Heat exchangers for thermal storage systems include a valve that can direct process fluid passing through the heat exchanger through supplemental heat exchanger tubing based on a temperature of the process fluid. The supplemental heat exchanger tubing can be located in areas where ice formation can occur during freezing of the storage fluid of the thermal storage system, but apart from the standard flow path for the heat exchanger. The valve can be a thermally-actuated valve. The thermally actuated valve can be set to divert flow of the process fluid to the supplemental tubing when the process fluid is at or above a melting temperature of the storage fluid. Methods can include selectively flowing process fluid through supplemental heat exchange tubing when it is at a temperature greater than the melting point of a storage material.

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.

A modular thermal energy storage system for storing and transferring thermal energy at a wide range of temperatures. The system includes processing control circuitry, heat transfer fluid (HTF), piping, valves, pumps, a thermal energy source, and a reconfigurable thermal energy storage (TES) tank implemented in one or more insulated shipping containers. Different types of replaceable thermal energy storage material in the TES tank can store thermal energy in a range of −30° F. to temperatures greater than +200° F. The system receives HTF from a customer load and charges the HTF to a desired temperature. Charged HTF in the TES tank transfers thermal energy to and from the storage material. When the stored thermal energy is needed, the system passes a non-charged thermal fluid through the TES tank to draw out the thermal energy through the charged HTF, and transfers the thermal energy to the customer load.

Supplying thermal energy to a consumer, such as a parked vehicle, e.g., a parked aircraft, while reducing carbon emission and expenditure on electricity, by charging an energy storage unit at a first location to obtain a charged energy unit, and then mobilizing the charged energy storage unit from the first location to a location of a consumer, where the charged energy storage unit can then be connected to the consumer and can be discharged at the location of the consumer, providing the consumer with thermal energy.

An optimized heating and cooling system including a thermal mass, thermal energy transport conduits to deliver thermal energy to the thermal mass including one or more phase change materials (PCMs), at least one heat exchanger to exchange the thermal energy from a energy input into heat transfer fluid that is pumped through the thermal mass. The system also includes a controller in electronic communication with a temperature sensor, a throttle and a pump. A desired building temperature profile, a daily temperature forecast, the electricity rates, the thermal characteristics of the PCMs are entered into or obtained by the controller and the controller uses that information to optimize the energy use to avoid using the heating and cooling system during peak electricity demand time, or uses the rate structure to determine the operation sequence that results in the most efficient use of energy or least cost.

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.

A refrigeration, or thermal, energy storage system for storing refrigeration, or thermal, energy, comprising a body, closed and insulated, the body being configured to contain two fluids, respectively a Phase Change Material (PCM) type fluid and a secondary fluid, the two fluids being immiscible with each other and having different densities, so as to be stratified within the volume of the body; withdrawal means configured to draw the secondary fluid from the body, and to convey the same inside a heat exchanger configured to exchange frigories, or calories, with the secondary fluid; and distribution means configured to draw the secondary fluid from the heat exchanger, and distribute the secondary fluid into the PCM type fluid, so that the secondary fluid exchanges with the PCM type fluid frigories, or calories, absorbed in the heat exchanger, the secondary fluid having a solidification temperature substantially lower than that of the PCM type fluid.

Provided is a heat storage including a container including a first container made of ceramics and a second container made of ceramics, the first container and the second container being combined, and a heat storage material housed inside the container. The first container and the second container are bonded via a bonding member. A volume occupied by pores in the first container, in a first contact region including a surface section in contact with the bonding member, is greater than a volume occupied by pores in regions other than the first contact region. A volume occupied by pores in the second container, in a second contact region including a surface section in contact with the bonding member, is greater than a volume occupied by pores in regions other than the second contact region.

There are herein described energy storage systems. More particularly there are provided thermal energy storage systems comprising battery assemblies containing phase change materials and a monitoring system therefor. In addition there are provided thermal stores comprising battery assemblies having integral control means for management of the thermal energy provided by the battery assembly.