Sulfur-based thermal energy storage system using intermodal containment: Design and performance analysis

Abstract

h i g h l i g h t sElemental sulfur is a promising low-cost candidate for thermal energy storage. Transient performance of sulfur-based shell and tube thermal battery is investigated. Results show preferred designs that provide high exergetic efficiency and low system cost. a b s t r a c tThermal energy storage (TES) is an important energy storage technology that can be coupled to intermittent energy sources to improve system dispatchability. Elemental sulfur is a promising candidate storage fluid for high temperature TES systems due to its high energy density, moderate vapor pressure, high thermal stability, and low cost. This study uses a transient, two-dimensional numerical model to investigate the design and performance of a thermal energy storage (TES) system that uses sulfur stored isochorically in an intermodal shell and tube thermal battery configuration. Parametric analyses of key design and operating parameters show that there is a preferred tube diameter based on the competing influence of system-level energy storage utilization, exergetic efficiency, and cost. The results show that designs with smaller tube dimensions in the range of 2 00 NPS to 4 00 NPS provide exergetic efficiencies close to 95% while tube dimensions in the range of 4 00 NPS to 8 00 NPS meet the Department of Energy cost target of $15/kWh with costs being as low as $8.41/kWh. Finally, a table of preferred designs that meet the DOE cost goals is presented to help guide future design and experimentation efforts.

Frequency-domain hot-wire sensor and 3D model for thermal conductivity measurements of reactive and corrosive materials at high temperatures

“…Temperature dependent testing was also performed with an Al 2 O 3 coated (∼250 nm thick) sensor in solid and molten sulfur from 25 ○ C to 400 ○ C with measurements taken at approximately every 25 ○ C. Sulfur was chosen as it is a relatively reactive element with a low melting temperature (between 106 ○ C and 133 ○ C depending on thermal history 75 ) and has been used in thermal energy storage applications. 76,77 The measurement and fitting methods were kept the same as the procedure used for the reference samples except that the ambient temperature was varied with the test setup inside a furnace and the hot-wire sensor had a protective coating layer (which was included in the model analysis). After reaching the desired measurement temperature, the sensor and the sample were held for 30 min to reach thermal equilibrium before starting measurements.…”