Thermal battery operational condition monitoring and alert system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12379697-B2
Application number	US-202318135355-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 17, 2023
Priority date	Apr 17, 2023
Publication date	Aug 5, 2025
Grant date	Aug 5, 2025

Abstract

A method for determining the suitability of a thermal storage medium of a thermal battery based in a locale, the method including predicting a required concentration of the thermal storage medium based on historical temperature data of the locale and predicted temperature data of the locale, wherein the required concentration of the thermal storage medium is predicted based upon a concentration of the thermal storage medium corresponding to the historical temperature data and the predicted temperature data and determining the concentration of the thermal storage medium and comparing the concentration of the thermal storage medium to the required concentration of the thermal storage medium, wherein if the required concentration of the thermal storage medium is higher than the concentration of the thermal storage medium, the thermal storage medium is said to be unsuitable.

First claim

What is claimed herein is:

1. A method for determining the suitability of a thermal storage medium of a thermal battery based in a locale, said method comprising using a control device to:
(a) predict a required concentration of the thermal storage medium based on historical temperature data of the locale and predicted temperature data of the locale, said predicted temperature data of the locale is a part of weather forecast data of the locale, wherein said required concentration of the thermal storage medium is predicted based upon a concentration of the thermal storage medium corresponding to said historical temperature data and said predicted temperature data;
(b) determine the concentration of the thermal storage medium and comparing the concentration of the thermal storage medium to said required concentration of the thermal storage medium, wherein if said required concentration of the thermal storage medium is higher than the concentration of the thermal storage medium, the thermal storage medium is indicated by the control device as unsuitable; and
(c) if the thermal storage medium is indicated by the control device as unsuitable, correct the concentration of the thermal storage medium to at least said required concentration of the thermal storage medium.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the thermal storage medium comprises glycol.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said predicting step comprises resolving the required concentration of the thermal storage medium to be a concentration of the thermal storage medium corresponding to the lower of said historical temperature data and said predicted temperature data.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said determining step comprises:
(a) transmitting a signal of a waveform in a portion of the thermal storage medium; and
(b) receiving the signal of the waveform disposed at a pulse width and looking up the concentration of the thermal storage medium on a signal pulse width-thermal storage medium concentration relationship based on said pulse width.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the waveform is a square waveform.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the locale is specified by a zip code.

7. A method for determining the concentration of a solute of a thermal storage medium using a pair of electrodes of a glycol concentration sensor, said method comprising:
(a) transmitting a signal of a waveform through a first electrode of the pair of electrodes in a portion of the thermal storage medium, the concentration of the solute of the thermal storage medium being a function of the electrical conductivity of the signal within the thermal storage medium; and
(b) receiving the signal of the waveform disposed at a pulse width through a second electrode of the pair of electrodes and looking up the concentration of the solute in the thermal storage medium based on a signal pulse width-solute concentration in thermal storage medium relationship corresponding to said pulse width.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the thermal storage medium is a glycol-water mixture.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein said signal pulse width-solute concentration in thermal storage medium relationship is established using a method comprising establishing said signal pulse width-solute concentration in thermal storage medium relationship using at least readings of signal pulse width of at least two different solute concentrations in thermal storage medium.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the waveform is a square waveform.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein if said receiving step fails to receive the signal of the waveform within a predetermined amount of time, it is said that there is an insufficient level of the thermal storage medium.

Assignees

• Intellihot Inc

Inventors

• Deivasigamani Sridhar
• Akasam Sivaprasad

Classifications

• F28D20/0034 Primary

  using liquid heat storage material · CPC title

• G05B13/048

  using a predictor · CPC title

• G05B13/042 Primary

  in which a parameter or coefficient is automatically adjusted to optimise the performance · CPC title