The present invention concerns a method of refrigerating a housing to a target temperature according to which: an evaporator is placed in said housing; said evaporator is placed in fluid communication with a thermochemical reactor Ri, simultaneously, the heat produced at said reactor Ri is evacuated; Characteristically, at least n>1 other thermochemical reactors are provided; I) the pressure Pevi in said evaporator after it is placed in fluid communication with said thermochemical reactor Ri, and the temperature of said thermochemical reactor Ri connected to said evaporator, are determined; II) when the temperature difference DTRi between the temperature of said reactor Ri connected to said evaporator and the equilibrium temperature TeSi of said reactive mixture contained in said thermochemical reactor Ri at the pressure Pevi of said evaporator is equal to a first predetermined differential and/or when the temperature difference DTev between said evaporator and the interior of said housing is equal to a second predetermined differential, said reactor Ri is isolated from said evaporator and said evaporator is placed in fluid communication with at least one thermochemical reactor Ri+1 the pressure whereof is less than Pevi and/or the temperature is less than a predetermined value, simultaneously, all or part of the heat that is produced at said reactors Ri+1 connected to said evaporator is also evacuated, III) steps I and II are repeated with reference to the thermochemical reactor Ri+1 in fluid communication with said evaporator (E) until the target temperature in said housing C is obtained.

A tube-in-tube heat exchanger utilizes a selectively permeable tube having a selective permeable layer to allow the refrigerant to transfer into an ionic liquid to generate heating or cooling. The ionic liquid then provides heating or cooling to a heat transfer fluid through a non-permeable layer or tube. The system may be configured as a shell and tube design, with the third fluid free to flow on the outside of the shell, or as a shell and tube-in-tube, with a central tube containing a first liquid, a second tube containing a second liquid, and an outer shell containing the third liquid. The selectively permeable tube may include an anion or cation selectively permeable layer and this layer may be supported by a support layer or tube.

The present invention presents a thermochemical energy storage system. The system includes a membrane-based thermochemical reactor. The reactor includes a solution channel having an absorbent-containing solution flowing therethrough and a refrigerant channel having a refrigerant flowing therethrough along with first and second fluid channels. A porous membrane is positioned between the refrigerant channel and the solution channel; the porous membrane permits flow of vapor molecules therethrough while restricting flow of absorbent molecules. The system further includes a solution storage repository in fluid communication with the solution channel and a refrigerant repository in fluid communication with the refrigerant channel. The system can be used in high-density, high-efficiency, and low-temperature energy storage systems. The membrane-based reactor offers a large specific surface area and integrates solution/refrigerant flows, which enables formation of a highly compact reactor exhibiting strong heat/mass transfer. In some embodiments, direct diffusion of water molecules through the membrane makes it possible to lower the required charging temperatures.

The invention relates to a method for supplying electrical energy (10), wherein a heat accumulator (2) is charged with thermal energy (3) in a heat charging station (1), wherein the thermal energy (3) is converted into electrical energy (10) in a conversion station (5). The invention also relates to an energy supply system for supplying electrical energy (10), in particular according to said method, wherein the energy supply system has at least one heat accumulator (2), and wherein the energy supply system has a heat charging station (1) for charging the heat accumulator (2) with thermal energy (3). The energy supply system has a conversion station (5) for converting thermal energy (3) stored in the heat accumulator (2) into electrical energy (10), wherein the system has an energy generating device for generating electrical energy (10), and wherein the system is designed to convert electrical energy (10) generated by the energy generating device into thermal energy (3) and to store same in the heat accumulator (2).

A method for assembling a thermal battery. The method including: arranging a plurality of tubes into a cylindrical shape; connecting the plurality of tubes to each other; attaching a first plate to a first end of the connected plurality of tubes into corresponding holes in the first plate; providing an initiation device to the first end of each of the plurality of tubes; filling each of the plurality of tubes from a second end with an exothermic material; assembling thermal battery components inside the connected plurality of tubes; connecting terminal wires to the thermal battery components; and connecting the second end of the connected plurality to a second plate.

A thermochemical method for storing and releasing thermal energy by means of a compound in solid form of formula AO.sub.xB.sub.y.zH.sub.2O, in which: A is an element selected from uranium (U) and thorium (Th); O is the element oxygen; B is an anion or an oxoanion; x is a number comprised between 0 and 4; y is a number comprised between 0 and 2; z is a number greater than 0 and less than 10; it being understood that at least one of x and y is different from 0 and that the compound of formula Th(SO.sub.4).sub.2.xH.sub.2O is excluded.

This invention generally relates to mechanical-chemical energy storage. In particular, the invention relates to a mechanical-chemical energy storage system that stores energy by simultaneously compressing a gas to a higher enthalpy state and recovering the heat of compression by driving a somewhat reversible chemical reaction. The heat energy in the chemical reaction is then recovered while the gas is expanding to a lower enthalpy state.

The invention is directed to a system for energy storage comprising a chemical combustion reactor comprising a reactor segment that comprises at least two porous active fixed beds that are separated by an inactive insulating layer which are at least partially surrounded by an insulating mantle. The active beds comprise a metal and/or oxide thereof.

A method of storing energy is disclosed. The method comprises heating a material that comprises a CO.sub.2 sorbed product and an additive to desorb CO.sub.2 from the material and to convert the CO.sub.2 sorbed product to a CO.sub.2 sorbent. The additive is selected such that it at least partially prevents during heating (i) sintering of the CO.sub.2 sorbent and/or the CO.sub.2 sorbed product; and (ii) the formation of a crust on the material, the crust minimising or preventing the CO.sub.2 sorbent and CO2 from reacting with one another to form the CO.sub.2 sorbed product in a subsequent CO.sub.2 absorption step. Also disclosed is a composition used to sorb and desorb CO.sub.2 in a thermal battery, and a system for implementing the method, the system using the composition.

A particle comprises an inner part and an outer coating. The inner part comprises CaO and the outer coating comprises hydrophobic nanoparticles of a size less than 1 μm. The particle has an average size of from 1 to 1000 μm. A device adapted to perform an absorption process comprises at least one such particle. A method for manufacturing such a particle comprises mixing CaO with hydrophobic nanoparticles, and mixing with sufficient energy to obtain particles comprising CaO coated with the hydrophobic nanoparticles.