The invention is a container (200) for a system for storing and restoring heat, comprising a vessel including means for injecting and withdrawing a gas to be cooled or reheated. The vessel is limited by a first jacket formed from concrete (203) surrounded by a thermally insulating layer (206), which is surrounded by a steel shell (204). The vessel comprises at least two modules formed from concrete (210) located one above the other and centered to form a first jacket from concrete (203). Each module formed from concrete comprises a volume limited by a side wall formed from concrete (211) and a perforated base formed from concrete (205) The volume contains a fixed bed of particles of a material for the storage and restitution of heat (207).

The invention relates to a container (200) for a heat storage and restitution system, comprising a vessel in which a gas is circulating in order to be cooled or heated. The vessel is limited by a first jacket formed from concrete (203) surrounded by a thermally insulating layer (206), which is itself surrounded by a steel shell (204). The vessel comprises at least two modules (210), each comprising a double wall formed from concrete and a perforated base (205) limiting at least two volumes (217 and 216) which are each capable of containing a fixed bed of particles of a material for storage and restitution of heat (207). The modules are disposed one above the other in a centered manner such that the double wall formed from concrete forms the first jacket formed from concrete (203) and a second jacket formed from concrete (215).

The present invention relates to a high temperature heat exchange and heat storage unit, and mechanism and device thereof. The high temperature heat exchange and heat storage unit comprises a housing containing a plurality of solid heat storage particles. The housing has a fluid inlet on the top of the housing, and has a plurality of fluid outlets on the bottom of the housing; a plurality of overflow ports, a plurality of overflow pipes, and a heat exchange pipe is disposed inside the housing; each overflow pipe communicates with one corresponding overflow port and one corresponding fluid outlet of the housing, and a highest point of each overflow pipe is lower than the top of the housing. No sealing structure needs to be disposed at the fluid inlet of the housing, so that the high temperature heat exchange and heat storage unit is simple in structure. It is also very convenient and flexible to assemble, and the assembly requirements of high temperature heat exchange and heat storage mechanism of various different specifications can be satisfied.

The present disclosure is directed to an energy storage and retrieval system for the generation of power. A compressor (301) pressurizes ambient air. The pressurized air flow passes through a thermal energy regenerator (280) for thermal energy storage and retrieval and onto an expander (302) for generating mechanical power. The compressor (301) and the expander (302) are coupled to an electrical machine (304) through a common shaft (303). The regenerator (280) comprises one or more Thermal Energy Storage (TES) units which can be coupled to one another in a parallel configuration. The TES units comprise a thermal medium for the storage and retrieval of thermal energy.

The present invention relates to a high temperature heat exchange and heat storage unit, and mechanism and device thereof. The high temperature heat exchange and heat storage unit comprises a housing containing a plurality of solid heat storage particles. The housing has a fluid inlet on the top of the housing, and has a plurality of fluid outlets on the bottom of the housing; a plurality of overflow ports, a plurality of overflow pipes, and a heat exchange pipe is disposed inside the housing; each overflow pipe communicates with one corresponding overflow port and one corresponding fluid outlet of the housing, and a highest point of each overflow pipe is lower than the top of the housing. No sealing structure needs to be disposed at the fluid inlet of the housing, so that the high temperature heat exchange and heat storage unit is simple in structure. It is also very convenient and flexible to assemble, and the assembly requirements of high temperature heat exchange and heat storage mechanism of various different specifications can be satisfied.

A heat transfer system and related method of heat transfer is provided. The heat transfer system includes a tubular receiver positioned to receive heat from a heat source, the receiver comprising one or more enclosed tubes configured for gravity-driven flow of a particulate heat transfer fluid therethrough in a dense, unfluidized state having a particle volume fraction of at least about 25%; and at least one storage vessel in fluid communication with the tubular receiver and positioned to receive the heat transfer fluid therefrom, wherein the particulate heat transfer fluid includes a plurality of particles of a metal-containing material having a melting point of greater than 800 C, the heat transfer fluid being substantially free of a liquid component.

The present disclosure includes a mining system which comprises ore, waste, and a reservoir which comprises a portion of said waste through which air can flow with low resistance for storing thermal energy from a tempered air source and supplying it to a tempered air consumer, and connections for tempered air flow between said tempered air source and said reservoir and between said tempered air consumer and said reservoir. Note: As used herein, tempered air means air of a temperature sufficiently high to heat, or low to cool, an object to a desired temperature. For example, in a house, the furnace is a source of tempered air for heating in winter, the air conditioner a source of tempered air for cooling in summer, and the house is a consumer of tempered air.

Barocaloric heat transfer systems and related methods are generally described. In some embodiments, a heat transfer system may include a barocaloric material which may generate heat upon compression and may cool down upon decompression. The barocaloric material may be pressurized using high pressure and low pressure fluids, which may, in some embodiments, also transfer heat to/from the barocaloric material. The heat transfer system may also include a hot heat exchanger to dissipate heat from the heat transfer system to a first environment and a cold heat exchanger to absorb heat from a second environment, effectively cooling the second environment. In some embodiments, the barocaloric material may be in particulate form.

Thermal storage systems that preferably do not create substantially any additional back pressure or create minimal additional back pressure and their applications in combined cycle power plants are disclosed. In one embodiment of the method for efficient response to load variations in a combined cycle power plant, the method includes providing, through a thermal storage tank, a flow path for fluid exiting a gas turbine, placing in the flow path a storage medium comprising high thermal conductivity heat resistance media, preferably particles, the particles being in contact with each other and defining voids between the particles in order to facilitate flow of the fluid in a predetermined direction constituting a longitudinal direction, arrangement of the particles constituting a packed bed, dimensions of the particles and of the packed bed being selected such that a resultant back pressure to the gas turbine is at most a predetermined back pressure.