- SiBox performing to expectations for supply of very high temperature industrial heat
- 14D Brick successfully harnesses latent heat of silicon for stability and energy density
1414 Degrees Limited reports the results for the first full-cycle performance testing of the SiBox™ Demonstration Module (SDM).
Performance testing is designed to provide important data to demonstrate how SiBox™ will deliver value for customers – informing the Company’s commercialisation strategy to deliver clean heat to heavy industry.
The SDM’s first full cycle of commissioning tests demonstrated its ability to store energy from electricity and output a clean, consistent stream of high-temperature heat through its energy recovery system.
The latent heat of silicon was key to achieving a successful initial run which delivered a stable stream of heat above 800°C without the need for a temperature control system. Further runs, using the control system, delivered longer and more stable runs, consistently supplying clean heat at set points of 700°C and 800°C as shown in Figure 1 below. The stabilising contribution of silicon’s latent heat in the 14D Brick is seen in the flat portions of Figure 2. Sensible heat storage cannot intrinsically provide a stable hot air output.
These results align with expectations from engineering models. Ongoing trials aim to optimise the control system, improve performance, repeatability and enable long-term operational testing.
The goal for future trials is to:
- demonstrate stable heat supply up to 900°C and
- inform future SiBox™ development to supply hot air up to 1000°C powered by 14D Brick at temperatures above 1400°C.
Additional information:
1414 Degrees’ SiBox™ has completed multiple trials at different operating temperature setpoints to demonstrate its versatility in delivering clean heat that can be tailored to meet the diverse requirements of various industries. These trials were carried out at different output temperature setpoints, including 700°C with active control, 800°C with and without active control, as well as shorter trials at 600°C and 650°C, which aimed to test and refine the control system functionality. The figures provide visual representation of some of the results obtained from these trials. The internal brick storage media was electrically heated before each test, and no further charge was added during the trial to ensure that only stored heat was used. Air passing through the SiBox™ is heated by contact with walls of 14D Bricks then circulated through a heat exchanger to simulate a process heat load before being recirculated through the SDM. The silicon phase change material in the storage media cools and solidifies, releasing stored latent heat at a constant temperature as shown in Figure 2. This process ensures heat transfer inside the SiBox™ is self-regulating, providing the passive control of the outlet temperature demonstrated in the results. The outlet temperature of the SDM can also be actively controlled to meet specific application requirements. Figure 3. Components of 1414 Degrees SiBox Demonstration Module. The SDM’s modular thermal storage unit (left rear) is designed to be replicated for scale up in very large future systems
