thermal properties and energy storage density. A simple cost-effective way to improve the thermal properties of molten salts is to dope them with nanoparticles, thus obtaining the so-called salt-based nanofluids. Additionally, the use of molten salt based nanofluids as TES materials and Heat Transfer Fluid (HTF) has been attracting great interest in recent years. The addition of tiny amounts of nanoparticles to the base salt can improve its specific heat as shown by different authors1–3. The application of these nano-enhanced materials can lead to important savings on the investment c...

Silica and alumina nano-enhanced molten salts for thermal energy storage: A comparison

The study of more efficient materials for thermal energy storage at high temperatures is a broad field of research. The use of the nanotechnology is a strategy recently considered to enhance the thermal properties of these materials. The nano-enhanced Molten Salts (neMS) are constituted by an inorganic salt where tiny quantities of nanoparticles (NPs) are dispersed. These nanomaterials possess a specific heat higher than that of the salt or the isolated NPs. This phenomenon is not still well understood and great research efforts are needed to describe the interactions on the material at a molecular level. The existence of a nanolayer at the interface between the NPs surface and the molten salt with superior thermal properties is the main mechanism proposed up to now. A high available surface of the NPs promotes the formation of higher quantities of these nanostructures. The available surface depends on the NPs size and shape and is strongly reduced if NPs are agglomerated. We have studied and compared the effect on the specific heat of embedding two different ceramic NPs on molten Solar Salt.The study of more efficient materials for thermal energy storage at high temperatures is a broad field of research. The use of the nanotechnology is a strategy recently considered to enhance the thermal properties of these materials. The nano-enhanced Molten Salts (neMS) are constituted by an inorganic salt where tiny quantities of nanoparticles (NPs) are dispersed. These nanomaterials possess a specific heat higher than that of the salt or the isolated NPs. This phenomenon is not still well understood and great research efforts are needed to describe the interactions on the material at a molecular level. The existence of a nanolayer at the interface between the NPs surface and the molten salt with superior thermal properties is the main mechanism proposed up to now. A high available surface of the NPs promotes the formation of higher quantities of these nanostructures. The available surface depends on the NPs size and shape and is strongly reduced if NPs are agglomerated. We have studied and compared the...