Claims:1. A testing loop (100) for testing thermal fluids, comprising:
a gas cylinder (102) to provide pressurized gas as motive force for circulation of a thermal fluid through the testing loop (100);
a first tank (104) containing the thermal fluid, wherein the first tank (104) is connected to the gas cylinder (102) to receive pressurized gas;
a heating mechanism (106) for increasing temperature of the thermal fluid, wherein the heating mechanism (106) is connected to the first tank (104) to receive the thermal fluid; and
a heat exchanger (108) to cool the heated thermal fluid and recirculate cooled thermal fluid in the testing loop (100).

2. The testing loop (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein a second tank (208) is present downstream of the heating mechanism (106) and receives the heated thermal fluid from the heating mechanism (106).

3. The testing loop (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein
the heated thermal fluid, from the second tank (208), is received by the heat exchanger (108); and
the heat exchanger (108) is downstream to the second tank (208).

4. The testing loop (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the heating mechanism (106) is an electrical heater (210).

5. The testing loop (100) as claimed in any of claims 2, 3, or 4, wherein the cooled thermal fluid is received by the first tank (104) from the heat exchanger (108).

6. The testing loop (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heating mechanism (106) comprises a second tank (208) associated with a heating system.

7. The testing loop (100) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the heating system is based on ceramic heat radiation.

8. The testing loop (100) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the heated thermal fluid, from the second tank (208), is received by the heat exchanger (108) and, wherein the heat exchanger (108) is downstream of the second tank (208).

9. The testing loop (100) as claimed in any of claims 6, 7, or 8, wherein the cooled thermal fluid, from the heat exchanger (108), is received by the first tank (104).

10. The testing loop (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein a second tank (208) is downstream of the heat exchanger (108) and receives the cooled thermal fluid from the heat exchanger (108).

11. The testing loop (100) as claimed in claim 10, wherein the heat exchanger (108) is downstream of the heating mechanism (106) and the heat exchanger (108) receives the heated thermal fluid from the heating mechanism (106).

12. The testing loop (100) as claimed in claim 10, wherein the thermal fluid is received by the heating mechanism (106) from the second tank (208) to form the closed loop.

13. The testing loop (100) as claimed in claim 10, wherein the heating mechanism (106) is an electrical heater (210).

14. The testing loop (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thermal fluid is a mixture of molten salts (206).

15. The testing loop (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heating mechanism (106) increases the temperature of the thermal fluid to a temperature in a range of about 300-600oC.

16. The testing loop (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger (108) is one of an air-cooled and a water-cooled heat exchanger.

17. The testing loop (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger is one of a shell and tube heat exchanger and a plate and frame heat exchanger.

18. The testing loop (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gas cylinder (102) comprises one of argon and nitrogen gas.

19. A method for testing a thermal fluid, comprising:
providing pressurized gas, contained in a gas cylinder (102), as a motive force, for circulating the thermal fluid through a testing loop (100), wherein the pressurized gas is received by a first tank (104) containing the thermal fluid;
heating the thermal fluid, using a heating mechanism (106), wherein the thermal fluid is received by the heating mechanism (106) from the first tank (104);

cooling the heated thermal fluid, using a heat exchanger (108); and
recirculating the thermal fluid in the testing loop (100).
, Description:As Attached