Thermal storage working principle of air energy storage device

What are the operational principles of thermal energy storage systems?

The operational principles of thermal energy storage systems are identical as other forms of energy storage methods, as mentioned earlier. A typical thermal energy storage system consists of three sequential processes: charging, storing, and discharging periods.

How is thermal energy stored?

Thermal energy can generally be stored in two ways: sensible heat storage and latent heat storage. It is also possible to store thermal energy in a combination of sensible and latent, which is called hybrid thermal energy storage. Figure 2.8 shows the branch of thermal energy storage methods.

How energy is stored in sensible thermal energy storage systems?

Energy is stored in sensible thermal energy storage systems by altering the temperature of a storage medium, such as water, air, oil, rock beds, bricks, concrete, sand, or soil. Storage media can be made of one or more materials. It depends on the final and initial temperature difference, mass and specific heat of the storage medium.

How a thermal energy storage system works?

For example, if the aim of the thermal energy storage is to store solar energy, charging period will be the daytime for daily storage and the summer for seasonal storage. The solar energy is converted to the heat in solar collectors and charged into a storage medium like water, rock bed, phase change material, etc.

Why is thermal energy storage important?

The use of thermal energy storage (TES) in the energy system allows to conserving energy and increase the overall efficiency of the systems. Energy storage has become an important part in renewable energy technology systems such as solar systems.

What is a typical thermal energy storage system?

A typical thermal energy storage system consists of three sequential processes: charging, storing, and discharging periods. These periods are operated in a cyclic manner in a certain period which will be determined according to the storage purpose. Figure 2.7 demonstrates a basic storage cycle.