Grooved Concrete Thermal Storage Plates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing energy storage solutions, such as batteries and pumped storage, face challenges in grid stability due to the increasing integration of non-dispatchable renewable energy sources, and traditional thermal storage methods are costly and require expensive materials or geologic formations that may not be universally available.
Innovation Solution
A modular thermal energy storage device using concrete-like plates with a flow space for a heat transfer medium, where the plates are supported in a metal casing and configured with thermal breaks to efficiently store and release heat, operating between 140° F and 600° F, allowing for low-cost energy storage without the need for expensive materials or geologic formations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If traditional thermal storage methods are used, then energy storage capacity is achieved, but cost increases and material availability becomes limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive specialized thermal storage materials with common, inexpensive materials like concrete plates that can be easily manufactured and acquired. The concrete plates serve as disposable-like components that provide thermal storage capacity without requiring expensive salts or specialized geologic formations, directly addressing the cost and availability problem while maintaining energy storage function.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the operational parameters of thermal storage by using concrete plates with specific thermal properties and operating within a defined temperature range (140°F to 600°F). This parameter optimization allows common materials to achieve effective thermal storage capacity that was previously only attainable with expensive specialized materials.
2Ease of manufacture
If thermal energy is stored in concrete plates, then cost is reduced, but heat transfer efficiency may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal storage system is segmented into multiple thin concrete plates arranged in series, with each plate serving as an independent heat transfer surface. This segmentation increases the total surface area for heat exchange while using inexpensive concrete material, resolving the contradiction between low cost and heat transfer efficiency by distributing the thermal storage function across many small surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from bulk thermal storage to surface-based thermal storage by using thin plates with large surface areas. This dimensional change from volume-dominated to surface-dominated heat transfer dramatically improves heat exchange efficiency while maintaining low material costs, as the thin plate geometry maximizes surface-to-volume ratio.
3Stability of the object's composition
If thermal breaks are added to plates, then thermal diffusion is controlled, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Thermal breaks are added only at specific locations on the concrete plates where thermal diffusion needs to be controlled, rather than throughout the entire plate structure. This localized modification provides the necessary thermal management while minimizing the increase in overall device complexity, as the thermal breaks are simple features integrated into the plate design.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a cost-effective, modular energy storage system that efficiently stores and releases thermal energy, enhancing grid stability without the environmental concerns and high costs associated with traditional methods, and can be easily deployed using common materials.
Implementation Method 1
a portion of heat in the heat transfer medium is transferred to the plates in a charging mode of operation, or a portion of the heat in the plates is transferred to the heat transfer medium in a discharging mode of operation
Implementation Method 2
a flow space there between large enough to pass a heat transfer medium substantially over a face of the plates
Data Source
AI summary
An energy storage device includes a plurality of plates, each having a first and second surface, with at least one of the surfaces having a plurality of grooves formed therein. The device further includes inlet and outlet plenums for providing or receiving a heat transfer medium to or from the grooves. At least one of the first surface and the second surface having the plurality of grooves formed therein of a first plate is disposed in direct contact with the other one of the at least first surface and second surface of an adjacent second plate. Heat from the transfer medium is transferred to the plates in a charging mode of operation or transferred from the plates to the transfer medium in a discharging mode of operation when the heat transfer medium is passed along the grooves.