Thermal Energy Storage System With Circuitous Conduits
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for alternative thermal energy storage solutions that can be implemented at the household level, as existing solutions like the 'sand battery' are primarily designed for community-wide implementation and do not serve households without district heating networks.
Innovation Solution
A thermal energy storage system comprising a wet tank for a liquid heat transfer medium, a dry tank for a dry storage medium, and circuitous heat exchange conduits that circulate the liquid heat transfer medium through the dry tank to store heat energy, with optional phase-change material tanks for enhanced energy absorption and release, allowing for efficient heating and cooling of service fluids for space heating and hot water supply.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a sand battery thermal energy storage system is implemented, then thermal energy can be stored for community-wide district heating, but the system is not suitable for household-level implementation in communities without district heating networks
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into separate functional modules: a wet tank for liquid heat transfer medium, a dry tank for solid thermal storage medium, and circuitous heat exchange conduits. This modular segmentation allows the system to be scaled and adapted for both household-level and community-wide applications, resolving the contradiction between storage capacity and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal energy storage system is designed with universal applicability through multiple heat input sources (solar thermal collectors, heat pumps, biomass boilers) and flexible configuration options. The same basic system architecture can serve either household hot water/space heating or feed into district heating networks, making it versatile across different scales and applications.
2Use of energy by moving object
If complex thermal energy storage systems are designed for high efficiency, then energy storage performance improves, but installation costs and on-site construction requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses commonly available, inexpensive materials such as water as heat transfer medium and sand or concrete as thermal storage medium. These are replaced periodically if needed rather than using expensive, long-lived specialized materials, reducing initial manufacturing and installation costs while maintaining good thermal efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The dry tank contains porous thermal storage materials like sand or concrete that provide high surface area for heat exchange. This natural porosity enhances thermal efficiency without requiring complex engineered structures, keeping manufacturing and installation simple and cost-effective.
3Loss of energy
If circuitous heat exchange conduits are used to transfer heat through dry storage medium, then heat transfer efficiency improves, but system complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
A liquid heat transfer medium circulating through circuitous conduits acts as an intermediary between the heat source and the dry thermal storage medium. This intermediary approach improves heat transfer efficiency by maintaining continuous fluid contact with the storage medium while keeping the conduit system relatively simple in design and installation.
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 effectively stores and dispenses thermal energy using commonly available materials like sand or concrete, enabling efficient space heating and hot water supply at the household level, reducing shipping costs and requiring minimal on-site construction, and can also be used for space cooling by diverting unwanted heat.
Implementation Method 1
one or more pumps in operably installed relationship with said one or more circuitous conduits to circulate the liquid heat transfer medium therethrough in a manner sourced from the wet tank at the inlet of each circuitous conduit, conveyed onwardly and circuitously through the dry tank via said at least a subset of the circuitous one or more circuitous heat exchange conduits
Implementation Method 2
whereby operation of the one or more pumps to circulate the liquid heat transfer medium, once warmed by one or more heat inputs, through the dry tank is operable to store heat energy in the dry storage medium
Implementation Method 3
one or more heating components installed in operable relationship to the wet tank to enable warming of the liquid heat transfer medium held therein
Implementation Method 4
an output conduit installed the wet tank for routing of a service fluid through the interior of the tank in fluidly isolated relation to the liquid heat transfer medium held therein for heating of said service fluid by the liquid heat transfer medium
Data Source
AI summary
A thermal energy storage system (TESS), effectively a thermal energy battery, is characterized by combination of wet and dry tanks and a circuitously routing of a liquid heat exchange medium from the wet tank through the dry tank such that electrically or fluidically sourced thermal energy can be stored in a dry heat-storage medium, and later released on demand. An optional phase change material (PCM) may be held in a third tank that is likewise circuitously served with the liquid heat exchange medium to enable more sudden and rapid release of energy when the PCM drops to its phase change temperature, for more instantaneous response to heat demand. The TESS may serve space heating and/or hot water demands of a residential home or other small building. The heat exchange medium may be warmed through operation of a heat pump acting in an air conditioning capacity to cool an indoor space.