Heat exchanger comprising concrete thermal energy storage elements
AssigneeEnergyNest AS
InventorsPål G. Bergan, Christopher Greiner
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A thermal energy storage and heat exchanger includes a plurality of concrete thermal energy storage elements, a housing into which the plurality of concrete thermal energy storage elements are arranged, a heat transfer and storage medium in a volume between the plurality of concrete thermal energy storage elements and the housing, in a form of a stagnant medium or a dynamic medium. The thermal energy storage and heat exchanger further includes at least one inlet for delivery of thermal energy to the thermal energy storage, at least one outlet for taking out thermal energy from the thermal energy storage, and thermal insulation arranged into or on an inside or outside of walls, floor and roof of the housing.
Claims11
A thermal energy storage and heat exchanger comprising:
- a plurality of concrete thermal energy storage elements;
- an insulated housing, wherein the insulated housing comprises thermal insulation in at least one of an inside, an outside, a wall, a floor and a roof of the insulated housing;
- a heat transfer and storage medium;
- wherein the plurality of concrete thermal energy storage elements are arranged inside the insulated housing;
- wherein at least one of the plurality of concrete thermal energy storage elements comprises a pipe heat exchanger embedded in the element, the pipe heat exchangers comprising an inlet and outlet extending out from one side of the element inside the insulated housing of the thermal energy storage, the pipe heat exchanger further comprising a structure embedded in the concrete of the element reversing a direction of flow from an inlet direction to an opposite outlet direction, wherein the pipe heat exchanger, for a full distance from the inlet to the outlet extending out from one side of the element inside the insulated housing of the thermal energy storage, is fully embedded in the concrete;
- wherein the heat transfer and storage medium fills a volume between the plurality of concrete thermal energy storage elements and the insulated housing in a form of a stagnant medium selected from the group consisting of thermal oil, molten salt, molten metal and phase change material;
- at least one inlet to the thermal energy storage coupled to an inlet of the elements inside the insulated housing of the thermal energy storage;
- and
- at least one outlet from the thermal energy storage coupled to an outlet of the elements
- inside the insulated housing of the thermal energy storage.
A thermal energy storage and heat exchanger comprising:
- a plurality of concrete thermal energy storage elements;
- an insulated housing, wherein the insulated housing comprises thermal insulation in at least one of an inside, an outside, a wall, a floor and a roof of the insulated housing;
- a heat transfer and storage medium;
- wherein the plurality of concrete thermal energy storage elements are arranged inside the insulated housing;
- wherein at least one of the plurality of concrete thermal energy storage elements comprises a pipe heat exchanger embedded in the element, the pipe heat exchangers comprising an inlet and outlet extending out from one side of the element inside the insulated housing of the thermal energy storage, the pipe heat exchanger further comprising a structure embedded in the concrete of the element reversing a direction of flow from an inlet direction to an opposite outlet direction, wherein the pipe heat exchanger, for a full distance from the inlet to the outlet extending out from one side of the element inside the insulated housing of the thermal energy storage, is fully embedded in the concrete;
- wherein the heat transfer and storage medium fills a volume between the plurality of concrete thermal energy storage elements and the insulated housing in a form of a dynamic medium selected from the group consisting of thermal oil, exhaust gas, flue gas, combustion gas, inert gas, molten salt, and molten metal, arranged to flow in the volume between the plurality of concrete thermal energy storage elements and the insulated housing;
- at least one inlet to the thermal energy storage coupled to an inlet of the elements inside the insulated housing of the thermal energy storage;
- and
- at least one outlet from the thermal energy storage coupled to an outlet of the elements inside the insulated housing of the thermal energy storage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.