Thermochemical energy storage for isolated locations, mobility and waste heat recovery – ESSOR

The global increase in demand for raw materials and energy is currently a source of geopolitical concerns and tensions, and this is leading governments and industries to secure their resources and supplies. This observation leads companies and also the defense sector to secure operational supply by improving system performances and reducing needs. In this context, heat storage is solution for energy management improvement since it makes it possible to use waste heat or solar sources for thermal applications in isolated sites, for energy transport and in mobile equipment. Thermochemical heat storage using water adsorption/desorption in materials is particularly suitable for these needs. Indeed, it allows thermal energy to be stored at room temperature by separating water from the adsorbent material. To restore heat, the material need to be re-moisten and this can be done with air humidity, which can be used as an energy-carrier.
This project aims to develop new storage materials with specific performances adapted to the targeted applications.
To do this, a new generation of materials (modified zeolites, coordinated polymers, hydrated salts impregnated on porous materials, etc.) will be developed, shaped and texturally, structurally and thermally characterized. Especially, an improvement in storage capacity (enthalpy of adsorption) and the heat and mass transfers within the material and more generally in a material bed while guaranteeing structural stability for better cyclability.
They will be tested under different operational conditions in an existing laboratory reactor and their performances will be compared to that of existing materials (previously studied). In parallel, a numerical model of the pilot will be developed in order to simulate the performance of the system (material – reactor) in different operational configurations. This model will be validated through experimental tests carried out in different configurations. It will be designed to be adaptable to different materials and reactor configurations in order to precisely study the different applications targeted: for isolated sites, the transport of heat from one site to another and for vehicles with possibly different energy sources, such as waste heat (temperature level, etc.) and solar heat.
From these different results, a reverse engineering step will make it possible to converge the desired properties and configurations with those of the materials developed and the reactor configurations. To do this, for each targeted operational application, specifications will be drawn up on the basis of numerical simulations, in order to define the optimal properties of the materials and the shape of the reactor, which will be tested experimentally.