Thermal Spray Processes in Concentrating Solar Power Technology

Abstract

Solar power is a sustainable and affordable source of energy, and has gained interest from academies, companies, and government institutions as a potential and efficient alternative for next-generation energy production. To promote the penetration of solar power in the energy market, solar-generated electricity needs to be cost-competitive with fossil fuels and other renewables. Development of new materials for solar absorbers able to collect a higher fraction of solar radiation and work at higher temperatures, together with improved design of thermal energy storage systems and components, have been addressed as strategies for increasing the efficiency of solar power plants, offering dispatchable energy and adapting the electricity production to the curve demand. Manufacturing of concentrating solar power components greatly affects their performance and durability and, thus, the global efficiency of solar power plants. The development of viable, sustainable, and efficient manufacturing procedures and processes became key aspects within the breakthrough strategies of solar power technologies. This paper provides an outlook on the application of thermal spray processes to produce selective solar absorbing coatings in solar tower receivers and high-temperature protective barriers as strategies to mitigate the corrosion of concentrating solar power and thermal energy storage components when exposed to aggressive media during service life.

Manufacturing of hybrid thermoplastic-thermoset fiber reinforced composite and metallization by cold spray technique

“…Recent industrial sectors advances are aided by advanced materials and manufacturing technique development in order to ensure improved performance [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. Specifically, in the aerospace sector, there has been an increase in the usage of polymer and PMCs to exploit the weight reduction as well as the high strength to weight ratio advantages.…”

Mechanical optimisation of Ni coatings produced by low-pressure cold spray

“…Nowadays, Thermal spray processes (like High Velocity Oxygen Fuel (HVOF), flame arc, and plasma spray) are emerging as suitable technology to produce solar selective coatings for CSP receivers and as corrosion-resistant coatings in energy storage system components, balancing the required optical properties and the structural integrity necessary to withstand harsh working conditions [1]. Compact or low-power alternatives of thermal spraying, with, have also been investigated on different material systems because of their less demanding operative requirements and being suitable for in-situ applications [2,3].…”

Development of Compact Plasma Sprayed Coatings for High Temperature Solar Tower Receivers

“…However, at high temperatures >700 ºC the paint degrades rapidly [6], making it unfeasible for Gen3 requirements [2], [7]. Rubino et al [8] reviewed recently the use of thermal spray coatings as an alternative to silicon-base black paints.…”