Liquid tin energy storage

How does a tin storage system work?

To recover the energy, the liquid tin is pumped through lots of narrow graphite pipes inside an array of power-harvesting cells. These pipes become white-hot and emit intense light, which is harvested through thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cells – much like solar cells, but tuned to work optimally with this storage system.

What temperature does a liquid tin drop?

As the energy is harvested, the liquid tin drops from around 2,400 °C to 1,900 °C, (4,350 °F to 3,450 °F) and it's sent back to the heating elements to be "recharged" when energy is available.

How does a tin heating system work?

The innovative system employs liquid tin to generate heat, circulating it through a network of pipes to warm stacks of carbon blocks until they radiate intense heat. Subsequently, the system utilizes thermophotovoltaic (TPV) cells exposed to the glowing carbon blocks to convert the thermal energy into electricity.

Could a liquid metal battery be used for grid-scale energy storage?

A team at University of Kentucky have patented a liquid metal battery using tin and bismuth electrodes, with molten zinc chloride, for grid-scale energy storage.

Is liquid tin safer than lithium?

Oh, and it's safer than lithium too, since there's no chance of thermal runaway or explosion, and even if the liquid tin manages to escape the plumbing system, it'll simply freeze back into metal as soon as it reaches the insulation layers or concrete floor of the facility, which is filled with argon gas to prevent oxidation.

How does a graphite tin pump work?

These pumps move the superheated liquid tin around a graphite plumbing system, transferring heat from the heating elements to the graphite blocks, and then taking it from the blocks to the energy recovery system when it's time to send it back to the grid.