SBIR Phase I: Improved Cold Thermal Energy Storage for Refrigeration Applications

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目建议开发一种新型冷热储存系统，这将有助于减少商用和家用制冷设备的能源消耗。中央空调设备和冰箱占美国家庭用电量的近30%。冷热能储存（CTES）技术已被证明可以提高空调和制冷设备的能源效率。然而，CTES技术最近的发展大多集中在大型商用空调设备上。这些发展尚未成功地转化为小型工业和家用制冷设备。第一阶段工作的目标是通过系统地研究、建模和测试新型储热组件和系统配置，克服小型冷储热系统开发中的每一个主要技术风险，这些组件和系统配置将被纳入未来的节能制冷产品中。该项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是减少耗电电器（如冰箱和空调机组）的能源消耗。美国近70%的商业建筑使用某种形式的制冷设备，从小型冰箱或自动售货机到大型冷藏步入式设备。这些设备都不是为了使用冷热储能等节能技术而设计的。冷热储能在发展中经济体也具有巨大的市场潜力，在这些经济体中，储能不仅是一种效率技术，而且是在电网供应不可靠或不存在的离网和偏远地区实现制冷的最终关键。在印度等市场，农民、食品加工商和公共卫生机构都迫切需要节能、不依赖电网的制冷设备来储存和保存农产品和疫苗。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project proposes the development of a new type of cold thermal storage system that will help reduce the energy consumption of commercial and household refrigeration appliances. Central air-conditioning units and refrigerators account for nearly 30% of U.S. household electricity consumption. Cold thermal energy storage (CTES) technology has been proven to increase the energy efficiency of air conditioning and refrigeration appliances. However, much of the recent developments in CTES technology have been focused only on large-scale commercial air conditioning units. These developments have not been successfully translated to smaller scale industrial and household refrigeration appliances. The objective of this Phase I work is to overcome each of the major technical risks in the development of a small-scale cold thermal storage system by systematically studying, modeling and testing new types of thermal storage components and system configurations which will be incorporated into future energy-efficient refrigeration products.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is to reduce the energy consumption of power-hungry appliances such as refrigerators and air-conditioning units. Nearly 70% of all commercial buildings in United States use some form of refrigeration equipment, ranging from small refrigerators or vending machines to large refrigerated walk-in units. None of this equipment is designed to use energy efficiency technologies such as cold thermal energy storage. Cold thermal energy storage also has enormous market potential in developing economies where energy storage is not only an efficiency technology but is the ultimate key to enabling refrigeration in off-grid and remote locations where grid supply is unreliable or non-existent. In markets like India, farmers, food processors and public health institutions are clamoring for energy-efficient, grid-independent refrigeration appliances to store and preserve agricultural produce and vaccines.