The authors thank the following individuals who provided input to this roadmap. These individuals participated in a DOE-sponsored CSP Gen3 workshop kicking off the roadmap effort as well as follow-on discussions leading to this publication. The Molten-Salt Technology Pathway working group that met at the workshop included the

Of the mechanisms to improve efficiency for solar-thermal power plants, one of the most effective ways to improve overall efficiency is through power cycle improvements. As increases in operating temperature continue to be pursued, supercritical CO 2 Brayton cycles begin to look more attractive despite the development costs of this technology. Further, supercritical CO 2 Brayton has application in many areas of power generation beyond that for solar energy alone. One challenge particular to solar-thermal power generation is the transient nature of the solar resource. This work illustrates the behavior of developmental Brayton turbomachinery in response to a fluctuating thermal input, much like the short-term transients experienced in solar environments. Thermal input to the cycle was cut by 50% and 100% for short durations while the system power and conditions were monitored. It has been shown that despite these fluctuations, the thermal mass in the system effectively enables the Brayton cycle to continue to run for short periods until the thermal input can recover. For systems where significant thermal energy storage is included in the plant design, these transients can be mitigated by storage; a comparison of short-and long-term storage approaches on system efficiency is provided. Also, included in this work is a data set for stable supercritical CO 2 Brayton cycle operation that is used to benchmark computer modeling. With a benchmarked model, specific improvements to the cycle are interrogated to identify the resulting impact on cycle efficiency and loss mechanisms. Status of key issues remaining to be addressed for adoption of supercritical CO 2 Brayton cycles in solar-thermal systems is provided in an effort to expose areas of necessary research.

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State of the art thermal solar power uses nitrate salts as the heat transfer fluid. In order to increase operating efficiencies high turbine inlet temperatures must be achieved. Different heat transfer fluids must be considered for this purpose. Corrosion mechanisms in chloride and carbonate based salts were reviewed to better understand the practical implications for using either salt in a solar system.

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