Thermochemical Energy Storage Using Uranium Thorium Oxide Hydrates
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current thermal energy storage methods, such as sensible and latent heat storage, face challenges like low energy density, large material requirements, and inevitable heat loss, making them unsuitable for industrial or urban applications, while thermochemical storage offers advantages but requires materials that can withstand multiple hydration/dehydration cycles without capacity loss.
Innovation Solution
A process using a compound of the form AOxBy.zH2O, where A is uranium or thorium, to store thermal energy through reversible dehydration/hydration reactions, allowing for high energy density storage, long-term retention, and efficient heat restitution at constant temperature, utilizing water as a non-toxic reagent and operating in an open system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If sensible heat storage is used, then the system is simple to implement, but the energy density is low requiring large volumes of material
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the fundamental storage mechanism from physical temperature change (sensible heat) to chemical reaction (thermochemical storage). By utilizing the hydration/dehydration reactions of metal oxides, the system achieves high energy density while maintaining operational simplicity, directly resolving the contradiction between ease of implementation and material volume requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite material systems consisting of metal oxides (such as CaO, MgO, or their mixtures) that exhibit reversible hydration/dehydration properties. These composite materials provide both high energy density and manageable volume, solving the contradiction by combining chemical reactivity with practical storage dimensions
2Quantity of substance
If latent heat storage is used, then the energy density is higher than sensible heat storage, but thermal insulation is required to prevent heat loss
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the stored energy from thermal form and converts it to chemical form through dehydration reactions. By storing energy chemically in the bound water of metal oxide hydrates, the system eliminates the need for thermal insulation, as chemical bonds inherently stabilize energy without heat loss, directly resolving the contradiction between energy density and insulation requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the thermal/physical storage mechanism with a chemical reaction mechanism. Instead of relying on insulated containment to prevent heat loss, the system uses chemical bond energy to store and release thermal energy, substituting a chemical field for a thermal field and eliminating insulation complexity
3Duration of action of stationary object
If thermochemical storage is used, then energy can be stored over long periods with virtually no loss, but the material must withstand multiple hydration/dehydration cycles
Solution Approach 1:
The invention optimizes the chemical parameters of the metal oxide materials to achieve stable reversible reactions. By selecting specific metal oxides with appropriate hydration energies and reaction kinetics, the system achieves both long-term storage capability and high cycle stability, resolving the contradiction between storage duration and material reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs composite material formulations that combine different metal oxides or use supported metal oxide systems to enhance both the reversibility and stability of hydration/dehydration cycles. These composite materials maintain structural integrity over multiple cycles while providing long-term energy storage, simultaneously achieving duration and reliability
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 process achieves high energy density storage with theoretically unlimited storage period, compatible with industrial temperatures, and valorizes thorium and uranium co-products, offering a viable solution for shifting energy supply to meet peak demands.
Implementation Method 1
heating the compound to a temperature and for a time sufficient to at least partially dehydrate said compound
Implementation Method 2
contacting the at least partially dehydrated compound with water to release the thermal energy stored in step (a)
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a thermochemical method for storing and releasing thermal energy by means of a compound in solid form having the formula AOxBy.zH2O, wherein: - A is an element chosen from uranium (U) and thorium (Th); - O is the oxygen element; - B is an anion or an oxoanion; - x is a number between 0 and 4; - y is a number between 0 and 2; - z is a number greater than 0 and less than 10; it being understood that at least one of x and y is different from 0 and the compound of formula Th(SO4)2.xH2O is excluded.