Optimization of a New Design of Molten Salt-to-CO₂ Heat Exchanger Using Exergy Destruction Minimization

One of the ways to make cost-competitive electricity, from concentrated solar thermal energy, is increasing the thermoelectric conversion efficiency. To achieve this objective, the most promising scheme is a molten salt central receiver, coupled to a supercritical carbon dioxide cycle. A key element to be developed in this scheme is the molten salt-to-CO₂ heat exchanger. This paper presents a heat exchanger design that avoids the molten salt plugging and the mechanical stress due to the high pressure of the CO₂, while improving the heat transfer of the supercritical phase, due to its compactness with a high heat transfer area. This design is based on a honeycomb-like configuration, in which a thermal unit consists of a circular channel for the molten salt surrounded by six smaller trapezoidal ducts for the CO₂. Further, an optimization based on the exergy destruction minimization has been accomplished, obtained the best working conditions of this heat exchanger: a temperature approach of 50 °C between both streams and a CO₂ pressure drop of 2.7 bar.