Low-cost crushed-rock heat storage with oil or salt heat transfer

Forsberg, Charles

doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2023.120753

Low-cost crushed-rock heat storage with oil or salt heat transfer

Journal Article · Thu Feb 02 00:00:00 EST 2023 · Applied Energy

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2023.120753· OSTI ID:2424518

Forsberg, Charles ^[1]

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)

The demand for variable electricity and heat is met by fossil-fuel power plants because the power plant capital costs and the cost of storing fossil fuels are low. A low-carbon economy requires replacement of the storage function of fossil fuels to provide variable heat and electricity as needed. The Crushed Rock Ultra-large Stored Heat (CRUSH) system is a new technology with the goal to provide heat storage at an incremental capital cost of $2–4/kWh at scales of 10 s to 100 s of GWhs that enables economic daily to multi-week storage. CRUSH can be coupled to nuclear power plants, concentrated solar power (CSP) plants and thermal energy batteries to provide variable electricity and heat on demand. Sensible heat is stored in crushed rock—the lowest-cost heat-storage material. Heat is transferred to and from the crushed rock using nitrate salt or heat-transfer oils but these fluids do not store heat. Heat from a nuclear reactor, CSP plant or conversion of low-price electricity into heat is used to heat the salt or oil. The hot fluid is poured over the crushed rock, trickles downward by gravity through the rock, heats the rock and is collected by the drain pans under the crushed rock. To recover heat cold salt or oil is poured over hot crushed rock, trickles down by gravity while being heated and is collected by the drain pans under the crushed rock. The system design and engineering trade-offs are described. The technology is in the early stages of development.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

OSTI ID:: 2424518

Journal Information:: Applied Energy, Journal Name: Applied Energy Vol. 335; ISSN 0306-2619

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Related Subjects

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS
Crushed Rock
Energy & Fuels
Engineering
Heat Storage
Heat-Transfer Oils
Nitrate Salt

Low-cost crushed-rock heat storage with oil or salt heat transfer

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