Abstract
Thermochemical energy storage systems, based on a high-temperature metal hydride coupled with a low-temperature metal hydride, represent a valid option to store thermal energy for concentrating solar power plant applications. The operating characteristics are investigated for a tandem hydride bed energy storage system, using a transient lumped parameter model developed to identify the technical performance of the proposed system. The results show that, without operational control, the system undergoes a thermal ratcheting process, causing the metal hydride concentrations to accumulate hydrogen in the high-temperature bed over time, and deplete hydrogen in the low temperature. This unbalanced system is compared with a ’thermally balanced’ system, where the thermal ratcheting is mitigated by thermally balancing the overall system. The analysis indicates that thermally balanced systems stabilize after the first few cycles and remain so for long-term operation, demonstrating their potential for practical thermal energy storage system applications.
Highlights
The generation of electric power by solar and wind energy suffers from the intermittency of either of these energy sources
This paper focuses on metal hydride based energy storage for concentrating solar power (CSP) collectors, which function by converting solar energy to heat
The application of metal hydrides for energy storage requires a sufficient mass of hydride to store and supply the heat required for the power block
Summary
The generation of electric power by solar and wind energy suffers from the intermittency of either of these energy sources. Without some form of mitigation, the electric power generated directly by solar and wind energy will be incapable of providing a constant electric power supply consistent with the requirements of residential and commercial utilization. Providing a constant electric power supply from these sources necessitates a means to somehow store energy acquired during periods of high availability and to recover that energy during those times when the availability is reduced. Proposed technologies for concentrating solar power (CSP) energy storage fall into three categories utilizing either sensible energy, latent heat or thermochemical energy [1,2,3,4]. Thermochemical energy storage systems include ammonia and metal hydrides, the latter of which are the subject of this paper
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