Distributed District Heating via Zeolite as Thermochemical Energy Storage^#

This study aims at investigating the technical potential of using Zeolite as a thermochemical energy storage in a distributed district heating system. Different storage sizes were simulated and combined with an existing local pellets boiler at a medium sized school building as a case study. A test rig was built to monitor how the Zeolite was charged through desorption where heat was added and then discharged when vapour was added to the Zeolite. The storage sizes were assessed in various scenarios. A seasonal storage unit sized to cover the challenging low-load thermal demand during summer was reasonably sized and weighted. The seasonal storage can also provide heat for almost a week during winter out of a resilience perspective.