Concentrating solar thermal power and nuclear industries may soon have a safe, reliable, radiation-free environment to test components in flowing, molten nitrate salts. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office awarded $2.5 million in funding to Sandia to restart the Molten Salt Test Loop facility at the National Solar Thermal Test Facility. With this funding, Sandia can complete the second phase of the Molten Salt Test Loop Restart project, reopening a test location for researchers and industry partners to study molten salt component systems and salt chemistry compositions.
“Private companies, including many small businesses and startups, have been working to commercialize molten salt systems for concentrating solar power, nuclear energy, fossil energy and other high-temperature industrial process heat applications. A MSTL restart would allow us to set up streamlined agreements so that interested companies could test their components and concepts at the NSTTF, and keep the facility operating,” said Ken Armijo, Sandia solar researcher and the project lead. “By restarting MSTL, we’ll be able to provide real-world test conditions for industry and develop a sustainable path forward for the facility’s future.”
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