Industries that require a low-cost, large-scale energy storage solution could turn to thermochemical energy storage (TCES), a technology that preserves energy through reversible chemical reactions. TCES can store heat for a long time, run non-stop and provide high-temperature heat for advanced manufacturing. But the challenge of implementing TCES is that little is known about the movement and interaction of particles inside TCES reactors.
Associate Professor Like Li of the UCF Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering will develop novel experiments to characterize TCES particle mechanical and flow properties at temperatures of up to 1,500 degrees Celsius for the first time. This project is supported by a $400,000 grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation.
Li says the movement of particles, called granular flow, has been particularly difficult for scientists to characterize because it is difficult to track them inside of the TCES reactor.
“We can measure how much material enters or leaves, but it is much harder to see how particles actually move within the bed,” Li says. “Optical methods are generally limited to surfaces or transparent walls, while techniques that can probe the interior, such as X-ray tomography or MRI, can be complex, expensive and limited in resolution.”
At higher temperatures, the challenge becomes greater as particle properties change due to gas flow, heat transfer and chemical reactions. As a result, researchers like Li have very little experimental data to refer to.
But Li and his team in the Thermal Energy Storage Development Lab will develop a high-temperature test rig to measure particle mechanical and flow properties. The measurements they capture will be incorporated into computer simulations to understand gas-particle, interparticle and particle-wall interactions that are difficult to observe through experiments alone.
“We will use simulations to evaluate different reactor designs and operating conditions, identify undesirable flow behavior and develop new particle-flow control strategies,” Li says. “The most promising strategies will then be experimentally tested to determine how they improve overall reactor performance.”
The experiments will focus on metal oxide particles, particularly magnesium-manganese-oxide, because they can repeatedly store and release energy, similar to how a battery can charge and discharge. The findings of this research could have practical implications for biofuel production, food processing and pharmaceuticals.
“Although these industries produce very different products, many of their processes have something important in common – large quantities of particles or granular materials must move through processing equipment while simultaneously exchanging heat and mass,” Li says. “A better understanding and control of granular flow could help improve reactor uniformity and efficiency in biofuel processing, achieve more consistent heating and drying in food processing, and improve particle handling and process consistency in pharmaceutical manufacturing.”
Li says this research is particularly timely due to the rise of artificial intelligence.
“TCES could potentially address part of the energy challenge associated with AI and data centers, particularly by providing long-duration energy storage that helps integrate renewable electricity and improve grid flexibility,” Li says. “Electricity can be converted into high-temperature stored energy and retained for long periods with relatively low standby losses, then used when energy is needed.”
The project also has an educational component called the UCF Thermal Energy Storage Ambassadors (TESA) initiative that will teach students about important energy concepts.
“Through the TESA initiative, we want UCF students and researchers to bring these concepts to K–12 students, community colleges and local communities through accessible demonstrations and hands-on activities,” Li says. “Our goal is not only to teach students about energy storage, but also to show them how fundamental subjects they learn in school—physics, chemistry, mathematics and engineering—can be used to solve real-world energy challenges.”
About the Researcher
Like Li is an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and a core faculty member of the Center for Advanced Turbomachinery and Energy Research . Li is the principal investigator of more than $4.6 million in research funding from federal agencies and industry including the U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy. He previously received a $3.8 million grant from the DOE to develop an integrated particle-based thermochemical energy storage system for concentrating solar power. He also worked with the Florida High Tech Corridor and Duke Energy on a project to advance electrically heated thermochemical energy storage systems for long-duration energy storage .