National steam energy storage

Does Argonne National Laboratory have a heat storage system?

An innovative system being developed at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory can quickly store heat and release it for use when needed, surpassing conventional storage options in both flexibility and efficiency.

Why is thermal energy storage important?

Thermal energy storage (TES) is increasingly important due to the demand-supply challenge caused by the intermittency of renewable energy and waste heat dissipation to the environment. This paper discusses the fundamentals and novel applications of TES materials and identifies appropriate TES materials for particular applications.

What are the different types of thermal energy storage systems?

Thermal energy storage (TES) systems store heat or cold for later use and are classified into sensible heat storage, latent heat storage, and thermochemical heat storage. Sensible heat storage systems raise the temperature of a material to store heat. Latent heat storage systems use PCMs to store heat through melting or solidifying.

What is Argonne's thermal energy storage system?

Argonne’s thermal energy storage system, or TESS, was originally developed to capture and store surplus heat from concentrating solar power facilities. It is also suitable for a variety of commercial applications, including desalination plants, combined heat and power (CHP) systems, industrial processes, and heavy-duty trucks.

Can latent heat storage be used in industrial production of superheated steam?

Our study demonstrates the feasibility of using latent heat storage in the industrial production of superheated steam. Thermal energy is used for residential purposes, but also for processing steam and other production needs in industrial processes.

How is steam used in a power plant?

Once the saturation temperature (~224 °C) is reached, the steam can be used by the power plant system; until this time, it is disposed of in the cooling pool. The mass flow rate going through the storage system is ramped-up during charging via a controlled bypass valve in order to maximize the steam used by the system.