研究显示太阳电站运行或拉低熔融金属价格

Study: Running Sun Power Plant With Molten Metal May Be Cheaper 研究显示太阳电站运行或拉低熔融金属价格

Power plants that work with concentrated solar power use special molten salt to convert the sun’s heat into steam which turns the generators¹ that produce electricity. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology say using molten metal instead of salt may increase the efficiency of the generators. The innovative² design was presented at the recent energy summit in Washington.

While water circulates in this scale model of a concentrated solar power plant, a full-size plant uses molten salt. But the man behind the radical³ new design says using tin instead of molten salt could make the process dramatically more efficient.

“The main thing that makes it better than the state of the art is really the fact that by pushing up the temperature we were able to use a higher efficiency power cycle and the higher efficiency means for the same size of field you get more power out," said Asegun Henry of the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Molten tin can get hotter than molten salt, but it cannot flow through metal pipes. Experimenting in his lab, Henry found that it easily flows through pipes and valves made of graphite.

“It's machineable so it allows us to make complicated components⁴ like this where you can thread them, you can still use mechanical interfaces⁵ you are used to," said Henry.

His design uses ceramics⁶ that can also withstand high temperatures, do not corrode⁷ and do not react with tin. With good insulation⁸, tin can stay liquid even overnight. So far, all the critical parts have been tested.

“We can pump liquid metal, we can valve it, and control it, we can bond these tubes together without getting leaks," explained Asegun Henry.

Taking into account the size of the required mirror field and the cost of the special salt, Henry expects using molten tin should reduce the overall cost of building a concentrated solar heat plant by as much as 30 percent.

1 generators   

n.发电机，发生器( generator的名词复数 )；电力公司

参考例句：

• The factory's emergency generators were used during the power cut. 工厂应急发电机在停电期间用上了。
• Power can be fed from wind generators into the electricity grid system. 电力可以从风力发电机流入输电网。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

3 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

4 components   

（机器、设备等的）构成要素，零件，成分； 成分( component的名词复数 )； [物理化学]组分； [数学]分量； （混合物的）组成部分

参考例句：

• the components of a machine 机器部件
• Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。

5 interfaces   

界面( interface的名词复数 )； 接口（连接两装置的电路，可使数据从一种代码转换成另一种代码）； 交界； 联系

参考例句：

• If the class needs to be reprogrammed, new interfaces are created. 如果class需要重新程序设计，新的interfaces创建。
• Interfaces solve this problem of evolving code. Interfaces解决了代码升级的问题。

6 ceramics   

n.制陶业；陶器

参考例句：

• an exhibition of ceramics by Picasso 毕加索陶瓷作品展
• The ceramics bore the imprint of Luca della Robbia. 陶器上印有卢卡·德拉·罗比亚的字样。

7 corrode   

v.使腐蚀，侵蚀，破害；v.腐蚀，被侵蚀

参考例句：

• The tools will corrode with rust if never used.这些工具如长期不用会长铁锈而损坏。
• It will pollute people's aesthetic taste and corrode social spirit.它污染人们的审美趣味，腐蚀社会精神。

8 insulation   

n.隔离；绝缘；隔热

参考例句：

• Please examine the insulation of the electric wires in my house.请检查一下我屋子里电线的绝缘情况。
• It is always difficult to assure good insulation between the electric leads.要保证两个电触头之间有良好的绝缘总是很困难的。