Light-absorbing Heat-storage Composite Material for Solar Thermal Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional solar thermal storage technologies suffer from heat energy loss and high equipment and maintenance costs due to the need for heat transfer fluids and complex heat exchange processes.
Innovation Solution
A light-absorbing heat-storage composite material is developed, combining a photo-thermal material (brown manganese ore silicate Mn7-x-y-zMxNyPzSiO12) with a heat-storage material (such as hydroxides, hydrates, molten salts, or organic phase change materials) to directly convert light energy into heat energy for storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If traditional solar thermal storage technology uses pipes and heat transfer fluids to transfer heat energy, then heat energy can be transferred from photo-thermal materials to storage systems, but heat energy loss occurs and equipment and maintenance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines photo-thermal conversion materials and heat storage materials into a single integrated composite material system. The photo-thermal material (such as brown manganese ore silicate Mn7-x-y-zMxNyPzSiO12) is directly combined with heat storage materials (such as hydroxides, hydrates, molten salts, or organic phase change materials) to form a unified structure that performs both light absorption and heat storage functions simultaneously, eliminating the need for separate heat transfer pipes and fluids
Solution Approach 2:
The composite material serves multiple functions within a single system: it absorbs sunlight across the entire spectrum, converts light energy to heat energy, and stores the thermal energy directly. This multi-functional integration eliminates the need for separate components for heat transfer and storage, reducing equipment complexity and maintenance requirements
2Ease of manufacture
If traditional solar thermal storage uses heat transfer fluids and heat exchange processes, then heat energy can be moved between components, but equipment costs and maintenance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges photo-thermal conversion and heat storage into a single composite material, eliminating the need for separate heat exchange equipment, pipes, and fluid circulation systems. The integrated structure simplifies manufacturing by reducing the number of components that need to be assembled and maintained
3Productivity
If photo-thermal materials are used to convert light to heat, then solar energy utilization efficiency improves, but the ability to store thermal energy is insufficient when using single light-absorbing materials
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite material combining photo-thermal conversion materials (such as brown manganese ore silicate Mn7-x-y-zMxNyPzSiO12 with high absorbance and photo-thermal conversion efficiency) and heat storage materials (such as hydroxides, hydrates, molten salts, or organic phase change materials). This composite structure enables the system to both efficiently convert sunlight to heat and effectively store the thermal energy, solving the limitation of single light-absorbing materials that cannot store heat
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
This composite material enhances solar energy utilization efficiency by eliminating heat energy transmission losses and reducing equipment costs, while also simplifying the heat collection and storage process.
Implementation Method 1
photo-thermal conversion materials are the key to solar thermal utilization... high absorbance, ability to absorb sunlight at all wavelengths, high photo-thermal conversion efficiency
Implementation Method 2
the heat-storage material comprises one or more of hydroxide heat-storage materials, hydrate heat-storage materials, molten salt heat-storage materials, and organic phase change heat-storage materials
Data Source
AI summary
A light-absorbing heat-storage composite material comprises a photo-thermal material and a heat-storage material. The heat-storage material comprises at least one of hydroxide, hydrate, molten salt, and organic phase change heat-storage material. The photo-thermal material comprises brown manganese ore silicate, and the photo-thermal material is used to enhance the absorbance and photo-thermal conversion rate of the heat-storage material, and complete the heat storage at the same time. The invention also provides a method for preparing the light-absorbing heat-storage composite material. The prepared photo-thermal composite material is a photo-thermal storage integrated material that can directly convert light energy into thermal energy and store heat, with small heat energy loss, high photo-thermal conversion efficiency, and cost saving.