High-temperature heat storage systems using bismuthThe applications of
bismuth in a green economy continue to grow ...
...
Worldwide, high-temperature heat storage systems using metals are being developed to supply resource-intensive production companies with heat independent of fluctuating renewable energy production. These storage systems can convert electricity into heat, which can be sequestered until needed. The heat is then used during periods when electricity is expensive, and production processes cannot be interrupted. The higher the temperature stored, the better. This can reduce the amount of additional energy that would be needed to reach the desired production temperature.
Some pilot plants, including a joint venture brought online earlier this year in Colorado, use liquid salts as well as metals to store temperatures of around 550 C (1,022 F).
Even higher temperatures have been achieved with gases so far. When electrically heated to about 700 C (1,290 F), they transfer their heat to storage materials such as steel, volcanic rock or slag.
"However, the heat transfer from the hot gas to the storage material is far from being efficient," said Klarissa Niedermeier, Ph.D., a researcher at KIT's Institute for Thermal Energy Technology and Safety.
Niedermeier leads a team of scientists working on a novel heat storage system based on lead and bismuth for the high-temperature range.
"The thermal conductivity of this mix of liquid metals is 100 times higher than that of other materials used in storage systems," Niedermeier said. ...
"This is the first liquid-metal heat storage system of this kind worldwide having such a capacity," added Niedermeier. "We want to show that the principle works and that its potential for the de-fossilization of industry is great."
https://www.metaltechnews.com/story/2024/05/29/tech-metals/perfecting-liquid-metals-battery-tech/1783.html