MIXING PERFORMANCE OF HIGH TEMPERATURE MOLTEN SALT MIXING TANK

Zhang Bing; Gao Zhongwen; Feng Sensen; BaiJianjun; Sun Yu

doi:10.19912/j.0254-0096.tynxb.2025-0219

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Acta Energiae Solaris Sinica ›› 2026, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (6) : 806-814. DOI: 10.19912/j.0254-0096.tynxb.2025-0219

MIXING PERFORMANCE OF HIGH TEMPERATURE MOLTEN SALT MIXING TANK

Zhang Bing^1,2, Gao Zhongwen^1,2, Feng Sensen^1,2, BaiJianjun^1,2, Sun Yu^1,2

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Abstract

With the development of concentrated solar power generation technology and the need for heat recovery from industrial exhaust gases and high-temperature flue gases, high-temperature molten salt power generation technology plays an increasingly important role. In some cases, due to the process needs, it is necessary to mix the low-temperature molten salt with the high-temperature molten salt to reach the desired temperature. In this paper, Ansys Fluent software was used to study the flow, heat transfer and thermodynamic characteristics of the mixing process in the high temperature molten salt mixing tank, and the influence of different structures on the mixing performance was also analyzed. According to the results, it is obtained that the air inside the tank is heated by the molten salt during the salt charging process of the mixing tank, resulting in a certain amount of heat loss, which makes the actual mixing time longer than the theoretical calculation time. In the salt charging process, the baffle structure prevents part of the heat exchange between the molten salt and the air, which reduces the heat loss, and the baffle is more conducive to shorten the mixing time without opening holes. Besides, for elbow counter-current inlet type, the cold and hot molten salt fully contact when they were out from the inlet, which show better mixing result than the manifold inlet structure.

Key words

solar thermal power generation / molten salt / heat conduction / numerical simulation / mixing tank / salt charging process / temperature mixing performance

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Zhang Bing, Gao Zhongwen, Feng Sensen, BaiJianjun, Sun Yu. MIXING PERFORMANCE OF HIGH TEMPERATURE MOLTEN SALT MIXING TANK[J]. Acta Energiae Solaris Sinica. 2026, 47(6): 806-814 https://doi.org/10.19912/j.0254-0096.tynxb.2025-0219

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