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Enhancing Flexibility in a 550 MW Gas Turbine Combined Cycle Power Plant Through Molten-Salt Thermal Energy Storage
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DOI：10.1002/est2.70432.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
This study investigates the integration of molten-salt thermal energy storage (TES) into a 550 MW gas turbine combined cycle (GTCC) power plant through a detailed thermodynamic, exergy, environmental, and preliminary techno-economic assessment. A detailed thermodynamic model of the hybrid GTCC–TES system was developed using EBSILON Professional and applied to evaluate charging, discharging, and load-following operation. The molten-salt TES subsystem operates between a cold tank temperature of 250°C and a hot tank temperature of 560°C, corresponding to a temperature difference of approximately 310°C. The results show that the hybrid system can absorb 85.745 MWth during charging and deliver 86.241 MWth during discharging, with a round-trip efficiency of about 83.96%. In terms of flexibility, the integrated configuration achieves a charging power deviation of 26.308 MW, a discharging power boost of 31.240 MW, a load valley regulation rate of 9.5%, and a peak modulation rate of 7.5%. Comparative analysis indicates that TES integration improves part-load behavior and increases net electrical output during discharge operation, while the Sankey analysis reveals that the main thermodynamic degradations remain associated with compressor consumption, HRSG losses, and especially condenser heat rejection during discharge mode. A correlation analysis further shows that storage participation is associated with lower carbon intensity, confirming the environmental benefit of TES-assisted operation. In addition, a preliminary screening-level CAPEX assessment estimates the installed TES subsystem cost at about 15.93 million USD (MUSD), including a freeze-protection allowance. Overall, the results demonstrate that molten-salt TES integration can significantly enhance the flexibility and energy valorization of large-scale GTCC plants, while highlighting the need to consider freeze protection, heat tracing, and long-term material constraints in future detailed engineering and techno-economic studies.
Keywords:
energy efficiency
gas turbine combined cycle
molten salt thermal energy storage
operational flexibility
power system flexibility
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