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Contract Opportunity

TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY

Integrating High-Temperature Thermal Energy Storage with Transportable Heat Pipes for Clean Energy Systems

A high-temperature Thermal Energy Storage (TES) system that can be easily coupled with any thermal system without introducing complex interfacing technology or additional safety issues.

Opportunity: Idaho National Laboratory (INL), managed and operated by Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC (BEA), offers the opportunity to enter into a license or collaborative research agreement to commercialize this high-temperature Thermal Energy Storage (TES) system. This technology transfer opportunity is part of a dedicated effort to convert government-funded research into job opportunities, businesses, and, ultimately, an improved way of life for the American people.

Overview: The Heat pipe-Integrated Thermal Battery (HITB) is a new thermal energy storage (TES) design that can be easily integrated with any thermal system, including micronuclear reactors, without the need for complex interfacing technology or additional safety issues. HITB incorporates high-temperature heat pipes with TES technology, allowing for passive heat transfer and avoiding fluid exchange at the connections to other systems.

Description: The HITB consists of four main components: the TES medium, TES container, heat pipe, and heat pipe drive mechanism. The HITB design employs a metal alloy-based TES medium, which enhances heat charging and discharging characteristics and eliminates the need for extended surfaces that complicate the TES design. The heat pipe drive mechanism drives the heat pipes and can be easily moved along guide tubes to adjust the degree of thermal connection between the TES medium and external thermal systems.

Benefits:

• Flexible operation and maintenance

• Cost-effective, with no need for separate heat exchangers or pumps

• Enhanced safety due to the absence of fluid exchange

• Highly scalable to multiple modules

• The high-temperature liquid-metal heat pipe provides optimal thermal conductivity and high latent heat of fusion for efficient charging and discharging of the TES medium.

Applications:

• Ideal for customers in the thermal energy storage market, including:

o Those interested in integrating high-temperature TES technology with advanced nuclear energy systems or other clean energy resources such as solar power plants and industrial heat customers.

o The technology is especially relevant for those interested in maximizing energy utilization and profitability in micronuclear reactors connected to microgrids.

Development Status: TRL 3 technology is undergoing proof-of-concept work.

IP Status: Provisional Patent Application No. 63/379,926, “High-Temperature Latent Heat Storage System using Transportable Heat Pipes for Versatile Integration with Emerging Microreactors,” BEA Docket No. BA-1419.

INL seeks to license the above intellectual property to a company with a demonstrated ability to bring such inventions to the market. Exclusive rights in defined fields of use may be available. Added value is placed on relationships with small businesses, start-up companies, and general entrepreneurship opportunities.

Please visit Technology Deployment’s website at https://inl.gov/inl-initiatives/technology-deployment for more information on working with INL and the industrial partnering and technology transfer process.

Companies interested in learning more about this licensing opportunity should contact Andrew Rankin at td@inl.gov.

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