A thermal energy storage system for adsorbent low-pressure natural gas storage

Carbon-based adsorbents were determined to be the best enhanced storage media that would store more natural gas at low pressures than achieved with compression only. Thermal energy storage (TES) was previously demonstrated to be a potentially promising technique to mitigate heat effects associated with low-pressure carbon adsorption systems for natural gas storage. Further investigations were conducted to develop information for the design of an optimized adsorption system that incorporates TES heat management. The selection of appropriate phase-change materials and nucleating agents, encapsulant materials, and corrosion inhibitors for a TES heat management system are discussed and the results of extended thermal cyclic behavior are presented. Engineering analyses and finite element analyses are employed to calculate adsorption rates, heat generation, temperatures, and heat transfer within the adsorbent bed. The size, volume, and arrangement of components for an operational TES system designed to accommodate fast-fill within a defined time limit is presented.