Floating heat storage in Donaustadt: Revolution for the future of energy!

Floating heat storage in Donaustadt: Revolution for the future of energy!

Donaustadt, Österreich - In the Danube city, an exciting project becomes a reality: an innovative hot water storage pilot plant is being built at the location of the power plant. This new system is characterized by a diameter of 40 to 50 meters and a depth of 30 to 35 meters and was designed to optimally store and use the thermal energy. The laying in the memory is crucial to enable high temperatures when saving, which increases efficiency. The walls and lids of the system are also insulated to minimize heat losses, while the floor has no insulation material.

As reporting the tga, simulations show that the heat loss is primarily caused by the walls and lids. Due to the clever arrangement in the lower area of ​​the memory, colder water layers form if the memory is not fully loaded. This could prove to be advantageous to further optimize thermal efficiency.

innovative materials and technologies

A key to the effective use of this system lies in the development of new materials for wall structure and insulation. The Fraunhofer ISE has dealt intensively with the increase in memory density and long-term stability. The researchers focus on analyzing the interactions between fillers and heat transfer fluid and developing innovative solutions to optimize sorption materials. These technologies will also be used in the Donaustädter facility.

research and development services, such as the characterization of the thermophysical properties and the thermal stability of the materials, are in the foreground. Microver capsule also use phase change materials (PCM), which means that the heat storage capacity can be significantly increased. Such measures are not only sustainable, but also contribute to reducing costs, which is of central importance for future projects.

a sustainable solution for the energy future

Thermal storage technology plays a crucial role in sustainable energy future. It is not only essential for solar thermal power plants, but also optimizes load management in industrial processes. According to fvee, these systems can make fossil power plants more flexible and reduce the costs for the power retention. Large heat stores are essential to intercept oversupply in the power grid and to stabilize the energy supply.

With regard to the Donaustadt facility, an efficiency of 80 to 90 percent is sought. The entire storage system is intended to provide a thermal output of around 2,000 MW, which corresponds to a discharged energy of 50 GWH per year. With such impressive numbers, the city is at the pulse of the contemporary energy supply and proves that innovative technologies have a good hand to advance the energy transition.