Estimate of thermal fatigue lifetime for the INCONEL 625lCF plate while exposed to concentrated solar radiation

Abstract

A system for testing the thermal cycling of materials and components has been developed and installed at the DISTAL-I parabolic dish facility located at the Plataforma Solar de Almería (PSA) in Spain. This system allows us to perform abrupt heating/cooling tests by exposing central solar receiver materials to concentrated solar radiation. These tests are performed to simulate both the normal and critical operational conditions of the central solar receiver. The thermal fatigue life for the INCONEL 625LCF ® plate when subjected to concentrated solar radiation has been estimated with this system. We have also developed a numerical model that evaluates the thermal behavior of the plate material; additionally, the model yields the tensile-compressive stresses on the plate, which allow the estimation of the Stress-Life (S-N) fatigue curves. These curves show that the lifetime of the plate is within the High Cycle Fatigue (HCF) region at the operational temperatures of both 650 °C and 900 °C. KeywordsHeating tests; Cooling tests; Thermal stresses; Thermal fatigue; INCONEL. Estimación del tiempo de vida bajo fatiga térmica para una placa de inconel 625lCF, mientras se expone a radiación solar concentrada ResumenEn el concentrador solar de disco parabólico DISTAL-I, situado en la Plataforma Solar de Almería (PSA), en España, se ha instalado un sistema para pruebas de ciclado térmico de materiales. Este sistema permite realizar pruebas abruptas de calentamiento y enfriamiento, en materiales para receptores solares de torre central, al exponerlos a radiación solar concentrada. Estas pruebas se realizan para simular las condiciones de operación de un receptor solar, las condiciones críticas y las condiciones normales. Con este sistema se ha estimado el tiempo de vida bajo fatiga térmica, en una placa de INCONEL 626LCF ® , cuando es sometida a radiación solar concentrada. Asimismo, hemos desarrollado un modelo numérico que evalúa el desarrollo térmico en el material de la placa: adicionalmente, el modelo obtiene los esfuerzos de tensión-compresión en la placa, los cuales permiten la estimaciónde las curvas de fatiga vidaesfuerzo (S-N). Estas curvas muestran que la vida útil de la placa se encuentra dentro de la región de Fatiga de Alto Ciclado (HCF) a temperaturas de operación de 650 °C y 900 °C.

Evaluation of thermal shock resistance of silicon oxycarbide materials for high-temperature receiver applications

“…The receiver is the key component of CSP plants as it is planned to absorb a maximum of concentrated sunlight and transfer it to the heat-transfer fluid with the highest efficiency. (Rojas-Morín and Fernández-Reche, 2011), (Boubault et al, 2012) It is exposed to highly concentrated solar fluxed and high temperatures. For example, every day the receiver is exposed to the thermal shock produced by the temperature variation between day and night and even by the sudden appearance of clouds during solar radiation exposure, all these are the principal ageing factors (Boubault et al, 2014).…”

“…Currently approaches are focused on metallic and ceramic materials (Kennedy, 2002) and there are several studies of the experimental, theoretical and simulated behaviour of different materials under concentrated solar radiation. (Fend et al, 2004), (Rojas-Morín and Fernández-Reche, 2011), (Boubault et al, 2012), (Boubault et al, 2014), (Capeillêre et al, 2014), (Morris et al, 2015), (Charpentier and Caliot, 2017), (Lalaua et al, 2017). Metallic materials (i.e.…”

Silicon Oxycarbide and Silicon Oxycarbonitride Materials under Concentrated Solar Radiation

“…A large number of studies are currently focused on the reliability and long-term stability of CSP components, especially receivers, during service in order to determine the commercial and industrial suitability and viability of both the receiver and new candidate materials. These studies are based on numerical models and predictions which take into account material properties and other characteristics of receiver design as well as ageing factors and should be completed with accelerated ageing tests that can evaluate the receiver behaviour under real operational conditions [ 6 , 7 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]. The important and not easy issue is to develop testing methods and standards of validation of materials employed for solar energy applications, which is usually limited by solar testing facilities and also characterization methods available within laboratories [ 16 , 17 ].…”

“…The important and not easy issue is to develop testing methods and standards of validation of materials employed for solar energy applications, which is usually limited by solar testing facilities and also characterization methods available within laboratories [ 16 , 17 ]. The first attempts were made by Rojas-Morín and Fernández-Reche [ 11 ] employing a parabolic dish over INCONEL determining both a numerical model and the fatigue mechanical behaviour. More recently, a solar furnace was employed for testing potential candidates after the exposition to thermal cycles by direct concentrated solar irradiation.…”

Efectos de la irradiación solar concentrada en las transformaciones alotrópicas del acero inoxidable AISI 316

“…These efforts attempt to answer the questions regarding the useful lifetime of a material when it is exposed to CSI in the cyclic critical conditions of high temperatures, as observed in the investigations of Rojas-Morín and Fernández-Reche (2011), such as the magnitude of the concentrated solar fluxes, the thermal and mechanical stresses that develop during operation and the degradation of mechanical properties.…”