Ice Energy Storage for Large-Scale Systems – Innovative Energy Source for Brine/Water Heat Pumps

The Viessmann ice energy storage system is an attractive heat source for brine/water heat pumps. This permit-free system combines energy from ambient air, solar radiation, and soil. Its peculiarity is that part of the heat energy comes from ice, or rather, from the so-called crystallization energy. This is the energy released when water freezes into ice. In ice storage, this change in physical state occurs during the heating season, when the heat pump takes away heat.

At the same time, the same amount of energy is released as it takes to heat one liter of water from 0 to 80 degrees Celsius. Once the ice has thawed again in regeneration mode, this process can be repeated as many times as necessary. What’s more, the technology is virtually maintenance-free. Ice is intentionally formed at the end of the heating season in order to then use it as a source of cooling to keep the building cool on hot days. Even in summer, the cooler nighttime outdoor temperatures can be used to cool the water in the store or the building itself through solar air sinks. This prolongs the “natural cooling” phase.

More information

Illustrative example of processes in an energy storage system in 120 m3 ice

[1] Ice energy storage (120 m3)
[2] Ice storage – heat pump
[3] Heat pump and control
unit [4] Total energy from the heat pump to the building
[5] Direct operation of the heat pump [6] Solar air
absorbers [7] Regeneration mode: collectors – ice storage
[8] Natural cooling
[9] Heat recovery from the
ground [10] Heat loss to the ground

Multiple Applications

The ice storage system is suitable for all buildings with high heat and/or cooling requirements. Heating and cooling can be carried out periodically or simultaneously. The use of standardized hydraulic diagrams allows you to cover a large number of applications and reduce design costs. A special advantage of the ice storage system is its great flexibility. It can be used in many areas:

Residential buildings
Production facilities
Office buildings
Supermarkets
Schools/kindergartens
Nursing homes
Other buildings with high heating and/or cooling needs

Hot topics

Planning and implementation of the ice warehouse cooling system

An ice storage system only works at full capacity if individual circumstances are taken into account and all components are optimally selected. All steps are planned and coordinated centrally. Tried and tested processes provide cost certainty, meeting schedules, and fast installation.

Customized Ice Storage Tank Design

The underground concrete tank serves as a latent heat storage tank and is built on site, in cooperation with the partner companies of Viessmann Eis-Energiespeicher GmbH, according to the individual requirements of the project. A concrete tank can be cylindrical or rectangular in shape, while the special design requirements of the tank are taken into account during construction. The required minimum internal height is two meters. The maximum achievable internal height is six meters.

Safety is ensured by a special heat exchanger system

In nature, when water freezes and forms ice, the process occurs from top to bottom and from outside to inside. The special arrangement of the heat exchanger system in the Viessmann ice storage reverses this process: the water freezes from the bottom up and from the inside out. This prevents the transfer of forces to the tank structure and provides sufficient space for the ice storage facility to regenerate due to gravity. Taking into account all the parameters for the construction of an ice storage system, Viessmann is your professional contact partner, covering all aspects from the first energy simulation of the building to the management of energy sources.

Our services at a glance

1. Calculation of needs

Using a building modeling tool provides information about individual heating or cooling needs. On this basis, a general energy concept is drawn up, taking into account all individual circumstances.

2. Component Design

This is followed by the design of the energy source and the heating/cooling system. All components of the system are dimensioned and selected to best meet the identified needs.

3. Implementation on site

All components are delivered and installed according to the schedule. If required, Viessmann Eis-Energiespeicher GmbH can act as a general contractor for all services related to heating and cooling, right up to the connection of the pipes to the heating water buffer tank.

4. Commissioning Assistance

Viessmann Eis-Energiespeicher GmbH offers comprehensive services from planning to commissioning. This ensures efficient and reliable operation of the system.

5. Heat Source Control System

As part of heat source management, system data is continuously collected through remote monitoring and system performance is optimized accordingly. The result is a continuous reduction in operating costs.

Advantages from a single source

Viessmann Eis-Energiespeicher GmbH offers a comprehensive service from planning to commissioning.
Standardized processes provide cost certainty, on-time schedules, and fast installation.
All components come from a single source
Intelligent heat source control ensures the efficient and reliable operation of the ice machine system.

Contact Us

If you are interested in customized ice energy storage systems for large-scale systems (from 21 kW), please contact us:

Viessmann Ice Storage Engineering
, Lingwiesenstraße 9,
70825 Korntal-Munich
, Germany

Tel: +49 7150 91361-24

Email: ec-icestorage@viessmann.com

External links

The World’s Largest Ice Storage System Provides Heat to an Office Complex with 900 Employees

Only the well-informed know that underneath the inconspicuous manhole cover in the Ecolab parking lot is an innovative energy storage system: the ice storage facility. With a capacity of 1.8 million liters, the company’s 900 employees at the company’s headquarters in Monheim, Germany, can enjoy pleasant room temperature all year round.