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US 12,090,724 B2Granted
System and method for making a block for gravity energy storage
AssigneeEnergy Vault, Inc.
InventorAndrea Pedretti
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for making blocks for gravity energy storage includes an extrusion press machine with a receiving chamber for receiving raw material, a compaction chamber and a pressing wall driven by a piston to push the raw material into the compaction chamber to compact the material to form a block. One or more of a top wall, opposite side walls and the pressing wall are moved away from the a center of the compaction chamber to allow the block to elastically expand prior to exiting the compaction chamber.
Claims18
A system for making blocks for gravity energy storage, comprising:
- an extrusion press machine, comprising:
- a receiving chamber configured to receive material for forming a block,
- a compaction chamber in communication with the receiving chamber, the compaction chamber including a base, a pair of opposite sidewalls and a top wall,
- a gate operable to open or close a distal end of the compaction chamber, and
- a piston actuatable to slidably move a pressing wall across the receiving chamber and into the compaction chamber with the gate in a closed position to press the material into contact with the gate, the pair of opposite sidewalls, the top wall, the pressing wall and a plate positioned on a base wall of the compaction chamber in order to compact the material within the compaction chamber to form the block,
- wherein one or more of the pair of opposite sidewalls, the top wall and the pressing wall are operable to move away from a center of the compaction chamber to allow the block to elastically expand to an expanded position while positioned on the plate and prior to exiting from the compaction chamber,
- wherein the gate is operable to open the distal end of the compaction chamber to allow the block in the expanded position to exit the compaction chamber,
- wherein the pair of opposite sidewalls each comprise a first tapered edge and a movable plate having a second tapered edge facing the first tapered edge and movably engaging each of the pair of opposite sidewalls, the movable plate is coupled to a second piston operable to move the movable plate in a direction orthogonal to a direction of each of the pair of opposite sidewalls, the movable plate operable to move in a first direction to cause each of the pair of opposite sidewalls to move toward a center of the compaction chamber, the movable plate operable to move in a second direction opposite the first direction to cause each of the pair of opposite sidewalls to move away from the center of the compaction chamber.
5 more elements
A system for making blocks for gravity energy storage, comprising:
- an extrusion press machine, comprising:
- a receiving chamber configured to receive material for forming a block,
- a compaction chamber in communication with the receiving chamber, the compaction chamber including a base, a pair of opposite sidewalls and a top wall,
- a gate operable to open or close a distal end of the compaction chamber,
- a piston actuatable to slidably move a pressing wall across the receiving chamber and into the compaction chamber with the gate in a closed position to press the material into contact with the gate, the pair of opposite sidewalls, the top wall and the pressing wall to compact the material within the compaction chamber to form a block, and
- one or more second pistons operable to move the pair of opposite sidewalls and the top wall toward or away from a center of the compaction chamber to allow the formed block to elastically expand prior to exiting the compaction chamber,
- wherein the pair of opposite sidewalls each comprise a first tapered edge and a movable plate having a second tapered edge facing the first tapered edge and movably engaging each of the pair of opposite sidewalls, the one or more second pistons operable to move the movable plate in a first direction to cause each of the pair of opposite sidewalls to move toward a center of the compaction chamber, the one or more second pistons operable to move the movable plate in a second direction opposite the first direction to cause each of the pair of opposite sidewalls to move away from the center of the compaction chamber.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.