PI: Clay Naito
Co-PI(s): Spencer Quiel, Muhannad Suleiman, Carlos Romero
University: Lehigh University
Industry partner: High Concrete Group
To help achieve zero energy usage in building applications, a research project is proposed to develop a precast concrete thermal energy storage (TES) column system. This component will be designed to transfer and store heat energy in an efficient manner within the building envelope. The TES column would allow for shifting of building energy loads to low usage periods. The system can also be used as a means to store local wind or solar energy for evening or off cycle usage. The system will be designed for both thermal and structural applications. The thermal design will be based on optimized arrangement of the heat transfer piping and selection of appropriate thermal material characteristics for both the concrete and steel. The thermal piping will serve a dual use as structural reinforcement and for thermal energy storage enhancement. The arrangement, geometry and material properties will be selected to provide the axial strength needed for the column system. The thermal and structural performance will be estimated using numerical methods and will be experimentally validated through physical testing. The research will build on concrete thermal energy storage for power plants. The work currently underway is funded by the Department of Energy. In addition, the team will work with High Concrete Group (a PA company) to ensure that the design concepts are practical and economically implementable. The results will allow the team to establish a lab scale proof of concept which can then be used as a basis for submission of proposals from the Department of HUD and Energy.