STTR Phase I: Corrosion Inhibition of Stainless Steel Alloys in High Temperature Chloride Salts for Concentrated Solar Power Applications

这个小企业创新研究第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是通过开发具有成本效益的高温熔盐传热流体，用于聚光太阳能发电厂，使太阳能发电成为大规模消费的经济可行的可再生能源。随着世界范围内对能源需求的增长，替代能源在过去几十年中一直是研究的主要焦点。用于聚光太阳能发电厂的熔盐传热流体是此类研究的一个子领域。熔盐在高温（650 ℃）下具有优异的稳定性，可以开采并以合理的成本容易地制造成太阳能传热流体。 此外，所开发的熔盐传热流体将提高太阳能发电厂的能量产生效率，并通过利用普遍存在的经济金属如不锈钢来提供潜在的成本节约。传热流体可能会带来补贴的免费安装系统的价格在公用事业规模的竞争力的价格为5-6美分每kilowatth.The第一阶段的研究项目的技术目标是（i）发展的熔融氯化物盐组合物中的316 L不锈钢的界面腐蚀的基本理解和（ii）抑制这种腐蚀通过使用合适的添加剂。众所周知，氯化物盐可以潜在地提高工作温度（至900摄氏度），从而提高太阳能发电厂的能源效率。然而，熔融氯化物对太阳能发电厂中使用的不锈钢管的极端腐蚀行为阻碍了它们在实际应用中的使用。通过该研究项目获得的基本腐蚀见解，Dynalene打算开发专有的抑制剂组合物，可以在太阳能发电厂运行期间原位添加到氯化物盐中。这些添加剂通过在操作温度下在不锈钢表面上形成连续和惰性的陶瓷层来最小化腐蚀，并且通常强化晶界。Dynalene在不锈钢表面生长几微米厚的惰性连续陶瓷层方面取得了一些初步成功。在该项目中，Dynalene将开发一种腐蚀包，可减少钢的脱铬作用，并将316 L不锈钢的腐蚀速率限制在10微米/年

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project is through the development of cost effective, high temperature molten salt heat transfer fluids for concentrated solar power plants that would make solar power an economical and viable source of renewable energy for mass consumption. With the worldwide growing need for energy, alternative sources of energy have been the primary focus of research over the past few decades. Molten salt heat transfer fluid used in concentrated solar power plants are one sub-area of such research. Molten salts have excellent stability at high temperature (650C) and can be mined and easily manufactured into solar heat transfer fluids at a reasonable cost. Additionally, the developed molten salt heat transfer fluid would increase the efficiency of energy generation in solar power plants and provide potential cost savings by utilizing ubiquitous economical metals such as stainless steel. The heat transfer fluid could potentially bring the subsidy-free installed system price at the utility scale to a competitive price of 5-6 cents per kilowatt-hour.The technical objectives in this Phase I research project are to (i) develop a fundamental understanding of interfacial corrosion of 316L stainless steel in molten chloride salt compositions and (ii) inhibit this corrosion by utilizing suitable additives. It is known that chloride salts could potentially increase the operating temperatures (to 900 Celcius) and hence enhance the energy efficiency of solar power plants. However, the extreme corrosive behavior of molten chlorides towards the stainless steel pipes utilized in solar plants has prevented their usage for practical applications. With the fundamental corrosion insight gained through this research project, Dynalene intends to develop proprietary inhibitor compositions that can be added to the chloride salt in-situ during the operation of a solar power plant. These additives would minimize corrosion by forming a continuous and inert ceramic layer at the operating temperature on the stainless steel surface, and simultaneo usly strengthen the grain boundaries. Dynalene had some initial success in growing a few micron-thick inert, continuous ceramic layer on a stainless steel surface. In this project, Dynalene will develop a corrosion package that would reduce dechromatization in steel and restrict the corrosion rate of 316L stainless steel to 10 micro-meters/year