A modular block for storing thermal energy having a bottom wall and lateral walls defining a chamber. The lateral walls are made from a mouldable material. First thermal management elements are disposed in the chamber, which has at least one communication passage to the outside environment to allow a refrigerating fluid or a heat-transfer fluid a in heat exchange relationship with the first thermal management elements to pass into and out of the chamber. The modular block has second thermal management elements arranged laterally around the lateral walls or included in the mouldable material of the lateral walls for the thermal management of the chamber. The first thermal management elements are separated from the second thermal management elements by a part of the mouldable material of the lateral walls.

Heat exchanger presenting a first gas flow path containing a heat-regenerative packing and a separate second gas flow path containing a heat-conductive packing and use of same for heating a gas to be heated by means of heat recovered from a hot gas in a two-phase alternating heat-recovery process.

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 thermal energy storage unit is disclosed. The system comprising: a tube having at least one inlet and at least one outlet for a first fluid; a plurality of plate-shaped or box-shaped capsules having a second fluid therein, wherein the plurality of capsules is arranged inside the tube to form a plurality of stacks of capsules; wherein: the first fluid is a heat transfer fluid for exchanging heat with the second fluid; the second fluid is a phase-change medium; wherein a plurality of defined narrow flow paths for the first fluid is provided between the capsules. The defined flow paths increase the efficiency of the system.

In one aspect, thermal management devices are described herein. In some embodiments, the thermal management device is a thermal management plate comprising an exterior surface defining an interior volume, and a thermal management material disposed within the interior volume. Additionally, the plate includes a fill spout. The fill spout (when in an open configuration) provides fluid communication between the interior volume and the external environment of the plate. The exterior surface of the plate includes a front side, a back side, and at least four corners. The fill spout is disposed at one of the corners of the exterior surface. The plate can have a generally polyhedral shape, and the specific shape of the plate is not particularly limited.

A heat sink cooling apparatus of the present invention includes a thickened Phase Change Material (PCM) and an aluminum profile container for superior cold storage, heat transfer and efficiency of defrost. The PCM is a composition including a brine solution and a thickening agent resulting in increased holdover capacity in a no-leak, safe food grade PCM, and a tubular aluminum profile manufactured with a highly conductive aluminum alloy, which can be triangular, with optional internal and/or external fin-tube configurations maximizing surface area for heat transfer. The heat sink cooling apparatus is capable of removing heat from (but not limited to) a transport cargo area (truck body) through the processes of conductive and convection heat transfer via the aluminum profile filled with a PCM, either in a passive form of cooling via free convection (hanging mount) or in a forced air plenum chamber.

A plant for the accumulation and transfer of thermal energy, which plant has an accumulation device of the kind with a bed of fluidizable solid particles. The plant further has for each accumulation device: electric resistor means arranged within the casing and thermally connected with the bed of particles, which electric resistors are configured for transmitting thermal energy generated by Joule effect to the particles and they are fed by exceeding electric energy from wind or photovoltaic source; and heat exchange means, also thermally connected with the bed of particles and which can be selectively actuated to receive thermal energy therefrom,
the overall configuration being such that the thermal energy is transferred from the resistor means to the fluidizable solid particles of the bed and from the fluidizable solid particles to the heat exchange means.

The present invention relates to a system and a process for storing and releasing heat comprising at least one bed of particles (2) for storing heat. The system also comprises, at each end of the fixed bed, a means for thermal regulation of the particles (5).

Moreover, the invention relates to a system and a process for storing and recovering energy by compressed gas utilizing such a system for storing and releasing heat.

A solar concentrator comprising: a base; a framework, the framework being hingedly joined to the base such that the framework can be rotated relative to the base; and a plurality of mirrors arranged relative to a first axis of the framework, such that all of the mirrors are located on one side of a plane which contains the first axis, each mirror being fixed to the framework and each mirror being arranged to reflect light travelling parallel to the first axis towards a common focus which lies on the first axis.

An energy storage and retrieval system is disclosed. The system includes a heat generating layer for generating thermal energy based on input electrical energy, a thermal energy storage layer located to receive thermal energy from the heat generating layer, the thermal energy storage section layer including a thermal energy storage material to store thermal energy. The system also includes a thermal energy retrieval layer thermally connectable to the thermal energy storage material and configurable to retrieve thermal energy from the thermal energy storage layer where the heat generating layer and the thermal energy retrieval layer are separated by the thermal energy storage layer.