Dynamic modeling of molten salt power towers

A detailed understanding of the transient behavior of a receiver using molten salt as heat transfer fluid is of great importance for an efficient and safe operation. To analyze the transient operation a dynamic model for the flow in the receiver is currently under development, which will be capable to analyze the one-phase flow during normal operation and the two-phase flow during filling and draining. The model can be coupled to raytracing simulation in order to use a realistic flux density distribution as input for the model. In the paper the modelling approach for the receiver model is described shortly and validation results are discussed. This includes a detailed discussion of the heat transfer during the filling procedure, where an interesting phenomenon was discovered. Finally, the results for a parameter variation of the filling procedure and the simulation results for the impact of certain cloud events on the operation of the receiver are presented.