Desiccant thermal energy storage system for compact heating and cooling
OwnerLeo Tompkins, Harold Straininventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A plurality of individual, isolatable storage bins carrying a desiccant such as silicon gel are selectively placed in communication with a heat reclaim/solar collector within a gas circulation loop to permit the desiccant material to be dried and to store heat almost indefinitely in its dry state. The bins may be selectively connected within a second circulation loop, including a room to be conditioned such that a second gas circulated over the desiccant and to the room varies the moisture content of the desiccant to release heat and to thereby effect controlled heating or cooling of the air within the room, as needed, and irrespective operation of the heat reclaim/solar collector.
Claims10
A thermal energy storage system comprising:
- (a) at least three enclosed isolatable storage bins;
- (b) desiccant material within said at least three storage bins to provide for the prolonged storage of energy in the form of dryness of the desiccant material, said energy being derived from an unreliable or discontinuous source of heat;
- (c) a charging circuit for varying the moisture content of said desiccant material by circulating a heated, dry gas through at least one of said bins and over said desiccant material to cause said desiccant material to give up moisture to said charging circuit gas and to render said desiccant material to a dry, charged state wherein said charging circuit includes a supply duct which is open at one end to the atmosphere and includes a heat reclaim/solar collector therein for raising the temperature of the ambient air entering said charging circuit supply duct, and said charging circuit includes a return duct which discharges to the atmosphere;
- (d) a withdrawal circuit connected to said at least three bins including means for selectively varying the moisture content of the desiccant material by circulating a moisture laden gas through said charged desiccant material to cause said gas to reject moisture to the desiccant material and to thereby raise the gas temperature within said withdrawal circuit;
- (e) valve means for isolating said bins from said charging and withdrawal circuits;
- and
- (f) means for detecting and selectively withdrawing energy from a bin having the highest indicated charge and charging a bin having the lowest indicated charge.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.