Commissariat a L'energie Atomique

Bernard Duret

Alain Bricard

Michel Badie

Jacques Chabanne

An installation for very long term storage of products emitting a high thermal flux. The installation comprises a container (), in which the products to be stored are placed, and an evaporator () surrounding the container, to evacuate the heat through a heat-pipe effect. The evaporator () comprises a jacket (), pipes () integral with the jacket and filled with a coolant fluid such as water, and a system for tightening the evaporator () on the container (). The arrangement is such that the evaporator () is not maintained in close contact with the container () except in front of the pipes (). Advantageously, channels () are provided for air circulation by natural convention between the evaporator () and the container (), on both sides of the pipes ().

Installation for the very long storage of products that emit a high heat flux

The present invention relates to a process of accumulation and restitution of heat, wherein heat, mainly in the form of latent heat of fusion, is stored, as required, by causing a hot heat-transfer fluid to circulate in the lower part of a bed of material in grain form with considerable latent heat of fusion, the temperature of the fluid being higher than the melting point of the material which melts under the effect of the additional calories from the fluid, and heat stored by the material in the liquid state is restituted, as required, by circulating and bringing into contact the material and the fluid, the temperature of the latter being lower than the melting point of the material, with the result that the latter yields heat to the fluid on solidifying in the form of grains before being transported into a tank for storing the material in grain form. The invention also relates to a heat accumulator for carrying out the process.

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Saint Martin le Vinoux, France

Bernard Duret