A modular thermal energy storage system for storing and transferring thermal energy at a wide range of temperatures. The system includes processing control circuitry, heat transfer fluid (HTF), piping, valves, pumps, a thermal energy source, and a reconfigurable thermal energy storage (TES) tank imp
A modular thermal energy storage system for storing and transferring thermal energy at a wide range of temperatures. The system includes processing control circuitry, heat transfer fluid (HTF), piping, valves, pumps, a thermal energy source, and a reconfigurable thermal energy storage (TES) tank implemented in one or more insulated shipping containers. Different types of replaceable thermal energy storage material in the TES tank can store thermal energy in a range of −30° F. to temperatures greater than +200° F. The system receives HTF from a customer load and charges the HTF to a desired temperature. Charged HTF in the TES tank transfers thermal energy to and from the storage material. When the stored thermal energy is needed, the system passes a non-charged thermal fluid through the TES tank to draw out the thermal energy through the charged HTF, and transfers the thermal energy to the customer load.
대표청구항▼
1. A thermal energy storage system for storing and transferring thermal energy at a wide range of temperatures, the system comprising: piping, valves, and pumps required for moving heat transfer fluid (HTF) to and from a customer load and within the system;a thermal energy source for adding thermal
1. A thermal energy storage system for storing and transferring thermal energy at a wide range of temperatures, the system comprising: piping, valves, and pumps required for moving heat transfer fluid (HTF) to and from a customer load and within the system;a thermal energy source for adding thermal energy to the HTF for high-temperature applications and for removing thermal energy from the HTF for low-temperature applications; anda reconfigurable thermal energy storage (TES) tank configured to store thermal energy, the TES tank comprising: replaceable thermal energy storage material, wherein the TES tank is configured to operate with either a first type of thermal energy storage material that stores low-temperature thermal energy for applications requiring storage temperatures in a range of −30° F. to +200° F., or a second type of thermal energy storage material that stores high-temperature thermal energy for applications requiring storage temperatures greater than +200° F.;HTF surrounding the thermal energy storage material for transferring thermal energy to and from the thermal energy storage material; andat least one diffuser pipe disposed within the HTF and connected to input/output pipes for moving the HTF into and out of the TES tank during charging and discharging phases, respectively, of the system. 2. The thermal energy storage system according to claim 1, wherein the system is modular and transportable, and is implemented in insulated shipping containers. 3. The thermal energy storage system according to claim 2, further comprising a second TES tank configured for interconnection with the TES tank to increase thermal energy storage capacity for different customer loads. 4. The thermal energy storage system according to claim 3, wherein the piping, valves, and pumps are mounted in the shipping containers in a configuration corresponding to the thermal energy storage capacity of the TES tanks. 5. The thermal energy storage system according to claim 1, wherein the type of replaceable thermal energy storage material and the type of HTF utilized in the TES tank are selected dependent upon an intended customer application. 6. The thermal energy storage system according to claim 5, wherein for low-temperature refrigeration applications where a desired storage temperature is in a range of approximately −30° F. to +40° F.: the type of replaceable thermal energy storage material is a packed bed of organic paraffin wax sealed in capsules to prevent mixing with the HTF and to allow for volume expansion during phase change from liquid to a solid; andthe HTF is a 50/50 glycol/water solution. 7. The thermal energy storage system according to claim 6, wherein a catalyst or eutectic solution is added to the encapsulated materials to increase density of storage or to increase a rate at which the materials reach a target storage temperature. 8. The thermal energy storage system according to claim 5, wherein for low-temperature space cooling applications where a desired storage temperature is in a range of approximately +27° F. to +37° F.: the type of replaceable thermal energy storage material is a packed bed of water sealed in capsules to prevent mixing with the HTF and to allow for volume expansion during phase change from liquid to a solid; andthe HTF is a 30/70 glycol/water solution. 9. The thermal energy storage system according to claim 5, wherein for temperature regulation systems and low-temperature process heat applications where a desired storage temperature is in a range of approximately +40° F. to +200° F.: the type of replaceable thermal energy storage material is a packed bed of organic paraffin wax sealed in capsules to prevent mixing with the HTF and to allow for volume expansion during phase change from liquid to a solid; andthe HTF is water. 10. The thermal energy storage system according to claim 5, wherein for high-temperature process heat applications and heat-to-power on-demand power production applications where a desired storage temperature is greater than +200° F.: the first type of replaceable thermal energy storage material is a packed bed of solid rock or sand particles; andthe HTF is high-temperature oil. 11. The thermal energy storage system according to claim 1, further comprising: processing circuitry; anda non-transitory memory that stores Energy Management Software (EMS) instructions;wherein when the processing circuitry executes the EMS instructions, the processing circuitry controls the valves and pumps to move the HTF through the piping so as to meet the thermal energy storage requirements of varying customer applications. 12. The thermal energy storage system according to claim 1, further comprising: an auxiliary thermal energy source for adding additional thermal energy to the HTF for high-temperature applications and for removing additional thermal energy from the HTF for low-temperature applications when the Thermal Energy Source cannot achieve storage temperatures required for a customer application. 13. The thermal energy storage system according to claim 1, wherein the thermal energy source is in a first thermal energy transfer loop, and the TES tank is in a second thermal energy transfer loop, and the system further comprises a heat exchanger for transferring thermal energy between the first thermal energy transfer loop and the second thermal energy transfer loop. 14. A method in a thermal energy storage system for storing and transferring thermal energy at a wide range of temperatures, the method comprising: configuring a reconfigurable thermal energy storage (TES) tank to store thermal energy in either a first type of thermal energy storage material that stores low-temperature thermal energy for applications requiring storage temperatures in a range of −30° F. to +200° F., or a second type of thermal energy storage material that stores high-temperature thermal energy for applications requiring storage temperatures greater than +200° F.;receiving from a customer load, heat transfer fluid (HTF) having an input temperature;altering the input temperature of the HTF by a thermal energy source to a desired storage temperature, thereby creating charged HTF;storing thermal energy from the charged HTF in the thermal energy storage material in the TES tank; andwhen the thermal energy stored in the TES tank is needed by the customer load: passing a non-charged thermal fluid through the TES tank to draw out the stored thermal energy and produce charged HTF; andtransferring the stored thermal energy through the charged HTF from the thermal energy storage system to the customer load. 15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the customer load and the thermal energy source are in a first thermal energy transfer loop, and the TES tank is in a second thermal energy transfer loop, and the step of transferring the stored thermal energy through the charged HTF from the thermal energy storage system to the customer load includes passing the charged HTF from the TES tank through a heat exchanger to transfer thermal energy from the second thermal energy transfer loop to the first thermal energy transfer loop. 16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the step of altering the input temperature of the HTF includes adding thermal energy to the HTF for high-temperature applications and removing thermal energy from the HTF for low-temperature applications by a Thermal Energy Source. 17. The method according to claim 16, wherein when the Thermal Energy Source cannot achieve storage temperatures required for a customer application, the method further comprises utilizing an auxiliary thermal energy source to add additional thermal energy to the HTF for high-temperature applications and to remove additional thermal energy from the HTF for low-temperature applications. 18. The method according to claim 14, wherein for low-temperature refrigeration applications where a desired storage temperature is in a range of approximately −30° F. to +40° F.: the step of storing thermal energy from the charged HTF in the thermal energy storage material includes storing the thermal energy in a packed bed of organic paraffin wax sealed in capsules to prevent mixing with the charged HTF and to allow for volume expansion during phase change from liquid to a solid; andthe charged HTF is a 50/50 glycol/water solution. 19. The method according to claim 14, wherein for low-temperature space cooling applications where a desired storage temperature is in a range of approximately +27° F. to +37° F.: the step of storing thermal energy from the charged HTF in the thermal energy storage material includes storing the thermal energy in a packed bed of water sealed in capsules to prevent mixing with the charged HTF and to allow for volume expansion during phase change from liquid to a solid; andthe charged HTF is a 30/70 glycol/water solution. 20. The method according to claim 14, wherein for temperature regulation systems and low-temperature process heat applications where a desired storage temperature is in a range of approximately +40° F. to +200° F.: the step of storing thermal energy from the charged HTF in the thermal energy storage material includes storing the thermal energy in a packed bed of organic paraffin wax sealed in capsules to prevent mixing with the charged HTF and to allow for volume expansion during phase change from liquid to a solid; andthe charged HTF is water. 21. The method according to claim 14, wherein for high-temperature process heat applications and heat-to-power on-demand power production applications where a desired storage temperature is greater than +200° F.: the step of storing thermal energy from the charged HTF in the thermal energy storage material includes storing the thermal energy in a packed bed of solid rock or sand particles; andthe charged HTF is high-temperature oil. 22. A modular thermal energy storage system for storing and transferring thermal energy at a wide range of temperatures, the system comprising: processing circuitry coupled to a non-transitory memory that stores Energy Management Software (EMS) instructions;piping, valves, and pumps required for moving heat transfer fluid (HTF) to and from a customer load and within the system;a thermal energy source in a first thermal energy transfer loop for adding thermal energy to the HTF for high-temperature applications and for removing thermal energy from the HTF for low-temperature applications, thereby creating charged HTF;a heat exchanger for transferring thermal energy between the first thermal energy transfer loop and a second thermal energy transfer loop; anda reconfigurable thermal energy storage (TES) tank in the second thermal energy transfer loop configured to store thermal energy, the TES tank comprising: replaceable thermal energy storage material, wherein the TES tank is configured to operate with either a first type of thermal energy storage material that stores low-temperature thermal energy for applications requiring storage temperatures in a range of −30° F. to +200° F., or a second type of thermal energy storage material that stores high-temperature thermal energy for applications requiring storage temperatures greater than +200° F.;charged HTF surrounding the thermal energy storage material for transferring thermal energy to and from the thermal energy storage material; andat least one diffuser pipe disposed within the charged HTF and connected to input/output pipes for moving the charged HTF into and out of the TES tank during charging and discharging phases, respectively, of the system;wherein the processing circuitry, piping, valves, pumps, thermal energy source, and TES tank are implemented in one or more insulated shipping containers, thereby making the system modular and transportable; andwherein when the processing circuitry executes the EMS instructions, the processing circuitry is caused to control the system to meet the thermal energy storage requirements of varying customer applications by: receiving from a customer load, HTF having an input temperature;altering the input temperature of the HTF by the thermal energy source to a desired storage temperature;storing thermal energy from the charged HTF in the thermal energy storage material in the TES tank; andwhen the thermal energy stored in the TES tank is needed by the customer load: passing a non-charged thermal fluid through the TES tank to draw out the stored thermal energy through the charged HTF; andtransferring the stored thermal energy from the thermal energy storage system to the customer load by passing charged HTF from the TES tank through the heat exchanger to transfer thermal energy from the second thermal energy transfer loop to the first thermal energy transfer loop.
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이 특허에 인용된 특허 (13)
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