A heat storage device such as a hot blast stove including a heat regeneration checkerwork made of checker bricks, the checkerwork being supported by a support assembly (16). In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, the support assembly having a carrier structure made of refractory material and carrier floor also made of refractory material, the carrier floor resting on the carrier structure and being arranged and formed to carry the checker bricks of the checkerwork.

A compact heat recovery unit which includes separate and distinct thermal cores housed in their own channels. Each thermal core and its respective channel is moved at intervals. When a thermal core and its channel is inserted into a high temperature fluid flow, the thermal core absorbs the heat. When this heated thermal core and its channel is then later inserted into a low temperature fluid flow, the low temperature fluid is preheated by the heated thermal core. This operation is repeated with at least two independent thermal cores and their respective channels to maintain substantially continual pre-heating of received low temperature fluid. Similarly, the compact heat recovery unit can be used in a cooling application where pre-cooling of received higher temperature fluid is executed.

A compact heat recovery unit which includes separate and distinct thermal cores housed in their own channels. Each thermal core and its respective channel is moved at intervals. When a thermal core and its channel is inserted into a high temperature fluid flow, the thermal core absorbs the heat. When this heated thermal core and its channel is then later inserted into a low temperature fluid flow, the low temperature fluid is preheated by the heated thermal core. This operation is repeated with at least two independent thermal cores and their respective channels to maintain substantially continual pre-heating of received low temperature fluid. Similarly, the compact heat recovery unit can be used in a cooling application where pre-cooling of received higher temperature fluid is executed.

Thermal storage unit including: a receptacle including orifices allowing a heat-transfer fluid to be introduced into and extracted, and a stack of bricks, arranged in the receptacle in superposed strata, each stratum having lower and upper large faces and defining a plurality of ducts opening via lower and upper openings, the stack including a pair of strata of a lower and upper stratum, the upper and lower large faces of the lower and upper stratum being separated to define a passage, placing an upper opening of a lower duct of the lower stratum in fluidic communication with at least one lower opening, entirely offset with respect to the upper opening, of at least one upper duct of the upper stratum, the lower large face of the upper stratum closing off, at least partially, the upper opening, when the upper opening is observed, along its axis, from the lower duct.

Thermal storage unit including: a receptacle including orifices allowing a heat-transfer fluid to be introduced into and extracted, and a stack of bricks, arranged in the receptacle in superposed strata, each stratum having lower and upper large faces and defining a plurality of ducts opening via lower and upper openings, the stack including a pair of strata of a lower and upper stratum, the upper and lower large faces of the lower and upper stratum being separated to define a passage, placing an upper opening of a lower duct of the lower stratum in fluidic communication with at least one lower opening, entirely offset with respect to the upper opening, of at least one upper duct of the upper stratum, the lower large face of the upper stratum closing off, at least partially, the upper opening, when the upper opening is observed, along its axis, from the lower duct.

A sintered material exhibiting the following chemical composition, as percentages by weight: iron oxide(s), expressed in the Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 form, ≥85%, CaO: 0.1%-6%, SiO.sub.2: 0.1%-6%, 0.05% ≤TiO.sub.2, 0≤Al.sub.2O.sub.3, TiO.sub.2+Al.sub.2O.sub.3≤3%, and constituents other than iron oxides, CaO, SiO.sub.2, TiO.sub.2 and Al.sub.2O.sub.3: ≤5%. The CaO/SiO.sub.2 ratio by weight is between 0.2 and 7. The TiO.sub.2/CaO ratio by weight is between 0.2 and 1.5.

A sintered material exhibiting the following chemical composition, as percentages by weight: iron oxide(s), expressed in the Fe.sub.2O.sub.3 form, ≥85%, CaO: 0.1%-6%, SiO.sub.2: 0.1%-6%, 0.05% ≤TiO.sub.2, 0≤Al.sub.2O.sub.3, TiO.sub.2+Al.sub.2O.sub.3≤3%, and constituents other than iron oxides, CaO, SiO.sub.2, TiO.sub.2 and Al.sub.2O.sub.3: ≤5%. The CaO/SiO.sub.2 ratio by weight is between 0.2 and 7. The TiO.sub.2/CaO ratio by weight is between 0.2 and 1.5.

Disclosed is a thermal storage solution which can operate without any internal tubing or mechanical pumping in the heat reservoir, and features a heat transfer technology based on evaporation and condensation of heat transfer fluids that will prevent hot and cold zones in the thermal storage reservoir. The main advantage is that the reservoir will have a much lower cost, have more degrees of freedom regarding the interplay between storage capacity, input and output power, and can operate without any mechanical or pressurized parts.

Disclosed is a thermal storage solution which can operate without any internal tubing or mechanical pumping in the heat reservoir, and features a heat transfer technology based on evaporation and condensation of heat transfer fluids that will prevent hot and cold zones in the thermal storage reservoir. The main advantage is that the reservoir will have a much lower cost, have more degrees of freedom regarding the interplay between storage capacity, input and output power, and can operate without any mechanical or pressurized parts.

A two-stage heat regenerating cryogenic refrigerator may include: a vacuum vessel; a first and second cylinder in the vessel; the second cylinder coaxially connected to the first cylinder; a first regenerator in the first cylinder, the first regenerator accommodating heat regenerating material (HRM) 1; and a second regenerator in the second cylinder accommodating HRM 2, HRM 2 including plural HRM particles, each HRM particle including a heat regenerating substance having a maximum value of specific heat at a temperature of 20 K or less of 0.3 J/cm3.Math.K or more and a metal element; each HRM particle including a first and second region, the second region being closer to each HRM particle's outer edge than the first, and the second region having a metal element higher concentration than the first, the first and second region containing the heat regenerating substance, and the heat regenerating substance contains an oxide or oxysulfide component.