Development of high temperature liquid metal test facilities for qualification of materials and investigations of thermoelectrical modules

Three classes of experimental liquid metal facilities have been completed during the LIMTECH project aiming the qualification of materials, investigation of thermoelectrical modules, investigation of sodium transitional regimes and fundamental thermo-dynamical flows in concentrating solar power (CSP) relevant geometries. ATEFA facility is dedicated to basic science investigation focussed on the alkali metal thermal-to-electric converter (AMTEC) technology. Three SOLTEC facilities are aimed to be used in different laboratories for long term material investigation sodium environment up to a 1000 K temperature and for long term tests of AMTEC modules. The medium scale integral facility KASOLA is planned as the backbone for CSP development and demonstration. (paper)