SBIR Phase I: Delivering Confidence and Reliability in Thermal Batteries for Utilities Using an Aggressively Cycled Test Loop for Pumps, Pipes, Joints and Valves

SBIR 第一阶段：使用针对泵、管道、接头和阀门的积极循环测试回路，为公用事业公司的热电池提供信心和可靠性

• 批准号: 2342586
• 负责人: Michael Hvasta
• 金额: $ 27.5万
• 依托单位: THERMAL BATTERY CORPORATION
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-10-01 至 2024-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2342586&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Delivering; Confidence; Reliability

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is focused on developing an energy storage technology that stores electricity as heat and converts its back to electricity whenever needed using thermophotovoltaics (TPV). If successful, the innovation will help transition the United States (US) towards a fully renewable electrical grid. The company is developing one of the only battery technologies able to deliver a cost per unit energy (CPE) for energy storage that will enable the use of renewables by the electrical grid. The innovation will also reduce the production of carbon dioxide (CO2) during the production of electricity and may do the same for transportation and industrial processes. The solution will also support the US’s national defense by increasing the economic manufacturing competitiveness of the US and improving energy security, as well as enabling utility customers to benefit from significant cost savings.The intellectual merit of this project is focused on the development of a thermal battery system that takes electricity from any source and converts it to extremely high-temperature sensible heat in inexpensive graphite blocks. The innovative feature is its ability to decouple power and energy, enabling any discharge duration between 1-100 hours. Currently, no other system can achieve such great and variable discharge levels at such low cost. The company will build two test rigs to test the pumps, pipes, joints, and valves, and then to test the thermophotovoltaics modules under aggressive thermal cycling conditions. The technical objectives are to: (1) set up the induction furnace system to prescreen materials and components; (2) determine which grades of graphite from large-scale suppliers can meet the specifications of future commercial demonstrations; (3) pre-screen approaches to sealing; (4) quantify the reaction strength of the bonding agent and determine how it can be used in products; and, (5) verify that the system installed seals sufficiently well so that future test loop work will not be delayed. The prototype’s hardware will be scaled-up and the critical components will be stress-tested. The company has already developed a fully-functioning, integrated system at a small scale, 1-10 kilowatt-hour-electric (kWh-e), that works as a proof-of-concept. The reliability of the full-scale hardware in the test loop must be demonstrated prior to building a 1 megawatt-hour-electric (MWh-e) scale demonstration. The company is developing one of the only battery technologies able to deliver a cost per unit energy (CPE) of $25/kWh-e for energy storage which will enable the full penetration of renewables onto the electrical grid.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该小型企业创新研究 (SBIR) 第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力侧重于开发一种储能技术，该技术将电能存储为热量，并在需要时使用热光伏 (TPV) 将其转换回电能。将帮助美国（US）向完全可再生电网转型。该公司正在开发唯一能够降低储能单位能量（CPE）成本的电池技术，从而使电力能够使用可再生能源。创新也将。减少电力生产过程中二氧化碳（CO2）的产生，并可能对运输和工业流程产生同样的作用。该解决方案还将通过提高美国的经济制造竞争力和改善能源安全来支持美国的国防。该项目的智力优势集中于开发一种热电池系统，该系统可以从任何来源获取电力并将其转化为廉价石墨块中的极高温显热。特点是它能够解耦电源和目前，没有其他系统能够以如此低的成本实现如此大和可变的排放水平，该公司将建造两个测试台来测试泵、管道、接头和阀门。然后在恶劣的热循环条件下测试热光伏模块，技术目标是：（1）设置感应炉系统来预筛选材料和组件；（2）确定大型供应商的哪些等级石​​墨可以满足规格。未来的商业演示；(3) 预筛选密封方法；(4) 量化粘合剂的反应强度并确定其在产品中的使用方式；(5) 验证安装的系统是否足够良好，以便未来测试循环工作不会被推迟，原型机将按比例放大，关键部件将进行压力测试，该公司已经开发出一个功能齐全的小型1-10千瓦时电力集成系统。 (kWh-e)，作为概念验证 在建立 1 兆瓦时电力 (MWh-e) 规模的示范公司之前，必须证明测试回路中全尺寸硬件的可靠性。正在开发唯一能够提供 25 美元/kWh-e 储能成本的电池技术之一，这将使可再生能源全面渗透到电网中。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并已获得认为值得支持通过使用基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估。