Thermal energy storage system comprising encapsulated phase change material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016356554-A1
Application number	US-201615243537-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 22, 2016
Priority date	Jul 21, 2010
Publication date	Dec 8, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Systems for storing and retrieving thermal energy in encapsulated phase change material are disclosed. Thermal energy is substantially stored and/or retrieved in the form of latent heat. The capsules comprise an outer shell which is impervious to both the heat transfer fluid within which they are submerged and the phase change material encapsulated therewithin. Methods for encapsulating the phase change material are also disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 - 36 . (canceled)

37 . A method of encapsulating a phase change material in a capsule, said method comprising suspending a particle of said phase change material in an air stream; coating an entire surface of said suspended particle with at least one layer of a sacrificial compound, said step of coating comprising atomizing a solution of said sacrificial compound; depositing said atomized sacrificial compound onto said surface of said suspended particle; and drying said sacrificial compound deposited on said suspended particle; coating an entire surface of said layer of said sacrificial compound with at least one layer of a second material; and encapsulating said phase change material within a shell formed by said second material, said step of encapsulating comprising heating said particle coated with said sacrificial compound and said second material; thermally decomposing said sacrificial compound; and vaporizing said sacrificial compound, wherein said sacrificial compound has a decomposition temperature less than a phase change temperature of said phase change material and a phase change temperature of said second material.

38 . The method of claim 37 , wherein said capsule is shaped substantially like a sphere having a diameter in the range of 2 mm to 15 mm.

39 . The method of claim 37 , wherein said step of encapsulating renders said second material impervious.

40 . The method of claim 37 , further comprising rendering said second material impervious by coating an entire surface of said layer of said second material with one or more layers of a third material after said step of encapsulation.

41 . The method of claim 40 , wherein said second material and said third material are same.

42 . The method of claim 37 , further comprising substantially filling a substantial number of defects in said layer of said second material by applying one or more layers of a third material after the step of encapsulating, wherein said defects include cracks, crevices, holes and voids.

43 . The method of claim 42 , wherein said second material and said third material are same.

44 . The method of claim 37 , wherein said phase change material is selected from the group consisting of sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate, mixture of sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate, and inorganic salts.

45 . (canceled)

46 . The method of claim 37 , wherein said sacrificial compound is selected from the group consisting of an organic polymer, hydroxy-propyl methyl cellulose, carboxy-methyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose, polyethelene and poly vinyl chloride.

47 . The method of claim 37 , wherein said second material is selected from the group consisting of sodium chloride, bonded metal particles, sintered metal particles, clay, and mixture of clay and metal.

48 . The method of claim 37 , further comprising applying one or more additional layers of said sacrificial compound before coating with said second material.

49 . The method of claim 48 , further comprising rendering said second material impervious by coating an entire surface of said layer of said second material with one or more layers of a third material after said step of encapsulation.

50 . The method of claim 48 , further comprising substantially filling a substantial number of defects in said layer of said second material by applying one or more layers of a third material after the step of encapsulating, wherein said defects include cracks, crevices, holes and voids.

51 . The method of claim 48 , further comprising applying one or more additional layers of said second material before the step of encapsulating.

52 . The method of claim 51 , wherein said step of encapsulating renders said second material impervious.

53 . The method of claim 51 , further comprising rendering said second material impervious by coating an entire surface of said layer of said second material with one or more layers of a third material after said step of encapsulation.

54 . The method of claim 51 , further comprising substantially filling a substantial number of defects in said layer of said second material by applying one or more layers of a third material after the step of encapsulating, wherein said defects include cracks, crevices, holes and voids.

55 . The method of claim 37 , further comprising applying one or more additional layers of said second material before the step of encapsulating.

56 . The method of claim 55 , wherein said step of encapsulating renders said second material impervious.

57 . The method of claim 55 , further comprising rendering said second material impervious by coating an entire surface of said layer of said second material with one or more layers of a third material after said step of encapsulation.

58 . The method of claim 55 , further comprising substantially filling a substantial number of defects in said layer of said second material by applying one or more layers of a third material after the step of encapsulating, wherein said defects include cracks, crevices, holes and voids.

59 . The method of claim 37 , further comprising submerging a plurality of capsules in a heat transfer fluid, wherein each one of said plurality of capsules encapsulates said phase change material; transferring at least a portion of thermal energy in said heat transfer fluid to one or more of said plurality of capsules; and subjecting at least a portion of said phase change material encapsulated in said one or more of said plurality of capsules to change from solid to liquid.

60 . The method of claim 59 , further comprising transferring thermal energy to said heat transfer fluid from a means other than said phase change material.

61 . The method of claim 59 , further comprising submerging a plurality of capsules in a heat transfer fluid, wherein each one of said plurality of capsules encapsulates said phase change material; subjecting at least a portion of said phase change material encapsulated in one or more of said plurality of capsules to change from liquid to solid and release thermal energy; and transferring at least a portion of said thermal energy release by said phase change material form one or more of said plurality of capsules to said heat transfer fluid.

62 . The method of claim 61 , further comprising transferring thermal energy to said heat transfer fluid from a first means other than said phase change material; and transferring thermal energy from said heat transfer fluid to a second means other than said phase change material.

63 . The method of claim 37 , further comprising submerging a plurality of capsules in a heat transfer fluid, wherein each one of said plurality of capsules encapsulates said phase change material; subjecting at least a portion of said phase change material encapsulated in one or more of said plurality of capsules to change from liquid to solid and release thermal energy; and transferring at least a portion of said thermal energy release by said phase change material form one or more of said plurality of capsules to said heat transfer fluid.

64 . The method of claim 63 , further comprising transferring thermal energy from said heat transfer fluid to a means other than said phase change material.

65 - 83 . (canceled)

Assignees

• Terrafore Tech Llc
• Southwest Res Inst

Inventors

• Mathur Anoop Kumar
• Kasetty Rajan Babu
• Oxley James D

Classifications

• B65B51/00

  Devices for, or methods of, sealing or securing package folds or closures; Devices for gathering or twisting wrappers, or necks of bags · CPC title

• B65B29/00

  Packaging of materials presenting special problems · CPC title

• B65B5/06

  Packaging groups of articles, the groups being treated as single articles · CPC title

• C09K5/063

  Materials absorbing or liberating heat during crystallisation; Heat storage materials · CPC title

• F28D20/023 Primary

  the latent heat storage material being enclosed in granular particles or dispersed in a porous, fibrous or cellular structure · CPC title