SiteConcept built the SaltX Pilot Plant for Nanocoated Salt
“The Green Gold of Energy Storage is Salt”
Siteconcept constructed the SaltX energy storage facility at Vattenfall’s Reuter West thermal power plant in Berlin, Germany. The facility is a pilot plant for testing and evaluating energy storage in nanocoated salt.
SaltX Technology develops a nanocoated salt (NCS) with oxide technology to achieve the perfect energy storage. The salt can be charged with heat from electricity or other energy sources and then store energy for a long time, subsequently releasing heat in the form of hot water or steam up to 450°C. SaltX Technology holds a patent for the nanocoated salt, and their technology enables more efficient use of renewable energy sources.
SaltX Technology takes into account all parameters such as length, density, composition, and other factors that must be considered when nanomaterials are to be molecule-coated.
An Affordable and Non-Toxic Solution for Energy Storage
The nanocoating on the salts prevents them from becoming sticky, allowing the salt to maintain its original crystal form. The advantage of this is that energy can be charged and discharged from the salts thousands of times without losing performance. Common salt particles begin to expand after just 50 charges. When treated with nanocoating, the corrosive properties found in common salts, which cause rusting, also disappear. Therefore, these salts are a cost-effective, non-toxic, and recyclable solution.
SaltX’s production and research have a strong environmental focus. The oxides used in large-scale energy storage systems are also used in agricultural contexts, making them completely compatible with our natural ecosystems. No toxic materials are used in the process, ensuring that all substances they use come from transparent supply chains.
For more information about SaltX, visit www.saltxtechnology.com
SiteConcept’s Assignment for SaltX Technology
SiteConcept was contacted by SaltX to design, manufacture, deliver, and install process equipment. We also conducted the overall electrical design and programming of the control and operator system for the 5 MW facility. SiteConcept was chosen for the assignment because we could undertake a large commitment and execute it in a short time frame. The assignment and our commitment expanded during the project to include building technical investigations and calculations for the historical turbine hall from 1930, in which the facility was constructed.
The assignment included, among other things, the following parts:
- Performing process, sizing, and strength calculations
- Designing process piping, mechanical equipment
- Manufacturing, delivering, and installing:
- Silos
- Transport equipment
- Supporting steel structures
- Process piping
- Hot gas filters
- Hydraulics
- Insulation
- Designing electrical and automation equipment
- Delivering and installing:
- Control system equipment
- Operator systems with computer equipment
- Process safety systems
- Instrumentation for pressure, temperature, and level
- Programming the overall process function
- FAT, SAT, and Commissioning
The facility was inaugurated on April 11, 2019
We carried out the work during late summer and autumn of 2018, and the project was commissioned in early 2019. The inauguration took place on April 11, 2019, with significant media coverage and attention from German TV.
SaltX – A pilot project we are proud of
We at SiteConcept had the honor of constructing the first major pilot plant for energy storage for SaltX at Vattenfall’s Reuter West thermal power plant in Berlin. The work was carried out in close collaboration with SaltX and Vattenfall. The facility was SiteConcept’s first major project, and we are very pleased and proud of the final result.
Image and video: SaltX Technology
Relocation of the pilot plant
SiteConcept built SaltX’s first energy storage facility at Vattenfall’s Reuter West combined heat and power plant in late 2018 and early 2019. The pilot plant was in operation for a short period after commissioning but demonstrated excellent performance during that time.
SiteConcept owns the facility, which has since been relocated to Sweden. Half of the equipment was never installed and is therefore new, while the remaining equipment has only a few operating hours. The equipment is well suited for pyrolysis and the production of biochar.