A method is provided for inputting thermal energy into fluidic medium in a process or processes related to oil refining and/or petrochemical industries by at least one rotary apparatus comprising a casing with at least one inlet and at least one exit, a rotor comprising at least one row of rotor blades arranged over a circumference of a rotor hub mounted onto a rotor shaft, and a stator configured as an assembly of stationary vanes arranged at least upstream of the at least one row of rotor blades. In the method, an amount of thermal energy is imparted to a stream of fluidic medium directed along a flow path formed inside the casing between the inlet and the exit by virtue of a series of energy transformations occurring when said stream of fluidic medium passes through stationary and rotating components of said rotary apparatus, respectively. The method further comprises: integration of said at least one rotary apparatus into a heat-consuming process facility configured as a refining and/or petrochemical facility and further configured to carry out heat-consuming process or processes related to refining of oil and/or producing petrochemicals at temperatures essentially equal to or exceeding 500 degrees Celsius (° C.), and conducting an amount of input energy into the at least one rotary apparatus integrated into the heat-consuming process facility, the input energy comprises electrical energy. A rotary apparatus and related uses are further provided.

The present invention relates to a thermal battery (1) comprising an enclosure comprising a fluid inlet and outlet and comprising within it an encapsulated phase-change material in the form of at least one tube (3), at least one tube (3) being wound in a spiral within the enclosure.

A plate-type heat exchanger, in particular for motor vehicles, is described which includes plate pairs. In one example, a plate pair includes a first plate and a second plate that form a first flow path and a second flow path between the plates. In this configuration, the first and the second plate are associated with a first attachment plate and a second attachment plate, respectively. A third flow path is formed between the first plate and the second attachment plate and the first flow path is formed between the second plate and the first attachment plate. Alternatively, the third flow path is formed between the first plate and the first attachment plate and the first flow path is formed between the second plate and the second attachment plate. A spatial region for a fourth flow path may also be formed between adjacent plate pairs.

A heat pump includes a compressor, a metering device, a first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger, a first fan, a second fan, and a refrigerant circuit between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger. A thermal storage device coupled to the refrigerant circuit is configured to store thermal energy when the refrigerant fluid is above a threshold temperature and discharge thermal energy when the refrigerant fluid is below the threshold temperature. The heat pump is operated in a heating mode in which heat is transferred from the refrigerant fluid at the first heat exchanger and the temperature of the refrigerant fluid at the thermal storage device is above the threshold temperature, and a defrost mode in which heat is transferred to the refrigerant fluid at the first heat exchanger and the temperature of the refrigerant fluid at the thermal storage device is below the threshold temperature.

A heat storage system using a heat storage container having a tubular body, a chemical heat storage material accommodated in the tubular body, and a flow channel that penetrates the tubular body in a longitudinal direction, the heat storage system comprising a diffusion layer for transporting liquid from the flow channel to the chemical heat storage material, the liquid functioning as a reaction medium of the chemical heat storage material, wherein the liquid is transported to the flow channel, the liquid is transported to the diffusion layer, the liquid transported to the diffusion layer reacts with the chemical heat storage material, the chemical heat storage material generates heat, and the liquid is vaporized by the heat to become heat transport fluid.

A heat storage arrangement for an intermediate storage of thermal energy. The heat storage arrangement includes at least one heat exchanger element which includes a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet, and at least one heat storage container which includes a heat storage medium. The at least one heat exchanger is stiff and has a liquid non-aqueous heat carrier having a freezing point of below −10° C. flow therein. The at least one heat storage container is flexible and closed, and is arranged to abut on the at least one heat exchanger element so that a heat transfer occurs between the liquid non-aqueous heat carrier and the heat storage medium.

In order to provide a cold storage medium container that can be smoothly and reliably filled with a cold storage medium to thereby increase productivity. In a cold storage medium container 5, a body of the container 5 constituted of a pair of container members 10 and 12, and the body has an inner fin 11 therein and is filled with the cold storage medium through a cold storage medium filling opening 20 at an end of the body therein. Furthermore, in the cold storage medium container, an engagement portion 13 projects toward inside of the body to engage a part of a corrugated end surface at each end of the inner fin 11, to thereby position the inner fin 11 in the body, and a gap is disposed between the end surface at each end of the positioned inner fin 11 and an inner wall of the body.

In an evaporator for a vehicular air conditioner, the core width W is uniform over the entire region in the left-right direction. Further, the widths of all air-passing spaces in the left-right direction are equal to one another, the tube heights Ht of all refrigerant flow tubes are equal to one another, and the fin heights HF of all corrugated fins are equal to one another. The core width W, the tube pitch Tp (the distance between the thicknesswise centers of the refrigerant flow tubes located on the left and right sides of each air-passing space), the tube height Ht, and the fin height Hf are such that W=27 to 32 mm, Tp=4.3 to 5.5 mm, Ht=1.3 to 1.5 mm, Hf=3.0 to 4.0 mm, and Ht/Hf=0.325 to 0.500.

Disclosed are an evaporator, a refrigerator using the evaporator, and a method for controlling the refrigerator. The evaporator includes a refrigerant evaporation unit in which a flow passage where a refrigerant evaporates is formed, and a phase change material (PCM) accommodation unit that is coupled to the refrigerant evaporation unit and accommodates the PCM whose phase is changed according to latent heat absorbed by the refrigerant, wherein the PCM is brought into direct contact with an outer surface of the refrigerant evaporation unit inside the PCM accommodation unit.

An evaporator includes a cool storage material container. The cool storage material container contains a cool storage material and is disposed in a second part of the spaces. The cool storage material container includes a container main body portion joined to the refrigerant flow tubes. The outward projecting portion extends from an upper end of the leeward edge or windward edge of the container main body portion. The outward projecting portion has an expansion portion projecting from the container main body portion and projecting thickness of the expansion portion is greater than a thickness of the container main body portion. The expansion portion is located outward of the fins. At least one of left and right side walls of the expansion portion is so constructed to deform when an internal pressure in the cool storage material container increases beyond a predetermined pressure.