SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE AND POWER GENERATION

摘要

A thermal energy storage system (100) is proposed in which the latent heat of fusion of common salts is used to store energy within a selectable temperature range, extending both above and below the melting/freezing temperature zone of the salt mixture. The salt mixture (432) occupies interstitial void spaces in a solid endostructure (534). The solid material remains in the solid state throughout the thermal cycling of the energy storage system, and preferably has properties of thermal conduction and specific heat that enhance the behavior of the salt mixture alone, while being chemically compatible with all materials in the storage system (100). The storage system (100) is capable of accepting and delivering heat at high rates, thereby allowing power generation using a suitable energy transfer media (544) to power a turbine (110) of an electric generator (112) or a process heat need to provide a relatively local, dispatchable, rechargeable thermal storage system (402), combined with a suitably sized generator (112).