SBIR Phase I: Regenerative Ionic Freeze Suppression for Thermally Bound Energy Storage Systems

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将研究一种能量存储技术，利用水作为离子，时间延迟，冰点抑制制冷循环中的存储材料。该项目将证明A）利用昼夜环境温度摆动的2kW系统原型的70%往返效率和B）具有3年投资回收期的负荷转移储能的商业可行性。在低温制冷架构中的成功集成需要降低膜蒸馏进料温度和液固热再生设备成本，需要膜材料涂层和先进的增材制造研究的技术障碍。更具体地说，该项目团队将通过新的膜和冷凝器表面涂层实现宽温度模块操作来推进气隙膜技术，同时利用为低于0 C应用设计和优化的单一3D打印热交换器来改善液固热再生。该项目的广泛影响/商业潜力可缓解公用事业高峰期的需求，降低零售商店的冷冻机运营成本，并使监管机构使用更安全的制冷剂。不幸的是，没有一个最先进的系统能同时解决所有这些问题。工业/商业储能难以承受，制冷成本占零售店60%？美国的电费账单和设备制造商正争先恐后地围绕有毒的氨和高压、高成本的二氧化碳进行设计。这种储能技术提供了负载转移服务，并减少了45%的商业冰箱电气采购，3年内回收，而无需使用更安全，接近环境的材料进行大规模的政府激励。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will investigate an energy storage technique utilizing water as the storage material in an ionic, time delayed, freeze-point-suppression refrigeration cycle. The project will demonstrate A) 70% Round-Trip-Efficiency on a 2kW system prototype utilizing diurnal ambient temperature swing and B) commercial feasibility of load shifting energy storage with 3-year payback. Successful integration within low temperature refrigeration architectures requires reducing membrane distillation feed temperature and liquid-to-solid thermal regeneration equipment costs, technical obstacles demanding membrane material coatings and advanced additive manufacturing research. More specifically, the project team will advance air-gap membrane technologies by enabling wide temperature module operation via new membrane and condenser surface coatings, while improving liquid-to-solid thermal regeneration utilizing a single, 3D printed heat exchanger designed and optimized for sub-0C applications. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project provides utilities peak demand relief, retail stores reduced freezer operating costs and regulators safer refrigerants. Unfortunately, no state-of-the-art system simultaneously addresses all these issues. Industrial/commercial energy storage is unaffordable, refrigeration costs account for 60% of a retail store?s electricity bills and equipment manufactures are scrambling to design around toxic ammonia and high pressure, high cost CO2. This energy storage technology provides load-shifting services and a 45% reduction in commercial freezer electrical purchases with a 3-year payback without large government incentives using safer, near ambient, materials.