Methods of Hot and Cold Side Charging in Thermal Energy Storage Systems
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- operating a pumped thermal system in a charging mode, wherein the pumped thermal system is configured to operate in a charging mode in which energy is stored in the pumped thermal system and a discharging mode in which energy is discharged from the pumped thermal system, wherein the pumped thermal system comprises;
a compressor,a hot side heat exchanger,a hot thermal storage (“
HTS”
) medium,a turbine,a cold side heat exchanger,a cold thermal storage (“
CTS”
) medium,a working fluid, anda closed cycle fluid path configured to circulate a working fluid through, in sequence, the compressor, the hot side heat exchanger and in thermal contact with the HTS medium, the turbine, and the cold side heat exchanger and in thermal contact with the CTS medium; and
adding thermal energy from an external thermal energy source to the HTS medium.
8 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present disclosure provides pumped thermal energy storage systems that can be used to store electrical energy. A pumped thermal energy storage system of the present disclosure can store energy by operating as a heat pump or refrigerator, whereby net work input can be used to transfer heat from the cold side to the hot side. A working fluid of the system is capable of efficient heat exchange with heat storage fluids on a hot side of the system and on a cold side of the system. The system can extract energy by operating as a heat engine transferring heat from the hot side to the cold side, which can result in net work output. Systems of the present disclosure can employ solar heating for improved storage efficiency.
-
Citations
21 Claims
-
1. A method comprising:
-
operating a pumped thermal system in a charging mode, wherein the pumped thermal system is configured to operate in a charging mode in which energy is stored in the pumped thermal system and a discharging mode in which energy is discharged from the pumped thermal system, wherein the pumped thermal system comprises; a compressor, a hot side heat exchanger, a hot thermal storage (“
HTS”
) medium,a turbine, a cold side heat exchanger, a cold thermal storage (“
CTS”
) medium,a working fluid, and a closed cycle fluid path configured to circulate a working fluid through, in sequence, the compressor, the hot side heat exchanger and in thermal contact with the HTS medium, the turbine, and the cold side heat exchanger and in thermal contact with the CTS medium; and adding thermal energy from an external thermal energy source to the HTS medium. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
-
-
7. A method comprising:
-
storing a cold thermal storage (“
CTS”
) medium inside a first cold storage tank system at a first temperature above an ambient temperature of atmospheric air;pre-cooling the CTS medium from the first temperature to the ambient temperature via heat exchange with the atmospheric air; cooling the CTS medium from the ambient temperature to a second temperature below the ambient temperature by flowing the CTS medium from the first cold storage tank system through a cold side heat exchanger within which the CTS medium exchanges heat with a working fluid, wherein the working fluid circulates through a pumped thermal system operating in a refrigerator cycle, wherein the pumped thermal system comprises a compressor, a hot side heat exchanger, a turbine, and the cold side heat exchanger; and storing the CTS medium in a second cold storage tank system. - View Dependent Claims (8)
-
-
9. A method comprising:
-
storing a hot thermal storage (“
HTS”
) medium inside a first hot storage tank at a first temperature;pre-heating the HTS medium from the first temperature to an intermediate temperature by flowing the HTS medium through a first heat exchanger, wherein the HTS medium exchanges heat with an intermediate thermal storage (“
ITS”
) medium flowing through the first heat exchanger;heating the HTS medium from the intermediate temperature to a second temperature by flowing the HTS medium from the first heat exchanger through an element configured to transfer external thermal energy to the HTS medium; and storing the CTS medium in a second hot storage tank system. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
-
-
14. A method comprising:
-
circulating a working fluid through, in sequence, a compressor, a hot side heat exchanger, a turbine, a cold side heat exchanger; and circulating an intermediate thermal storage (“
ITS”
) medium through a thermal bath and the hot side heat exchanger, wherein the ITS medium exchanges heat with the working fluid within the hot side heat exchanger, and wherein the ITS medium exchanges heat with a heat sink medium within the thermal bath. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
-
-
18. A method comprising:
-
circulating a working fluid through, in sequence, a compressor, a hot side heat exchanger, a turbine, a cold side heat exchanger; and circulating an intermediate thermal storage (“
ITS”
) medium through a thermal bath and the cold side heat exchanger, wherein the ITS medium exchanges heat with the working fluid within the cold side heat exchanger, and wherein the ITS medium exchanges heat with a heat sink medium within the thermal bath. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
-
Specification