A storage heater for storing heat and for heating a fluid, such as water, has an enclosure defining a chamber therein. The chamber has a lower portion and an upper portion with a heating element being disposed within the enclosure. A tube through which the fluid flows has an inlet and an outlet, both being disposed outside of the enclosure, and has a portion interconnecting the inlet and the outlet that passes through the enclosure. A densely packed bed of phase change material pellets is disposed within the enclosure and is surrounded by a viscous liquid, such as propylene glycol. The viscous liquid is in thermal communication with the heating element, the phase change material pellets, and the tube and transfers heat from the heating element to the pellets and from the pellets to the tube. The viscous fluid has a viscosity so that the frictional pressure drop of the fluid in contact with the phase change material pellets substantially reduces vertical thermal convection in the fluid. As the fluid flows through the tube heat is transferred from the viscous liquid to the fluid flowing through the tube, thereby heating the fluid.

Phase change material storage heater

There is disclosed storage apparatus for storage of energy in the form of heat or cold, preferably over a prolonged storage period. The apparatus comprises a container enclosing an energy storage zone and an insulating zone around the storage zone. The storage zone is filled with a mass of heatable or coolable storage material forming a storage core, and the insulating zone with a porous mass of granular or fibrous material forming a thermal insulating layer. Energy can be supplied to the storage core by, for example, a solar-powered electrical resistance heater and extracted from the core at a desired time by, for example, a heat exchanger. The insulating effect of the insulating layer is enhanced, particularly from the viewpoint of long-term energy storage, by creation of a vacuum in the cellular structure of the insulating layer.

Energy storage apparatus

A pebble-bed evaporator and superheater assembly includes a tubular pressure shell with internal baffles, the latter including a plurality of apertures therein for passage of gas therethrough. Contained within the shell are heater elements and pebble elements which store heat and transfer the same to liquified gas which is vaporized and flows through the shell whereby the gas supplied to the shell and is heated to a predetermined elevated temperature above its input temperature. The heated gas output of the shell flows to a mixer unit connected to the shell and the mixed gas flows out of the mixer. Connected to the mixer is a supply of liquified gas to cool the high temperature gas entering the mixer from the shell such that the temperature of the gas exiting the mixer is below the temperature of the heated gas exiting the shell. In this way the temperature of the gas exiting the mixer is controlled to the desired level.

Pebble-bed evaporation and superheater assembly for vaporizing and heating a liquified cryogenic gas

A compact portable apparatus and method for heating gases for periods ranging from about one tenths of a second to several minutes to temperatures as high as 2700° Celsius in 4 hrs. Graphite or metal oxide spherical pebbles which are placed in an externally thermally insulated cylindrical bed. The pebbles enclose and are heated by electrical resistive elements from which they are physically isolated. High heat storage density is achieved by designing the bed for high pressure loss operation and gas flow is in the downward direction. The bed is pressurized prior to initiating the gas flow with a quick acting valve or burst disc placed at the heater outlet. Typical applications are as a heat source for magnetohydrodynamic channels or wind tunnels. For magnetohydrodynamic applications a pulsed liquid seed metal injection method producing micrometer diameter liquid particles is disclosed. The spent gas leaving the channel passes through a seed metal condenser and gas cooler, and enters an inflatable balloon which captures the gas for subsequent reuse. The invention discloses critical design features that allow a compact, portable and reliable system.

Compact packed bed heater system

An off-peak electric heat storage and discharge device includes variably sized thermal media material contained in a rock box. A calrod-type heating element is located in and in direct thermal contact with the thermal media material. Air flow can move from a fan upwardly through a duct, through slots formed in the duct into the rock box, and through the thermal media material. Air flow can also move from the fan through a bypass duct. Heated air and cold air can be mixed in proper proportions by a rotatable damper movable between a position closing off all cold, bypass air and a position closing off all heated air. The damper falling to shut off the flow of heated air in the event of an actuator failure. All electric controls and the fan are contained in a vertical control chamber designed to convectively convey heat during static conditions. The thermostat for the device is located at the lowest point possible in the vertical control chamber and below a point which could be affected by convective air flow.

Makeev Vladimir S

Papers

Regenerative electric gas heater

Regenerative type gas heater