Parallel Thermal Storage Vessels with Floating Pistons
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current thermal energy storage systems face high initial costs, large footprints, inefficiencies, and scalability issues, limiting their adoption in renewable energy applications.
Innovation Solution
A thermal energy storage system utilizing a plurality of vessels connected in parallel, with floating separator pistons to separate hot and cold sides of a working fluid, allowing for efficient thermal energy transfer and storage, and a controller to maintain the fluid in a liquid state across varying temperatures and pressures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a single large thermal energy storage system is used, then storage capacity is increased, but system cost and footprint increase proportionally
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal energy storage system is divided into multiple independent vessels (first vessel, second vessel, third vessel, etc.) connected in parallel. Each vessel can be sized and configured independently, allowing the total storage capacity to be scaled by adding or removing vessels rather than building a single large system. This segmentation reduces initial capital costs and simplifies installation while achieving the required total storage capacity.
2Quantity of substance
If thermal energy storage system size is increased to meet demand, then storage capacity is improved, but land footprint increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses vertical stacking of vessels (arranging vessels in multiple levels or floors) to increase storage capacity in the vertical dimension rather than expanding horizontally. This allows the thermal energy storage system to achieve high capacity while minimizing land footprint by utilizing unused vertical space in the facility.
3Quantity of substance
If thermal energy storage system is expanded to increase capacity, then energy storage is improved, but system efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the storage system into multiple smaller vessels with individual floating separator pistons, each vessel maintains efficient thermal stratification and minimizes heat loss independently. The total surface area to volume ratio is optimized across multiple vessels compared to one large vessel, reducing overall heat loss and maintaining system efficiency while achieving high total storage capacity.
4Quantity of substance
If thermal energy storage system is scaled up to meet growing demand, then storage capacity is increased, but scalability is limited by system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The modular vessel architecture allows the system to be scaled incrementally by adding or removing individual vessels from the parallel configuration. Each vessel is a self-contained unit with its own floating separator piston and thermal storage media, making it easy to add capacity as demand grows without redesigning the entire system. This modular approach provides excellent scalability and adaptability to changing energy storage requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The vessels are designed as universal, interchangeable units that can all connect to the same manifold system. This standardization allows any vessel to be added or removed without affecting the operation of other vessels, providing flexible scalability. The system can be configured in different numbers and arrangements of vessels depending on the specific energy storage needs while maintaining the same basic operational principles.
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 system reduces costs and footprint while enhancing efficiency and scalability, enabling long-duration, dispatchable renewable energy generation by effectively storing and releasing thermal energy.
Implementation Method 1
a floating separator piston in each pipe section to separate the pipe section into a hot side and a cold side
Implementation Method 2
a working fluid to store the thermal energy and transfer the thermal energy between the heat source and the thermal load
Implementation Method 3
The first manifold is thermally coupled to an output of the heat source and to an input of the thermal load
Data Source
AI summary
A thermal energy storage system for comprising a working fluid to store and transfer thermal energy between a heat source and a thermal load and a plurality of vessels to store the working fluid. Each vessel has an interior region and a floating separator piston in the interior region to separate a hot portion from a cold portion of the working fluid. There is a first manifold thermally coupled to an output of the heat source and to an input of the thermal load and fluidly coupled to the interior region of the vessels and a second manifold thermally coupled to an input of the heat source and an output of the thermal load and fluidly coupled to the interior region of the vessels. The vessels are arranged in parallel.