Thermal energy storage system
First Claim
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1. A thermal energy system, comprising:
- at least one source of thermal energy providing heated oil at a first temperature that is substantially greater than an ambient air temperature;
at least one energy-consuming unit that consumes thermal energy transported to the energy-consuming unit by heated oil;
at least one thermal energy storage unit having a thermal mass that selectively receives and releases thermal energy that is transported to and from the thermal mass by oil;
a fluid conduit system fluidly interconnecting the source of thermal energy, the energy-consuming unit, and the thermal energy storage unit and providing flow of oil between the source of thermal energy, the energy-consuming unit and the thermal energy storage unit;
a control system configured to control flow of oil through the fluid conduit system according to predefined criteria; and
whereinthe one thermal energy storage unit comprises a waterproof barrier defining an interior space, and including substantially loose solid material disposed in the interior space, and at least one fluid conduit extending through the loose solid material to transfer thermal energy from oil flowing through the at least one fluid conduit to the loose solid material.
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Abstract
A thermal energy storage system includes fluid conduits disposed in a loose solid material. The loose solid material may be disposed inside a waterproof barrier, and the fluid conduits may be configured to define a plurality of zones having different temperatures in operation. The system may include a solar collector or other source of heated oil or other fluid that is routed to the thermal energy storage unit and/or an energy-consuming facility.
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Citations
37 Claims
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1. A thermal energy system, comprising:
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at least one source of thermal energy providing heated oil at a first temperature that is substantially greater than an ambient air temperature; at least one energy-consuming unit that consumes thermal energy transported to the energy-consuming unit by heated oil; at least one thermal energy storage unit having a thermal mass that selectively receives and releases thermal energy that is transported to and from the thermal mass by oil; a fluid conduit system fluidly interconnecting the source of thermal energy, the energy-consuming unit, and the thermal energy storage unit and providing flow of oil between the source of thermal energy, the energy-consuming unit and the thermal energy storage unit; a control system configured to control flow of oil through the fluid conduit system according to predefined criteria; and
whereinthe one thermal energy storage unit comprises a waterproof barrier defining an interior space, and including substantially loose solid material disposed in the interior space, and at least one fluid conduit extending through the loose solid material to transfer thermal energy from oil flowing through the at least one fluid conduit to the loose solid material. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A thermal energy storage unit, comprising:
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a volume of substantially loose solid material, the volume defining first and second zones having first and second temperatures; a first fluid conduit section disposed in the first zone, the first fluid conduit section having a first inlet and a first outlet; a second fluid conduit section disposed in the second zone, the second fluid conduit section having a second inlet and a second outlet; and a control system configured to control flow of fluid through the first and second fluid conduit sections based, at least in part, on the first and second temperatures, and wherein the control system is configured to cause fluids entering the thermal energy storage unit to flow through only a selected one of the first and second zones before exiting the thermal energy storage unit if predefined operating criteria are satisfied. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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Specification