Thermal Energy Storage Apparatus, Controllers And Thermal Energy Storage Control Methods

• US 20110147360A1
• Filed: 09/30/2010
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
• Original Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
• Inventors: Hammerstrom, Donald J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,331,483 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 219/209
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 20/0034 using liquid heat storage material
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1923 using thermal energy, the cost of which varies in function of time
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/28 Arrangements for balancing of the load in a network by storage of energy
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/38 Arrangements for parallely feeding a single network by two or more generators, converters or transformers
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/06 with automatic change-over , e.g. UPS systems
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0227 Applications
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/56 Power conversion systems, e.g. maximum power point trackers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/76 Power conversion electric or electronic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/10 Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier

Abstract

Thermal energy storage apparatus, controllers and thermal energy storage control methods are described. According to one aspect, a thermal energy storage apparatus controller includes processing circuitry configured to access first information which is indicative of surpluses and deficiencies of electrical energy upon an electrical power system at a plurality of moments in time, access second information which is indicative of temperature of a thermal energy storage medium at a plurality of moments in time, and use the first and second information to control an amount of electrical energy which is utilized by a heating element to heat the thermal energy storage medium at a plurality of moments in time.

Claims

1. A thermal energy storage apparatus controller comprising:

processing circuitry configured to;

access first information which is indicative of surpluses and deficiencies of electrical energy upon an electrical power system at a plurality of moments in time;

access second information which is indicative of a temperature of a thermal energy storage medium at a plurality of moments in time; and

use the first and second information to control an amount of electrical energy which is utilized by a heating element to heat the thermal energy storage medium at a plurality of respective moments in time.

2. The controller of claim 1 wherein the processing circuitry accesses the second information which is indicative of the temperature of the thermal energy storage medium comprising water within a reservoir of a water heater, and the processing circuitry is configured to use the first and second information to control the amount of electrical energy which is utilized by the heating element of the water heater.

3. The controller of claim 1 wherein the processing circuitry accesses the first information comprising information regarding an electrical characteristic of the electrical energy upon the electrical power system, wherein the electrical characteristic is indicative of the surpluses and deficiencies of the electrical energy upon the electrical power system.

4. The controller of claim 3 wherein the electrical characteristic is intentionally varied to control the amount of the electrical energy which is utilized by the heating element to heat the thermal energy storage medium during at least one of the moments in time.

5. The controller of claim 3 wherein the electrical characteristic comprises frequency of the electrical energy upon the electrical power system.

6. The controller of claim 1 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to increase the amount of electrical energy which is utilized by the heating element to heat the thermal energy storage medium at one of the moments in time as a result of the first information indicating a surplus of the electrical energy upon the electrical power system at the one moment in time, and the processing circuitry is configured to decrease the amount of electrical energy which is utilized by the heating element to heat the thermal energy storage medium at another of the moments in time as a result of the first information indicating a deficiency of the electrical energy upon the electrical power system at the another moment in time.

7. The controller of claim 1 wherein the first information indicates a relationship of consumption and generation of electrical energy upon the electrical power system, and the processing circuitry is configured to control the amount of electrical energy which is utilized by the heating element to heat the thermal energy storage medium to provide an improved state of balance of the consumption and the generation of the electrical energy with respect to the electrical power system compared with a state of balance of the consumption and the generation of the electrical energy with respect to the electrical power system in an absence of the controlling.

8. A thermal energy storage control method comprising:

accessing information regarding a state of an electrical power system; and

controlling the application of electrical energy from the electrical power system to a heating element of a thermal energy storage apparatus which is configured to heat a thermal energy storage medium, wherein the controlling comprises increasing an amount of the electrical energy utilized by the heating element to heat the thermal energy storage medium as a result of the accessed information indicating a presence of a surplus of electrical energy upon the electrical power system.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the controlling comprises controlling the application of electrical energy to the heating element of the thermal energy storage apparatus which comprises a water heater and which is configured to heat the thermal energy storage medium comprising water within a reservoir of the water heater.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising monitoring an electrical characteristic of the electrical energy upon the electrical power system and which is indicative of the surplus of the electrical energy upon the electrical power system, and wherein the accessing comprises accessing the information which results from the monitoring.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising intentionally varying the electrical characteristic to control the increasing of the amount of the electrical energy which is utilized by the heating element to heat the thermal energy storage medium.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the monitoring comprises monitoring the electrical characteristic comprising frequency of the electrical energy upon the electrical power system.

13. The method of claim 8 wherein the increasing comprises increasing at one moment in time, and wherein the controlling comprises decreasing an amount of the electrical energy utilized by the heating element to heat the thermal energy storage medium as a result of the accessed information indicating a presence of a deficiency of electrical energy upon the electrical power system at another moment in time.

14. The method of claim 8 further comprising accessing information regarding a temperature of the thermal energy storage medium, and wherein the controlling comprises controlling the increasing of the amount of electrical energy utilized by the heating element using the information regarding the temperature of the thermal energy storage medium.

15. The method of claim 8 wherein the accessing comprises accessing the information regarding the state of the electrical power system comprising a relationship of consumption and generation of electrical energy with respect to the electrical power system, and wherein the controlling comprises controlling to provide an improved state of balance of the consumption and the generation of the electrical energy upon the electrical power system compared with the state of balance in an absence of the controlling.

16. A thermal energy storage control method comprising:

heating a thermal energy storage medium using electrical energy which is supplied by an electrical power system;

accessing information which is indicative of a relationship of generation and consumption of electrical energy with respect to the electrical power system; and

using the accessed information, adjusting an amount of electrical energy which is utilized to implement the heating of the thermal energy storage medium to reduce a difference between generation and consumption of the electrical energy of the electrical power system.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the adjusting comprises adjusting to provide regulation services to the electrical power system.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the heating comprises heating the thermal energy storage medium comprising water within a reservoir of a water heater.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the accessing comprises monitoring an electrical characteristic of the electrical energy upon the electrical power system which is indicative of the relationship of the generation and the consumption of the electrical energy with respect to the electrical power system.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising intentionally varying the electrical characteristic to control the adjusting of the amount of the electrical energy which is utilized to implement the heating of the thermal energy storage medium.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the monitoring comprises monitoring the electrical characteristic comprising frequency of the electrical energy upon the electrical power system.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein the adjusting comprises:

increasing the amount of electrical energy which is utilized to implement the heating of the thermal energy storage medium at one moment in time as a result of the accessed information indicating a surplus of the electrical energy upon the electrical power system at the one moment in time; and

decreasing the amount of electrical energy which is utilized to implement the heating of the thermal energy storage medium at another moment in time as a result of the accessed information indicating a deficiency of the electrical energy upon the electrical power system at the another moment in time.

23. The method of claim 16 further comprising accessing information regarding a temperature of the thermal energy storage medium, and wherein the adjusting comprises adjusting the amount of electrical energy which is utilized to implement the heating using the information regarding the temperature of the thermal energy storage medium.

24. The method of claim 16 wherein the reducing provides an improved state of balance of the generation and consumption of the electrical energy of the electrical power system compared with a state of balance of the generation and consumption of the electrical energy with respect to the electrical power system in an absence of the adjusting.