Modular thermal energy storage system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10859324-B2
Application number	US-201716083450-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2017
Priority date	Feb 29, 2016
Publication date	Dec 8, 2020
Grant date	Dec 8, 2020

Abstract

A thermal energy storage (TES) system includes a plurality of closely packed TES modules, each TES module having a shell enclosing a plurality of sealed tubes that each contain a TES media. A computer-controlled flow control system includes a flow distributor, for example a flow distributor having a plenum configured to receive a heat transfer fluid (HTF), and a plurality of control valves controlled by the computer to controllably distribute the HTF from the plenum to the plurality of TES modules. Sensor data from the TES modules, for example temperature, pressure, and/or flow data, is provided to the computer. In some embodiments the plenum includes two or more compartments with separate HTF flow ports, which may be provided to the controller at different temperatures.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A thermal energy storage system comprising:
a plurality of thermal energy storage modules arranged in a closely packed array, wherein each module comprises a plurality of thermally conductive sealed tubes disposed in a shell having a first flow port and a second flow port, the plurality of thermally conductive sealed tubes containing a thermal energy storage media, wherein the plurality of sealed tubes are spaced apart;
a flow control system comprising a processing system operably connected to a flow distributor wherein the flow distributor is configured to receive a heat transfer fluid and to controllably distribute the received heat transfer fluid to the plurality of thermal energy storage modules,
wherein the processing system controls the flow distributor to produce time-varying flows of the received heat transfer fluid to the plurality of thermal energy storage modules;
wherein the flow distributor comprises a plenum with at least one inlet port configured to receive the heat transfer fluid and a plurality of control valves fluidly connecting the first flow port of a corresponding one of the plurality of thermal energy storage modules to the plenum, and wherein each of the plurality of control valves are controlled by the processing system to produce the time-varying flows; and
wherein the at least one inlet port comprises a first inlet port and a second inlet port, and further wherein the plenum comprises a first compartment configured to receive a first portion of the heat transfer fluid through the first inlet port and a second compartment configured to receive a second portion of the heat transfer fluid through the second inlet port, wherein the first compartment is associated with a first subset of the plurality of control valves and the second compartment is associated with a second subset of the plurality of control valves.

2. The thermal energy storage system of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of temperature sensors, each temperature sensor disposed in a corresponding one of the plurality of thermal energy storage modules and in signal communication with the processing system, wherein the processing system is configured to use data from the plurality of temperature sensors to control the control valves to produce the time-varying flows.

3. The thermal energy storage system of claim 2 , further comprising at least one temperature sensor in the plenum that is in signal communication with the processing system.

4. The thermal energy storage system of claim 2 , further comprising a discharge chamber fluidly connected to receive heat transfer fluid from the second flow ports of the plurality of thermal energy storage modules shells, the discharge chamber having a discharge outlet flow port.

5. The thermal energy storage system of claim 4 , wherein the discharge chamber comprises a second flow distributor similar to the first flow distributor, such that the thermal energy storage system is operable with a reversible flow direction.

6. The thermal energy storage system of claim 1 , wherein the first subset of the plurality of control valves are fluidly connected with thermal energy storage modules located on a periphery of the closely packed array, and the second subset of the plurality of control valves are fluidly connected with thermal energy storage modules located centrally in the closely packed array.

7. The thermal energy storage system of claim 6 , further comprising a flow splitter configured to split the heat transfer fluid into the first portion and the second portion upstream of heating the heat transfer fluid, wherein the second portion is heated to a higher temperature than the first portion.

8. The thermal energy storage system of claim 1 , wherein the thermal energy storage media comprises an elemental fluid.

9. The thermal energy storage system of claim 8 , wherein the elemental fluid comprises sulfur.

10. The thermal energy storage system of claim 1 , further comprising a thermal blanket disposed around the closely packed array of thermal energy storage modules.

11. The thermal energy storage system of claim 1 , wherein the shells of the plurality of thermal energy storage modules are rectangular in cross-section, such that planar walls of the shells abut.

12. The thermal energy storage system of claim 1 , wherein the processing system is operable to produce a combined outflow of heat transfer fluid from the thermal energy storage system during an extended period of time in a discharge cycle that has a predetermined time-varying temperature and a predetermined time-varying flow rate.

13. The thermal energy storage system of claim 1 , wherein the processing system is operable to produce a combined outflow of heat transfer fluid from the thermal energy storage system during an extended period of time in a discharge cycle that has a predetermined fixed temperature and a predetermined fixed flow rate.

14. A multi-node, multi-access energy storage system comprising a plurality of the thermal energy storage system of claim 1 that are fluidly interconnected to control a flow of a plurality of heat transfer fluid streams through the plurality of thermal energy storage systems.

15. The multi-node, multi-access energy storage system of claim 14 , wherein each of the plurality of heat transfer fluids are operably connected to each of the plurality of thermal energy storage systems.

16. A thermal energy storage system comprising:
a plurality of thermal energy storage modules enclosed in a thermally insulating housing, wherein each thermal energy storage module comprises a plurality of thermally conductive sealed tubes disposed in a shell having a first flow port and a second flow port, the plurality of thermally conductive sealed tubes containing a thermal energy storage media;
a flow control system comprising a processing system, a plurality of temperature sensors configured to provide temperature data to the processing system, at least one of the plurality of temperature sensors disposed in a corresponding one of each of the thermal energy storage modules, and a flow distributor having a plenum with at least one inlet port configured to receive a heat transfer fluid, the flow distributor further comprising a plurality of control valves, each of the control valves fluidly connecting the first flow port of a corresponding one of the plurality of thermal energy storage modules to the plenum;
wherein the processing system is configured to use the temperature data to control the plurality of control valves to produce time-varying flows of the received heat transfer fluid to the plurality of thermal energy storage modules; and
wherein the at least one inlet port comprises a first inlet port and a second inlet port, and further wherein the plenum comprises a first compartment configured to receive a first portion of the heat transfer fluid through the first inlet port and a second compartment configured to receive a second portion of the heat transfer fluid through the second inlet port, wherein the first compartment is associated with a first subset of the plurality of control valves and the second compartment is associated with a second subset of the plurality of control valves.

17. The thermal energy storage system of claim 16 , further comprising a discharge chamber fluidly connected to receive heat transfer fluid from the second flow ports of the plurality of thermal energy storage modules shells.

18. The thermal energy storage system of claim 17 , wherein the discharge chamber comprises a second flow distributor si

Assignees

• Univ California

Inventors

• Wirz Richard E
• Wells Parker A

Classifications

• F28D17/04 Primary

  Distributing arrangements for the heat-exchange media · CPC title

• F28D20/028

  Control arrangements therefor · CPC title

• Y02E60/14

  Thermal energy storage · CPC title

• F28D2020/0004

  Particular heat storage apparatus · CPC title

• F28D2020/0069

  Distributing arrangements; Fluid deflecting means · CPC title