Thermal Storage Technology

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A thermal storage technology which enables the instantaneous generation of electricity, cooling and heat whenever it is needed, for use in the home, industry and power grids, etc.

For decades the science community has been trying to store energy and has been concentrating on doing this within electrical batteries. Unfortunately these devices have a limited life but continued investment has improved them and continues to do so. However it has been possible to store energy in other ways, that is usually easier to do, more reliable and cost effective in the long run, and that is to store the energy in the form of heat!

Most electrical batteries usually discharge themselves over time and thermal storage devices will also lose their energy as they depend upon the thermal insulation surrounding them to contain the energy. With the new Vacuum Supper Insulation technologies it is now possible to store this energy over very long periods with very little losses. Historically Phase Change Materials (PCM) have been used to store huge quantities of energy within relatively small volumes but they have the problem that most of these PCM’s are very poor conductors of heat. This patented invention overcomes this limitation and enables almost instantaneous heat transfer both in and out of the store.

The significant possibilities that this technology allows is considerable as it enables refrigerated vehicles to be transported without the need for mechanical refrigeration equipment to be physically on the vehicle. It enables houses and small commercial buildings to become self sufficient in all their energy needs. It also enables grid storage capabilities to smooth out power generation and loading problems.

The patented technology relies on the special innovation of ensuring a very large surface area for any given volume of PCM, such that all the material is contained within a rigid exoskeleton. This enables heat exchange fluid to readily pass between the self contained PCM rods/modules giving up or extracting the energy as and when needed. Because the heat transfer rates are so high this can be directly used to generate electricity or cooling if desired.

Relatively simple manufacturing facilities can be constructed and the superior properties mean far lower costs compared to anything currently on the market.

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  • ABOUT THE ENTRANT

  • Name:
    Fred Best
  • Type of entry:
    individual
  • Profession:
    Problem solver & inventor
  • Number of times previously entering contest:
    never
  • Fred's favorite design and analysis tools:
    My own head!
  • Fred's hobbies and activities:
    Green Bowls and solving puzzles
  • Fred is inspired by:
    Anything and everything!
  • Patent status:
    pending