SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR HIGH-TEMPERATURE THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE

Due to the intermittency of energy generation from renewable sources, thermal energy storage (TES) systems, or thermal batteries, are increasingly being used to ensure a continuous supply. This issue becomes more critical when the thermal needs are at high temperatures (above 800 – 1000 ºC).

The invention is based on a packed-bed porous system that is internally heated by a source powered by electric energy, from either exceeding renewable generation or purchased at a competitive price.

The aim is to "charge" that energy into the porous solid material, which heats the mass-flow rate of a gas flowing through it, to eventually dispatch a specific thermal power during a "discharge" episode. The main contribution lies in a specific arrangement of the heat source within the porous medium and the specific selection of the thermo-physical properties of the solid material that constitutes the bed, along with the system's operating conditions. The resulting device optimizes the energy transfer to the gas, ensures the maximum possible storage of all the available energy, and prevents the excessive and unnecessary heating that could damage the packed bed. The smart control of the system allows for the optimal balance between the amount of energy transferred to the gas and that stored in the system.

Advantages

Compared to energy storage systems without internal heating through a porous medium, it has the advantage of making a better use of the exceeding energy from renewable sources, and in general, the energy during periods of low economic cost. Compared to other systems in which a gas flow is internally heated in a porous medium, the present invention has the advantage of a local heating optimizing the energy transfer to the gas, which ensures the maximum possible storage of all available energy, and prevents excessive and unnecessary heating that could damage the packed bed.

Uses and Applications

The main application of this technology is in the field of storage of exceeding thermal energy from renewable sources.