RD OF THERMOCHEMICAL REACTOR CONCEPTS TO ENABLE SEASONAL HEAT STORAGE OF SOLAR ENERGY IN RESIDENTIAL HOUSES

摘要

About 30% of the energy consumption in the Netherlands is taken up by residences and offices. Most of this energy is used for heating purposes. In order to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels, it is necessary to reduce this energy use as much as possible by means of insulation and heat recovery. The remaining demand could be met by solar thermal, provided that an effective way would exist for storing solar heat.Seasonal heat storage techniques using water have a number of disadvantages, such as substantial heat loss and a low energy density (large volumes are required). A more compact way of storing heat is by using thermochemical materials (TCMs) in which heat is stored by means of a reversible chemical reaction. Salt hydrates are promising TCMs that are cheap, non-toxic, non-corrosive and have sufficient energy storage density. Moreover, on hydration, salt hydrates can provide temperatures that are sufficiently high for heating purposes, while they can be dehydrated at temperatures that can be provided by a solar thermal collector.