6 years of Development & Testing
40 years ago, after observing these railroad cars carring molten steel, we realized it was possible to store 100s of megawatt for weeks.
These specialized wagons are filled with tons of molten steel, then travel for weeks, finally pouring it still molten at the destination
These wagons last for decades and have ben in use for over 70 years worldwide
In spite of the fact that they are carrying steel at over 2500*F, the average outside temperature is just over boiling water
The heat is stored using the century old method of layers of refractories and insulation. A very little of the energy is lost as the wagon travels.
These 4th graders use a kiln which is hotter than 2000*F inside but never gets warmer than 100* F on the outside
Looking into the refractory lining of our storage unit. This refractory can contain over 3000*F and - like the kiln below - the outside is barely 100*F
For safety, we used many more layers of refractory and insulation than are used in the kiln below or the train wagons carrying steel, also improving the unit's storage capacity
Our prototypes were lined by hand , now they are cast, providing greater safety and duribility
We tested to durability of our metal containment cores, which must endure 10s of thousands of melting and cooling cycles, and must be able to contain metal from aluminum to nickel without any cracks, deteriation or weakening for decades
It has taken us 6 years to build or first prototype, and two subsequent generations, along the way solving problems and making improvements to increase the capacity from 10 to over 100 megawatts thermal potential storage and build in safety failsafes that make this equipment the next generation of storage. We have constantly reduced our costs and found ways to make the technology practical from the smallest household to the largest utility at an affordable cost
We have learned how to build the ultimate thermal battery from practical experience accumulated over several centuries at steel & iron works, and from decades of industry experience transporting molten steel around the planet
From conception to a "Thermal Battery Storage System" that out preforms anything on the market today has taken over 40 years. The development and testing has been a 6 year challenge, facing disbelief, industry resistance, repeated attempts of companies and groups to steal the IP, and the financial challenge of trying to do something on a relative showstring that billion dollar giants have failed to do. But we have persisted and have succeeded in developing the ultimate storage system.
Why This is the Ultimate Storage System
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Provides not a few hours but days of backup energy
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Provides both electricity and heat
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Can provide substantial savings in every day energy costs (& reduce use of oil, gas for heat, hot water, etc)
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Can produce pure water and cooling with accesories
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A fraction the cost of other systems on the maket
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Long lasting - decades instead of few years useful life
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No environmental toxic chemicals such as lithium
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Thermal storage is solid state, can be turned off and on, easily maintaine