Thermal energy storage
AssigneeSiemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, Inc.
InventorsNiels Pagelsen, Jennifer Verena Wagner, Jan Rudolf Eggers, Alexander Zaczek
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Abstract
Provided is a thermal energy storage including a housing having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet, and a thermal energy storage structure arranged within the housing between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, the thermal energy storage structure including thermal energy storage elements and flexible separator elements, the flexible separator elements being arranged such that the thermal energy storage elements are separated into layers, each layer forming a channel between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet. Furthermore, a method of manufacturing a thermal energy storage and a power plant for producing electrical energy is provided.
Claims14
A thermal energy storage comprising:
- a housing having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet;
- and
- a thermal energy storage structure arranged within the housing between the fluid and the fluid outlet, the thermal energy storage structure comprising thermal energy storage elements and flexible separator elements, the flexible separator elements being arranged such that the thermal energy storage elements are separated into layers, each layer forming a channel between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet,
- wherein the flexible separator elements are capable of changing form to such an extent that no headroom is formed within the layers due to a compacting of the thermal storage elements.
A method of manufacturing a thermal energy storage, the method comprising:
- providing a housing having a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet;
- and
- arranging a thermal energy storage structure within the housing between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, the thermal energy storage structure comprising thermal energy storage elements and flexible separator elements, the flexible separator elements being arranged such that the thermal energy storage elements are separated into layers, each layer forming a channel between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet,
- wherein the flexible separator elements are capable of changing form to such an extent that no headroom is formed within the layers due to a compacting of the thermal storage elements.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.