Heat exchange method and device therefor for thermal energy storage
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorCarlyle S. Herrick
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Abstract
A heat exchange device for the introduction of thermal energy into and removal of thermal energy from liquid-solid phase change material is described in which the phase change material is maintained in a container, which is slowly rotated about a generally horizontal axis at a substantially constant rotational speed. Means are provided for automatically nucleating the phase change material as required for cyclic operation. The invention is of particular utility in the use of incongruently melting hydrates for the storage of thermal energy.
Claims26
A heat exchange device for introducing thermal energy into and retrieving thermal energy from liquid-solid phase change material in which the solid phase of said phase change material is more dense than the liquid phase of said phase change material thereby enabling thermal energy storage comprising in combination:
- a closed liquid-tight enclosure mounted with an axis thereof extending in the generally horizontal direction, the major portion of the wall area of said enclosure serving as heat exchange surface, the heat exchange surface wall area being symmetrically disposed around said axis;
- means for rotating said enclosure around said axis and
- means affixed to said enclosure for predetermining the initiation of the formation of crystals of liquid-solid phase change material whereby the extent of supercooling of phase change material disposed within said enclosure in the liquid state can be controlled.
In a thermal energy storage system in which means are provided for the exchange of heat between liquid-solid phase change material contained within a container and a fluid stream maintained separate from said phase-change material, the solid phase of said phase change material being more dense than the liquid phase of said phase change material and means connected to said heat exchange means are provided for moving said heat exchange means, the improvement comprising:
- said container being a closed liquid-tight enclosure mounted with an axis thereof extending in the generally horizontal direction, the major portion of the wall area of said enclosure serving as said means for heat exchange, the heat exchange wall area being symmetrically disposed around said axis and
- said moving means being means for rotating said enclosure around said axis.
In the method of storing thermal energy in and retrieveing thermal energy from a liquid-solid phase change material, the solid phase of said phase change material being more dense than the liquid phase of said phase change material, wherein said phase change material is maintained in a container and fluid is circulated over the outer surface of said container to effectuate the desired heat exchange, the improvement comprising the steps of:
- rotating said container at a preselected constant rotational speed about a generally horizontal axis, said rotational speed being less than the rotational speed at which, during the phase change from liquid to solid, solid formed at the inside surface of the wall of said container does not fall away from said surface under the influence of gravity during carriage thereof in an ascending path.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.