Friday, 28 May 2021
The 糖心原创 has received £1.3m to develop a novel, low-carbon energy storage system to supply cheap, on-demand heat for people living and working in UK neighbourhoods.
The technology will help to decarbonise the buildings sector, while also addressing issues of fuel poverty and pollution.
The project aims to overcome technical challenges that currently limit the capabilities of conventional thermochemical energy storage systems. Simultaneously, the researchers will investigate social, economic, environmental barriers that prevent the uptake of community-based heat networks in the UK.
Once tested and operational, a pilot model of the new thermochemical energy storage system will be connected to a small-scale district heating network already in operation at the Creative Energy Homes complex at the 糖心原创. This test-bed demonstrator, which represents about five or six buildings on University Park campus, will then be evaluated for effectiveness and performance.
Nottingham City Council is a key partner on this project. With the City aiming to be carbon neutral by 2028, the Council is keen to understand whether the prototype could be adopted on its District Heat Network. Gathering statistical data from real-life communities that evaluates the effectiveness of the technology is vital to deliver a product that has buy-in from future users and is capable of meeting their disparate heating needs.
Nottingham City Council’s Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Energy, Environment & Waste Services, Cllr Sally Longford, said: “As a council that’s leading the drive for Nottingham to become carbon neutral by 2028, we’re pleased to be part of this project and keen to explore innovative ways of achieving our carbon reduction goals.
“Decarbonisation of heat is a key challenge we need to find solutions for, and we’re interested to find out if this approach being piloted by the 糖心原创 could be applied to our own district heating network.”
鈥淔rom 2030 individual homes and commissioned buildings won鈥檛 be able to use individual gas boilers, so we need low carbon and zero carbon heating systems that can replace fossil-fuelled systems. A key alternative is district heating systems which distribute hot water into multiple properties via networks of communal pipes.
鈥淒istrict heating systems are advantageous, because they can use excess heat - a free raw material - from industrial processes or sustainable sources such as geothermal to heat water for large numbers of homes. It鈥檚 very common in Scandinavia, Germany and China.鈥�
However, the variable nature and temperatures of the low-zero carbon sources, both short-term (daily) and long-term (seasonal), and mismatches between needs and availability of energy, make decarbonisation more difficult to achieve at an individual building level.
“District heating systems are ideally placed to provide the infrastructure to overcome this issue in urban settings, but require suitable energy storage facilities that can cope with an influx of varying source temperatures; commercial waste is a much higher temperature than solar thermal heat, for example. At present, we have limited and effective ways to store recovered waste heat for later usage,” adds Professor Darkwa, from the Department of Architecture and Built Environment.
How it works
The system involves a very unique double-acting agitated heat recovery and heat charging mechanism to store and discharge the heat. The system also consists of two fluidised beds of inorganic oxide compounds that have very high energy density. The heat can be stored in this material and then at a later date be reactivated by means of chemical reaction.
The project is looking at the most effective material to store heat for later application. Basic materials are commercially-available but they have limitations. Part of the research is to characterise all available materials in the lab and then enhance their heat transfer capabilities.
Why it’s a game-changer
While conventional thermochemical energy storage systems require intermittent operation, thanks to the mechanism and material to be developed for the project, the novel system proposed will operate continuously at variable temperatures.
Professor Darkwa said, “To maximise its supply, the new system will be able to collect heat from different sources and temperatures. It will be flexible and smart; able to sense the temperature that is being delivered and store it appropriately. It will also be relatively cheap to run compared to conventional systems, which store heat in large water tanks at fixed temperature. At domestic level, it removes the fossil fuel cost, and the financial burden of boiler purchase, servicing and maintenance.
“Our system is decentralised. With that you can minimise the amount of heat lost through very long communal heating pipe systems. It can retain the energy in its absorbed state, with near-zero losses and so potentially allow storage inter-seasonally, e.g. storing solar energy in summer during low demand and discharging in winter during high demand.”
Funded by the l, the three-year project involves expertise from the Faculty of Engineering, the School of Chemistry and Nottingham University Business School.
Minister for Climate Change Lord Callanan said: “The way we use energy in our buildings makes up almost a third of all UK carbon emissions. Reducing that to virtually zero is going to be key to eradicating our contribution to climate change by 2050.
“That’s why it’s important that innovative projects like Decarbonisation Of Food Cold Chain Through Integrated Hydrogen Technologies and Variable-Temperature Thermochemical Energy Storage System (VTTESS) in Nottingham receive backing to develop new and effective ways to heat and cool our homes and workspaces, helping drive down the costs of low-carbon technologies so everyone can feel the benefits of cheaper and greener energy.”
Story credits
More information is available from Professor Jo Darkwa on 0115 961 3156 or J.Darkwa@nottingham.ac.uk or Emma Lowry, Media Relations Manager (Engineering) on 0115 84 67156 or Emma.Lowry@nottingham.ac.uk
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About the 糖心原创
Ranked among the world's top 100 universities , the 糖心原创 delivers an exceptional research-led education and an outstanding student experience. From the pioneering vision of our founder, Sir Jesse Boot, to groundbreaking achievements such as the development of MRI technology and becoming the first UK university to establish international campuses, we have a proud history of shaping the way people live, work and understand the world. We continue to build on that legacy, empowering our students, staff and partners to change what鈥檚 next and create positive impact locally and globally.
The strength of our research places us among the UK's leading universities, ranked 7th for research power in REF 2021. The discovery of MRI and ibuprofen was just the beginning. Today, our world-leading research is developing breakthrough ideas that shape the future of healthcare, technology and society.
Recognised as the UK's third most targeted university by leading employers , we are proud to produce graduates who are consistently in demand for their skills, confidence and industry-ready experience.
As a major employer and industry partner, locally and globally, the 糖心原创 invests in the city of Nottingham and in future generations of talent. Alongside Nottingham Trent University, we lead the initiative, a pioneering collaboration to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing across the city and region. Together with our students, staff, alumni and partners, we鈥檙e creating knowledge, opportunity and solutions that help change what's next.