scholarly journals Techno-economic Analysis of High-Temperature Thermal Energy Storage for On-Demand Heat and Power

Author(s):  
Peng Peng ◽  
Lin Yang ◽  
Akanksha Menon ◽  
Nathaniel Weger ◽  
Ravi Prasher ◽  
...  

Herein we present a concept of a high-temperature, thermal energy storage (HT-TES) system for large-scale long duration energy storage (>10 hours) applications. The system relies on tunable composite ceramic materials with high electrical conductivity and can output the stored energy flexibly in the form of heat at 1100 degrees C or higher, and as electricity. We model the performance and cost of the system in a techno-economic analysis to identify key material and system properties influencing viability. For applications with daily operation (12 hours storage duration), we find achieving levelized storage costs below US Department of Energy’s 5 ₵/kWhe (1-2.5 ₵/kWhth equivalent) target by 2030 is possible. Candidate materials should have above 600-900 high-temperature cycle stability while offering at least 104 S/m of electrical conductivity. Our results suggest this system can be economical for longer storage durations (weeks to months) when coupled with intermittent charging using surplus renewable energy sources.

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (14) ◽  
pp. 4771
Author(s):  
Alberto Bologna ◽  
Matteo Fasano ◽  
Luca Bergamasco ◽  
Matteo Morciano ◽  
Francesca Bersani ◽  
...  

Water pasteurization has the potential to overcome some of the drawbacks of more conventional disinfection techniques such as chlorination, ozonation and ultraviolet radiation treatment. However, the high throughput of community water systems requires energy-intensive processes, and renewable energy sources have the potential to improve the sustainability of water pasteurization plants. In case of water pasteurization by solar thermal treatment, the continuity of operation is limited by the intermittent availability of the solar irradiance. Here we show that this problem can be addressed by a proper design of the plant layout, which includes a thermal energy storage system and an auxiliary gas boiler. Based on a target pasteurization protocol validated by experiments, a complete lumped-component model of the plant is developed and used to determine the operating parameters and size of the components for a given delivery flow rate. Finally, we report an economic analysis of the proposed plant layout, which allows its optimization for different scenarios based on two design variables, namely the solar multiple and the duration of the thermal energy storage. Based on the analyzed cases, it is found that the proposed plant layouts may yield a unit cost of water treatment ranging from ≈32 EUR-cents m−3 to ≈25 EUR-cents m−3.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (13) ◽  
pp. 6234
Author(s):  
Ciprian Neagoe ◽  
Ioan Albert Tudor ◽  
Cristina Florentina Ciobota ◽  
Cristian Bogdanescu ◽  
Paul Stanciu ◽  
...  

Microencapsulation of sodium nitrate (NaNO3) as phase change material for high temperature thermal energy storage aims to reduce costs related to metal corrosion in storage tanks. The goal of this work was to test in a prototype thermal energy storage tank (16.7 L internal volume) the thermal properties of NaNO3 microencapsulated in zinc oxide shells, and estimate the potential of NaNO3–ZnO microcapsules for thermal storage applications. A fast and scalable microencapsulation procedure was developed, a flow calorimetry method was adapted, and a template document created to perform tank thermal transfer simulation by the finite element method (FEM) was set in Microsoft Excel. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and transient plane source (TPS) methods were used to measure, in small samples, the temperature dependency of melting/solidification heat, specific heat, and thermal conductivity of the NaNO3–ZnO microcapsules. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and chemical analysis demonstrated the stability of microcapsules over multiple tank charge–discharge cycles. The energy stored as latent heat is available for a temperature interval from 303 to 285 °C, corresponding to onset–offset for NaNO3 solidification. Charge–self-discharge experiments on the pilot tank showed that the amount of thermal energy stored in this interval largely corresponds to the NaNO3 content of the microcapsules; the high temperature energy density of microcapsules is estimated in the range from 145 to 179 MJ/m3. Comparison between real tank experiments and FEM simulations demonstrated that DSC and TPS laboratory measurements on microcapsule thermal properties may reliably be used to design applications for thermal energy storage.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (14) ◽  
pp. 4379
Author(s):  
Max Hesselbrandt ◽  
Mikael Erlström ◽  
Daniel Sopher ◽  
Jose Acuna

Assessing the optimal placement and design of a large-scale high temperature energy storage system in crystalline bedrock is a challenging task. This study applies and evaluates various methods and strategies for pre-site investigation for a potential high temperature borehole thermal energy storage (HT-BTES) system at Linköping in Sweden. The storage is required to shift approximately 70 GWh of excess heat generated from a waste incineration plant during the summer to the winter season. Ideally, the site for the HT-BTES system should be able to accommodate up to 1400 wells to 300 m depth. The presence of major fracture zones, high groundwater flow, anisotropic thermal properties, and thick Quaternary overburden are all factors that play an important role in the performance of an HT-BTES system. Inadequate input data to the modeling and design increases the risk of unsatisfactory performance, unwanted thermal impact on the surroundings, and suboptimal placement of the HT-BTES system, especially in a complex crystalline bedrock setting. Hence, it is crucial that the subsurface geological conditions and associated thermal properties are suitably characterized as part of pre-investigation work. In this study, we utilize a range of methods for pre-site investigation in the greater Distorp area, in the vicinity of Linköping. Ground geophysical methods, including magnetic and Very Low-Frequency (VLF) measurements, are collected across the study area together with outcrop observations and lab analysis on rock samples. Borehole investigations are conducted, including Thermal Response Test (TRT) and Distributed Thermal Response Test (DTRT) measurements, as well as geophysical wireline logging. Drone-based photogrammetry is also applied to characterize the fracture distribution and orientation in outcrops. In the case of the Distorp site, these methods have proven to give useful information to optimize the placement of the HT-BTES system and to inform design and modeling work. Furthermore, many of the methods applied in the study have proven to require only a fraction of the resources required to drill a single well, and hence, can be considered relatively efficient.


Author(s):  
Andrea Zambotti ◽  
Edoardo Caldesi ◽  
Massimo Pelizzari ◽  
Francesco Valentini ◽  
Alessandro Pegoretti ◽  
...  

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