Thermal Storage Systems - Research Paper Example

Thermal storage systems are an energy efficient way to reuse energy. Thermal storage systems are convenient and can be used in business or residential situations. Thermal storage systems are able to store energy and then use it later. This is important in reducing the amount of energy that one uses because it is reusable. Thermal storage systems are important in the heating and cooling industry. The systems can be installed almost anywhere in a residential or business setting. There are many different types of thermal storage systems.

These systems are common in the heating and cooling industry. A basic thermal storage system “cools a storage medium then saves the stored cool medium to be reused at another time.” (Washington State University) What is meant by defining thermal storage systems is simply that energy is stored and then used at a later time. The storing of this energy allows the user to save. The energy that was saved is not wasted and can be used when needed. Many traditional heating and cooling systems waste too much energy.

That is why thermal storage systems are so convenient. What would normally be wasted is saved and used for later. The main way that a thermal storage system can be used is by allowing energy to be stored and saved for later. A residential installation of thermal energy storage systems can help cool a house. A home can store energy in the thermal energy storage system at night when it is cool, and then distribute the stored energy during the day when it is most needed. This is a money saving way to cool a home.

This same process will also apply to small commercial businesses. The system can be modified to fit existing systems but the system will require an area to be used to store energy. This storage area can be located in a crawl space, basement or a large enough utility room. Using thermal energy storage systems for air conditioning is complex in a way but easy to operate. If a home wanted to use thermal energy storage to cool the home, it would need to have a set up that is able to cool the home with thermal energy storage.

The system would be located in an area similar to where the furnace is located. The system is water based and does not require the use of a compressor like other cooling systems. The system uses the water to ice method that cools the chosen areas. Inside the ice storage systems, there are chambers that freeze ice during low usage time and then allow the ice to melt and cool the area. (Du Bois2007) The ice that is frozen lets off cool air that is then allowed to flow through the area and substitute for a traditional compressor air cooling system.

An ice to water thermal storage system is significant because ice is created for about 16 out of twenty four hours and then melted for around six of the twenty four hours. That is a huge savings compared to running a full 24 hours each day. Since water is so abundant, it is easier to operate off an abundant source rather than electricity that needs to be created. In California there has been a huge use of “ice balls”, these ice balls are popular in schools, hospitals and home. (Cryogel2011) There are other ways to use thermal energy storage besides with water.

Thermal energy storage can be used to save on heating and electricity. When a residential or business is able to save on cooling, heating and electricity costs, this decreases living and operating costs. The less energy used is also good for the environment. Regular air cooling systems require a lot of energy to operate. They constantly use energy and are unable to store anything. This constant use of energy is wasteful. There is no comparison as to choosing between a traditional cooling system and a thermal energy storage system.

One day, all now traditional systems will be converted to thermal energy storage to help save the environment. References "Energy Efficient." Thermal Energy Storage. Ed. Wayne State University. Wayne State University. Web. . Du Bois, Denis (2007-01-23). "Ice Energy's \"Ice Bear\"" Keeps Off-Peak Kilowatts in Cold Storage to Reduce HVAC's Peak Power Costs"". Energy Priorities: pp. 1. http://energypriorities.com/entries/2007/01/ice_energy_peak_power.php. ""Ice Ball Thermal Storage."" CRYOGEL Thermal Energy Storage. Web. 17 Feb. 2011. .  "