News Release

Argonne and Capstone receive funding to advance thermal energy storage technology

Grant and Award Announcement

DOE/Argonne National Laboratory

Tess Impact Feature

image: Argonne and Capstone Turbine Corp. plan to refine Argonne's system to capture and store waste heat. view more 

Credit: Argonne National Laboratory

Thermal energy storage systems to capture and store waste heat for later use when operating a manufacturing facility or large building could reduce costs for combined heat and power systems.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and Capstone Turbine Corp. have received $380,000 from the DOE Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF) to refine Argonne’s high-efficiency, fast charging/discharging latent heat thermal energy storage system (TESS) for use in building applications and process/manufacturing industries.

The TESS is a “thermal battery” developed originally for storing heat in concentrated solar power applications, funded by DOE’s Solar Energy Technology Office. Argonne’s TESS incorporates a phase change material in a high thermal conductivity porous preform, resulting in a composite material system that has enhanced thermal performance. One of the TESS’s most valuable features is its tunability for specific applications through the selection of appropriate phase change material. Additionally, TESS’s high thermal energy density results in a small footprint.

“Storing thermal energy and using it during periods of high electricity pricing can result in significant cost savings. This is particularly important for process/manufacturing industries and building applications, as it reduces costs and increases energy efficiency.” – Dileep Singh, principal investigator and senior materials scientist/group manager in Argonne’s Applied Materials division

Capstone Turbine Corporation manufactures combined heat and power (CHP) systems used in environments that can support reuse of process-related waste heat to improve system performance efficiencies and reduce operational costs. This project focuses on integrating Argonne’s TESS into a Capstone C200 CHP system, specifically, using thermal modeling and simulations to optimize system design; fabricating and integrating the TESS to the C200 system; testing the performance of the integrated TESS-C200 system and conducting a techno-economic analysis to establish performance/cost benefits of the integrated system.

According to Argonne Principal Investigator Dileep Singh, “Storing thermal energy and using it during periods of high electricity pricing can result in significant cost savings. This is particularly important for process/manufacturing industries and building applications, as it reduces costs and increases energy efficiency.”

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The award is one of 12 Argonne projects funded in 2018 through TCF, which is managed by DOE’s Office of Technology Transitions. Argonne’s work to develop the TESS is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Advanced Manufacturing Office.

EERE’s Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) supports early-stage research to advance innovation in U.S. manufacturing and promote American economic growth and energy security.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)supports early-stage research and development of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies that make energy more affordable and strengthen the reliability, resilience, and security of the U.S. electric grid.

Argonne National Laboratory seeks solutions to pressing national problems in science and technology. The nation’s first national laboratory, Argonne conducts leading-edge basic and applied scientific research in virtually every scientific discipline. Argonne researchers work closely with researchers from hundreds of companies, universities, and federal, state and municipal agencies to help them solve their specific problems, advance America’s scientific leadership and prepare the nation for a better future. With employees from more than 60 nations, Argonne is managed by UChicago Argonne, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit the Office of Science website.


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