Open Source Thermal Energy Storage Construction Set

Consists Of

Phase Change Material Medium (PCMM)

Sodium Hydroxde

• Works by evaporating the water from a soduium hydroxide solution to store energy, and adding water back in to release energy
• Less energy dense, but potentially infinite storage time (at room temperature)

Hybrid Storage Medium (HSM)

Liquid and Solid Mixture

• Such as Oil and Gravel, or Oil and Glass Beads

Uses

• Thermal Source (Solar Thermal, Fuel Boiler, Electric Heat Source)

Allows For

• Energy Storage (For grid/house level electricity storage)
• Indirect Thermal Vehicles (Combustionless Locomotives etc)

See Also

• Solar Thermal Energy Storage
• Open Source Solar Energy Construction Set
• Open Source Turbine Construction Set
• Open Source Motor/Engine Construction Set

Useful Links

• Wikipedia on Thermal Energy Storage
• 2008 PDF on Thermal Storage (Good But needs to be checked that it is still current and accurate)
• Wikipedia Page on Solar Reserve, a company that can run their solar thermal plants 24/7 due to storage systems (liquid salt)