Thermal storage system containers external features and modularity
AssigneeNostromo Ltd.
InventorsYaron BEN NUN, Eyal ZIV
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A thermal-storage container used in a thermal-storage system to exchange heat by fluid flow though phase-changing material disposed inside the thermal-storage container, including a thermal-storage container housing, a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, and one or more capsules containing the phase-change material, wherein the housing is shaped as an elongate container, a ratio of length to width of the housing is between 2 and 20. Related apparatus and methods are also described.
Claims31
A thermal-storage container used in a thermal-storage system to exchange heat by fluid flow though phase-changing material disposed inside the thermal-storage container, comprising:
- a thermal-storage container housing;
- a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet;
- and
- one or more capsules containing the phase-change material,
- wherein:
- the housing is shaped as an elongate container;
- and
- a ratio of length to width of the housing is between 4 and 50.
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A thermal system, comprising:
- two or more fluidly and mechanically coupled energy-storage containers, configured to exchange heat within an internal volume of the containers by heat-exchanging fluid flowing with phase-changing material inside the container, and comprising:
- a front wall, a back wall,
- longitudinal walls extending between the front wall and the back wall, and
- one or more outside connection surfaces defined as at least one of the front wall, back wall, and the longitudinal walls;
- and
- the internal volume is defined as the volume encompassed between the longitudinal walls, the front wall, and the back wall;
- wherein the two or more containers are mechanically coupled to each other at one or more of the connection surfaces of each container to define a containers arrangement.
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A building having thermal storage system that include energy-storage containers, configured to exchange heat within an internal volume of the containers by heat-exchanging fluid flowing through the containers and phase-changing fluid within the container, comprising:
- a construction surface, which is a structural portion of the building;
- two or more modular energy-storage containers installed on the construction surface, fluidly and mechanically coupled to each other, and comprising:
- a front wall, a back wall,
- longitudinal walls extending between the front wall and the back wall, and
- one or more outside connection surfaces defined as at least one of the front wall, back wall, and the longitudinal walls;
- and
- the internal volume is defined as the volume encompassed between the longitudinal walls, the front wall, and the back wall;
- wherein the two or more containers are mechanically coupled to each other at one or more of the connection surfaces of each container to define a containers arrangement;
- and
- the container arrangement provides an external support for supporting the weight of a construction surface of the building.
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A method of storing thermal energy in energy-storage containers, comprising:
- selecting a construction surface to have an area having:
- a size that fits two or more energy-storage containers;
- and
- a weight capacity for holding two or more energy-storage containers, and
- arranging two or more energy-storage containers on the construction surface in a modular structural arrangement comprising one or more of:
- said bricks are stacked on top of one another;
- said bricks are laid end to end;
- or said bricks are laid next to one another.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.