Regenerator with composite insulating wall

Abstract

The present invention relates to a regenerator comprising a bed of energy storage media placed in a chamber, the chamber comprising a shell and an insulating layer placed between said shell and said energy storage media, the insulating layer comprising a structure defining a plurality of cavities, each cavity having a volume greater than 5 cm 3 , at least a portion of said cavities being filled, at least partly, with an insulating material, the minimum thickness of the structural material separating the cavities and the internal volume of the chamber wherein the energy storage media are placed being higher than 2 mm.

1 . A regenerator comprising a bed ( 11 ) of energy storage media ( 12 ) placed in a chamber ( 14 ), the chamber comprising a shell ( 20 ) and an insulating layer ( 24 ) placed between said shell and said energy storage media or outside said shell, the insulating layer comprising a structure defining a plurality of cavities ( 62   a ,  62   b ;  62 ′), each cavity having a volume greater than 5 cm 3 , at least a portion of said cavities being filled, at least partly, with an insulating material, the minimum thickness of the structural material separating the cavities and the internal volume of the chamber wherein the energy storage media are placed being higher than 2 mm. 
     
     
         2 . The regenerator as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the structure is made of a structural material having the following chemical analysis, in weight percent based on the oxides and for a total of 100%:
 25%<Fe 2 O 3 <90%, and   5%<Al 2 O 3 <30%, and   CaO<20%, and   TiO 2 <25%, and   3%<SiO 2 <50%, and   Na 2 O<10%, and   other oxides<20%.   
     
     
         3 . The regenerator as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the structure is made of a structural material having the following chemical analysis, in weight percent based on the oxides and for a total of 100%:
 25%<Fe 2 O 3 <70%, and   5%<Al 2 O 3 <30%, and   CaO<20%, and   TiO 2 <25%, and   3%<SiO 2 <50%, and   Na 2 O<10%, and   other oxides<20%.   
     
     
         4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . The regenerator as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the structure is made of a structural material of which more than 50% of the mass consists of one or more of the following compounds: iron oxides, alumina, magnesia, zirconia, silica, titanium dioxide, and calcium oxide. 
     
     
         6 . The regenerator as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the structure is made of a structural material having:
 a chemical composition identical to that of the material constituting the energy storage media and/or identical to that of the insulating material, and/or   an open porosity lower than 20%, and/or   a compressive strength higher than 10 MPa, and/or   a pyroscopic resistance higher than 700° C.   
     
     
         7 . The regenerator as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the structure consists of a bonding of structural blocks. 
     
     
         8 . (canceled) 
     
     
         9 . The regenerator as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the minimum thickness of the insulating layer is higher than 150 mm, and/or the thermal resistance of the insulating layer is higher than 1 m 2 ·K/W. 
     
     
         10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . (canceled) 
     
     
         13 . The regenerator as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the insulating material has a chemical composition such that Fe 2 O 3 +Al 2 O 3 +SiO 2 +ZrO 2 +B 2 O 3 +Na 2 O+CaO+MgO+K 2 O>60%, and/or the compound of the insulating material having the highest weight content is selected from the group consisting of corundum, spinel MgAl 2 O 4 , calcined clays, mullite hibonite aluminum titanate bauxite and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . The regenerator as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the insulating material has the physical structure of a foam or of a mixture of fibers. 
     
     
         17 . The regenerator as claimed  claim 1 , in which more than 50% by number of the cavities containing insulating material are through cavities, and/or the cavities account for more than 50% of the volume defined by the structure and more than 50% by number of the cavities are filled at least partially with insulating material, and/or the ratio of the volume of the insulating material of a cavity to the volume of said cavity is higher than 50%. 
     
     
         18 . (canceled) 
     
     
         19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . (canceled) 
     
     
         23 . The regenerator as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the structural material and the insulating material are chemically substantially identical. 
     
     
         24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . The regenerator as claimed in  claim 1 , comprising at least first and second cavities filled with first and second insulating materials, respectively,
 the first and second cavities having different shapes and/or volumes and/or bulk densities and/or orientations and/or filling ratios with the first and second insulating materials and/or   the first and second insulating materials having different chemical compositions and/or physical structures and/or densities.   
     
     
         26 . The regenerator as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the cavities are arranged so that any imaginary straight line crossing the insulating layer in the direction of the thickness of said insulating layer necessarily passes through at least one cavity. 
     
     
         27 . The regenerator as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the weight of the bed ( 12 ) is higher than 700 tonnes. 
     
     
         28 . A thermal installation comprising:
 a unit producing heat energy ( 4 ), and   a regenerator ( 10 ) as claimed in  claim 1 , and   a circulating device ( 7 ) which, during a charge phase, circulates a charge heat transfer fluid from the unit producing heat energy to the regenerator, and then through said regenerator.   
     
     
         29 . The thermal installation as  claim 28 , in which heat transfer fluid from said unit producing heat energy ( 4 ) condenses in said regenerator ( 10 ) in the form of an acidic liquid. 
     
     
         30 . The thermal installation as claimed in  claim 28 , in which the temperature of the heat transfer fluid from said unit producing heat energy ( 4 ) and entering the regenerator is lower than 1000° C. and higher than 350° C. 
     
     
         31 . (canceled) 
     
     
         32 . The thermal installation as claimed in  claim 28 , in which the unit producing heat energy comprises a compressor. 
     
     
         33 . The thermal installation as claimed in  claim 28 , comprising a heat energy consumption unit ( 6 ), the circulating device ( 7 ) circulating, during a discharge phase, a discharge heat transfer fluid through said regenerator, and then from said regenerator to the heat energy consumption unit. 
     
     
         34 . (canceled)