Block and unit for storing thermal energy

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11408685-B2
Application number	US-201615753884-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 19, 2016
Priority date	Aug 20, 2015
Publication date	Aug 9, 2022
Grant date	Aug 9, 2022

Abstract

A modular block for storing thermal energy having a bottom wall and lateral walls defining a chamber. The lateral walls are made from a mouldable material. First thermal management elements are disposed in the chamber, which has at least one communication passage to the outside environment to allow a refrigerating fluid or a heat-transfer fluid a in heat exchange relationship with the first thermal management elements to pass into and out of the chamber. The modular block has second thermal management elements arranged laterally around the lateral walls or included in the mouldable material of the lateral walls for the thermal management of the chamber. The first thermal management elements are separated from the second thermal management elements by a part of the mouldable material of the lateral walls.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A modular block for a unit adapted to store thermal energy, the modular block comprising:
a bottom wall; and
lateral walls comprising a mouldable material and joined to the bottom wall, the bottom wall and the lateral walls defining a chamber and separating said chamber from an outside environment,

wherein the chamber:
is closed on a bottom side by the bottom wall and open on a top side opposite the bottom side,
encloses a volume in which are disposed first thermal management elements for storing and releasing thermal energy, and
has at least one communication passage between the outside environment and the chamber to allow a refrigerating fluid or a heat-transfer fluid in heat exchange relationship with said first thermal management elements to pass into and out of the chamber, and

wherein:
the modular block further comprises second thermal management elements arranged laterally around the lateral walls or included in the mouldable material of the lateral walls for the thermal management of the chamber, the second thermal management elements comprising a thermally insulating material arranged in hermetic pockets that are under a partial vacuum or filled with a gas having a thermal conductivity lower than 26 mW/m·K, and
each of the first thermal management elements are separated from each of the second thermal management elements by at least a part of the mouldable material of the lateral walls.

2. The modular block according to claim 1 , further comprising a sealing surface surrounding said top side for providing sealing in relation to the refrigerating fluid or the heat-transfer fluid.

3. The modular block according to claim 1 , wherein the hermetic pockets include a series of said hermetic pockets jointed by flexible intermediate portions between two successive hermetic pockets to allow articulation of the two successive hermetic pockets relative to each other.

4. The modular block according to claim 1 , wherein said first thermal management elements are arranged in said chamber such that circulation spaces for the refrigerating fluid or the heat-transfer fluid remain between the first thermal management elements.

5. The modular block according to claim 1 , wherein said first thermal management elements are arranged in said chamber in a patternless manner.

Assignees

• Hutchinson

Inventors

• Chopard Fabrice
• Bline Paul
• Chauvet Boris
• Dominiak Christophe

Classifications

• Y02E60/14

  Thermal energy storage · CPC title

• F28D20/021 Primary

  the latent heat storage material and the heat-exchanging means being enclosed in one container (F28D20/023 - F28D20/028 take precedence) · CPC title

• F28D2020/0021

  the heat storage material being enclosed in loose or stacked elements · CPC title

• F28D2020/0082

  Multiple tanks arrangements, e.g. adjacent tanks, tank in tank · CPC title

• F28D20/026 Primary

  with different heat storage materials not coming into direct contact · CPC title