Numerical Model and Validation for Simulating the Cold Filling of the Molten Salt Receiver Tube

Anti-protecting against freezing and preheating the components are the most critical problems of molten salt receiver. Cold filling is a potential solution to these problems. This paper presents a numerical model for simulating the cold filling of a receiver tube. The model uses the volume of fractionmethod to track the interface betweenthe molten salt and the air and the enthalpy method to describe the liquid-solid phase change of the molten salt. This model was used to simulate the cold filling tests of the Molten Salt Electric Experiment (MSEE) receiver. This model was then use to simulate the dynamic process of cold filling a vertical receiver tube. Three modes of cold filling, including successful filling, partial frozen filling and fully frozen filling, were demonstrated. The results show that high initial temperature of the receiver tubes is benefit for successful filling.