GB2252817A - Heat transport apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Heat or cooling is transferred over appreciable distances from heating or cooling source 1, typically a power station, to location or space 9 requiring heat or cooling for district heating or air conditioning by carrying medium 5 in wagons 6 over rails 10 or in a ship. Heat is transferred to the medium at source 1, and/or removed at using location 9, by heat exchangers 4. Heat transfer can be optimised by heat storage, allowing heat collection while electric power station is on maximum load and generates maximum waste heat, with delivery at end of travel when required. Heat transfer to/from ambient atmosphere can be used for performance enhancement, with heat transfer wagon insulation modified during travel. Ice trains are used to cool tunnels. Possible media for heat transfer include water, paraffin, napthalene or sodium, or carbon, steel or aluminium. <IMAGE>

Description

HEAT TRNSPORT APPARATUS This invention relates to apparatus for transporting thermal energy from heat sources, for example from electric power generating stations, to locations where heat is to be ed or stored or disposed of.

As used herein terms such as heat or thermal energy are to be taken to encompass both heating and cooling.

It is well known that thermal power generating stations have relatively low conversion efficiency from the thermal energy released, as a consequence of the second Law of Thermodynamics. The major proportion of the energy contained in the fossil or nuclear fuels employed is wasted and. furthermore, expensive cooling means are required to remove and dispose of the wasted heat.

Some waste heat from electric power stations has been used for many ears in so-called remote heating or district heating schemes and in so-called combined heat-and-power installations, which depend on the installation of steam or hot water pipes between the heat sources and the locations where the heat is to be used. Because the cost of producing and installing thermally insulated pipes i5 relatively high, the distances from the power sources, over which remote heating stems can operate economically, have been relatively short.It is also well known that the demand for electricity is often of a diurnally or weekly cyclical nature, so that unused generating capacity may he available at night and at week-ends, whereas the demand for electric power for energy for heating or cooling purposes may be greatest in the daytime.

According to one non-limiting embodiment of the present invention there is provided apparatus for transferring heat from a heat source to a heat-using location, comprising means by which heat can be supplied to a medium from said heat source means for transporting said medium to said heat-usina location, and means for extracting heat from said medium at said heat-using location.

The apparatus of the invention may be used for transporting heat or coolant from power stations or from other heat sources such as comoineo heat-and-power Station. or from heat-producing Station to locations where said heat or coolant is required for purposes such as space heating or cooling or for water heating or for process heating.The apparatus is fleible and economical and has the further advantage over transmission of energy in the form of electric power through cables, or of transport of heat or cooling by passing hot or cold fluid through pipes, that delays may be included in the heating or cooling transport such delays offering the possibility of partially compensating for the cyclical nature of the demand and having the consequent effect of spreading the times of peak demands.

The apparatus may be used for transporting heat by carrying heat-storing fluids or solids in transport means such as railway trains, road vehicles or ships or rivers, from power stations or other energy sources to locations where heating or cooling i requires, and thereafter by extracting heat from or adding hat to, said transported fluids or solids at said locations where heating or cooling is required. Fluids or solids heated by the waste heat or other eat sources from power stations or from other heat sources may be transported to provide space or water or process heat, hich can b extracted at the user location.

Alternatively fluids or solids cooled at a power station or other energy source may be transported to provide space cooling or other cooling by absorbing heat at the user location. One eample of space cooling is the extraction of heat from tunnels.

Heat or combined heat-and-power station can be located to satisfy, economic or environmental or technical requirements, for example with respect to availability of fuel -ourcest, safety, pollution and availability of land, and the heat or cooling generated can be transported economically to heat-using or coolant-using locations. It is possible sometimes to utilise or share transport means which are already eisting.

Where the heat transport means is arranged to use railways, the trains, hereinafter referred to as heat trains or coolant train, may travel at times when passenger traffic demands are low. This setr a limit of the order of about 5 hours for the one-way transit of heat trains, which allows a ma,'imum distance of about 300 kilometers between the heat-producing source and the heat-!lsing location.A further limit set to said distance by the rate at which heat is lost from the heat wagons, and for this reason it is desirable to operate the heat trains or other heat transport media at relatively lo temperatures and ir i; also desirable to employ transport and storage of latent heat in addition to transport and storage of specific heat.

If desired, heat transport ships may be employed, allowing for more fleible transport schedules. It is estimated that heat or coolant transport up to about lC:'C)O kilometers will be practicable.

Where rivers are employed to transport heat, the maximum practicable distance over which heat can be transported from heat-producing sources such as the heat exchangers of a power station to the eat exchanger of heat-using location such as habitations or other installations in proimity to said rivers, the distance depends on the flow rate and on the central water flow velocity in eaid river, and the possible heat transport distances in rivers are generally shorter than the distances possible with heat trains or heat ships.

In the case of heat transport by rivers, where the water temperature increase is relatively small but the available water flow is relatively large, heat pumps may be employed to raise the water temperature at the receiving location. It will be understood that heat pumps may also b employed at the heat receiving locations in cases where heat is transported in trains or ships, in order to raise the water temperature at the receiving location In heat or coolant transport apparatus according to the invention, it is often desirable to maintain quasi-synchronous relationships between the heat generating and waste heat production cycles at the heat .-ource and the heat consumption cycles at the receiving location.Such cycles may be diurnal or weekly and may also otherwise depend on changes in external conditions such as temperature or other effects. Heat availability can also change rapidly due to breakdown in the generating stations, or the heat transport itself may be interrupted. It is therefore desirable but not essential to provide known heat storage means at the generating or at the using locations or at both said locations, and said heat storage may be utilised in consunction with heat transport systems according to this specification, where said systems may include, but do not have to include, heat pumps.

It will be understood that an important factor determining the effciency of heat or coolant transport is the performance of the heat insulation employed in the heat trains or heat ship. Such insulation may b implemented by many different known means, of which polyurethane foam is one example and graded insulation using suitable insulating materials is another exa,m,ple, The performance of the apparatus of the invention depends on the characteristics of the heat transport or cooling media employed. These may be water, paraffin, napthalene or other liquids, or they may be solidus, for example steel.Mere temperature changes of the transport medium may be employed to carry heat or cooling or, in other modes, melting and freezing of the transport medium as well as temperature changes may be employed. Various combinations of processes may be employed to meet particular heat transfer requirements or to maimise the energy which can be transferred per unit weight of the transported medium or per unit volume of the transport container.

Heat may b entered into a. transport medium by means such a-a eat exchanger coils or other devices in contact with said medium, wnich are installed within the transport container.Such heat exchanger coils are capable of bering detachably coupled to the local heat source which may be water or steam flow from a power station, and said eat exchanger coils can be again capable of being detachably coupled to a receiving fluid circuit such as, for example, å water circuit at the heat-using location, In arrangements with heat exchanger means such as coils installed in the transport container, the solids or fluids acting 3 the neat transport medium can be permanently sealed in the transoort container, so that a wide choice of solid or fluid heat transport media may be employed because losses of said media in establishing couplings at the heat source and again at the heat-using location will be negligible.

Alternatively, the heat transport fluid can itself be passed through stationary heat exchanger coils permanently located at the heat generating location and further stationary heat exchanger coils at the heat receiving location. In this case the transport fluid 1 circulated through the heat producing source and through the heat receiving location, so that transport fluid wastage or spillage can occur, and therefore the use of water as the heat transport. fluid iS preferred.

The heat exchangers may themselves form parts of heat pumps which are used to raise the temperature of media transported for heating purposes, or heat pumps may be employed at the heat-using location to lower the temperature of the tranported medium below ambient temperature in order to improve the heat extraction from said transported medium at the heat-using location. here the transported medium is cooiea t'eiow ambient temperature or frozen, in order to increaee heat extraction, said cooled or frozen medium can be melted and rn-warmed while waiting for, or during, return travel to the heat generating source, using available water or atmospheric air circulating though heat exchanger coils in the heat transport containers such as wagons or ships, or using air flow over the surface or through air passages in said heat transport containers. It is desirable but not necessary to make the external insulation of said containers temporarily removable completely or progressively for the purpose of warming said transport medium bv means of ambient air. where the transported medium is water and said water i cooled below ambient temperature or frozen at the heat-receving location, it is possible to dump said water before the return journey of said transport containers towards the heat-generating source and to re-fill said containers when they return to the heat-generating source, in order to reduce return transport costs.

Heat exchangers and heat pumps can als be used at te heat generating station to lower the temperature of media transported for cooling purposes at receiving locations.

Cooling of tunnels may be carried out by the use of coolant trains carrying media which are cooled or frozen or both before entry to said tunneis, with the surfaces of the wagons comprising said coolant trains arranged to facilitate absorption of heat from the air in said tunnel, especially where said cooling trains are travelling relatively fast.

The transport means can b combined and examples of such combinations are heat or coolant lorries carried on trains or heat or coolant trains carried on ships or heat or coolant whips carried on rivers a e sea.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described solely by way example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows an outline ot one form of a heat transport system, and the Table I indicates possible modes of operation using various transport media; Figure 2 shows an outline of another form of a heat transport @vstem, and Table II indicates possible modes of operation; Figure 3 shows an outline of another form of a heat transport system, and Table III indicates possible modes of operation;; Figure 4 shows an outline of a heat train or ship where the transport fluid is passed through stationary heat exchangers which are permanently located at the heat source and where said transport fluid is then passed through other stationary eat exchangers which are permanently located at a heat receiving location; Figure 5 shows a heat transport system where heat storage is employed at a heat generating station and heat storage is employed at a heat receiving location; and Figure 6 is an outline of a cooling system with applications in the extraction of heat from confined spaces such as tunnels; and Figures 7 and s how examples of arrangements for improving heat transfer between air to be cooled and the medium being transported.

Referring now to Figure 1 there i shown an arrangement employing a eat train of which two wagons are shown. The arrangement includes a heat source 1, detachable fluid couplings 2, circulating pump means i for moving a local heat transfer fluid through heat exchanger coils 4 in a transport medium 5 contained in insulated wagons 6. Said wagons are arranged to be capable af travelling over a railway system I: to a heat receiving location 9 which is capable of being connected to said wagon 6 by means of detachable fluid couplings .Circulating pump means are provided to move local heat transfer fluids throuah said wagons and through said heat receiving location. The couplings 2 and 7 can be arranged to be self-sealing when the wagons 6 are separated from them.

The arrangement of Figure 1 allows transfer of heat from heat source 1 to heat receiving location 9. Losses will include the following: Cooling of the transport fluid during transport; energy required to move the heat wagons; energy required to drive circulating pumps means and 8.

Tables IA and 5 show the amount of energy which can be transferred from the heat source to the receiving location through the transport medium 5 per wagon and per train. The first line of Table IA relates to water where a temperature difference of 5 deg K is employed and it can be seen tat a train of thirty wagons can transport 131 megawatt hour. of thermal energy with temperature of the water not exceeding 100 deg Centigrade and its internal pressure not exceeding 1 bar.When the heat wagons are arranged to withstand a pressure of 4.7 bar, the water temperature can be raised to 150 deg Centigrade and the thermal energy transferred is increased to 262 megawatt hours per train, a on in line 2 of Table A.

@eferring now to lines - and 4 of Table P, it can 0 seen that. w@en a heat pump is employed for heat extraction at the heat receiving no to freeze the transported water, then 339 megawatt hours of thermal energy per train can be transferred with 50 deg K temperature difference and 469 megawatt hours can be transfErred per train for 100 deg .K temperature difference. Notes (c) and (d) of Table 1 show that the energy required to drive the heat pumps for lines 3 and 4 absorb energy for compression of 16% for 339 megawatt hours and 11% for 469 megawatt hours.

Where electrical energy for driving the heat pump is obtained from fossil fuels, the advantages of extracting additional heat by the use of heat pumps for freezing the transported water t the heat receiving location are reduced. Where, however, this electrical energy is obtained from nuclear or hydro-electric power stations, the use of heat pumps can be advantageous.

Referring again to Tables IA and IB there are shown the quantities of heat energy which can be transported per train for various heat transport media. It will be seen that paraffin which is cooled below O deg Celsius and solidified at the heat receiving location, and heated to 150 deg C at the heat generating source can be used to transfer 345 megawatt hours per train which is close to the heat energy transfer shown for water in line 3 of Table IA. The heat transfer characteristics for napthalene and sodium are shown in Tables IA and IS respectively, and these appear inferior to the characteristics tor paraffin.

Referring now to the heat transfer characteristics for steel, carbon and aluminium shown in Table IB, it can be seen that the heat transfer characteristics per train for carbon ana aluminium appear similar and better than those for steel.

Figure 2 shows an arrangement for heat transfer from a heat generating source 1 to a heat receiving location O where a ship 6 of load capacity 10,000 tons is employed to carry the heat transport medium 5.

Heat is transferred from heat source 1 through a circulating pump , couplings 2 and heat exchanger coil 4, and heat is removed through said heat exchanger 4, fluid couplings 7 and a circulating pump 8 to the heat receiving location 9. Table II shows calculations for heat transfer using a ship. .Tt will be seen that the use of water at atmospheric pressure, rover a temperature range from 50 deg Celsius to 100 deg Celsius, allows 580 megawatt hours to be transferred per ship and that water which is frozen by a heat pump at the heat receiving location, analogously to the arrangement for a train hereinbefore described, allows 2090 megawatt hours to be transferred, and that paraffin between 50 deg Celsius and 180 deg Celsius allows 1520 megawatt hours to be transferred.

Figure 3 shows an arrangement for transferring heat from a heat generating source 1 to a heat receiving location 9 through a river or other moving water channel 10 where other parts are numbered similarly to those in Figures i and 2. Table III indicates the heat transfer which is possible in an arrangement similar to that shown in Figure Figure 4 shows an arrangement having a similar purpose to that of Figure 2, that is to transfer heat from a source 1 to a receiving location 9.

In this arrangement hot water from a heat source is circulated to a stationary heat exchanger 4 in order to heat a liquid such as water contained in a heat ship, and said liquid is circulated from said heat rip through a heat exchanger 11 to a heat-using location. In this Figure other parts are numbered similarly to those in Figures and 2.

The heat transfer calculations for systems with stationary heat exchangers are similar to those for systems with transportable heat exchangers.

Figure 5 shows a heat source 1 and a heat-using location 9 where a heat pump 14 is employed at the heat-using location to raise the temperature above the temperature of the medium transported in heat ship .

further heat pump 12 js shown at the heat generating source t raise the temperature of the transport fluid stored in heat ship 6. The use ot heat pump 12 is desirable where the temperature available from heat source t is relatively low.

It is to be noted that the principles of Figures 4 and 5 which show the use of heat ships, are intended to apply also to arrangements using heat wagons of the form shown in Figuresl,2and 5, In Figure e there is shown a coolant train consisting of coolant wagons 6 carrying a medium 5 arranged to be cooled at a cooling source 11, and then transported through a space 110 by way of example a tunnel, whose atmosphere requires to be cooled.Insulation 16 on said coolant wagons is arranged to be capable of being removed totally or progressively to expose fins or other heat transfer means 18 while said coolant wagons 6 pass through said space, so that said medium 5 can receive heat from the air in said space 110. When said coolant train has reached a cooling source or cooling sources 1t)1 at one or the other or both terminals of said tunnel 110, heat is removed from said medium by circulating cooled fluids through heat exchanger coils 4 contained in the cooling medium 5 in said coolant wagons, generally as previously indicated in figure a Various means -or heat extraction may be employed, and in arrangement generally based on the heat wagons shown in figure 1 said coils 4 may' form parts of refrigerating installations.

Figure 7 shows one example of an arrangement by which heat may@be removed from air through which said wagons 6 travel, by arranging t temporarily. connect said coils 4 with heat absorbing means such as exposed coils 1? during travels using changeover means X in their setting a, to allDw heated fluid from exposed coils 19 to cause said medium 5 to receive heat via heat exchanger coils 4. For heat to be extracted from said fluid 5 into said cooling sources 161, said changeover means 20 are thereafter set into their position b.

As shown in Figure 8, it is also possible to provide one or a plurality of air passages 21 through said coolant wagons i., deigned to allow air requiring to be cooled to flow through in order to supply heat to fluid 5 while said coolant wagons are moving.

The coolant wagons 6 may also be provided with suitable means for collecting condensate which is produced a the moisture in the air i cooled, in order to reduce icing up of the surfaces 18 or coils 19 or passages 21 of said coolant wagons.

Table IV shows calculations indicating that a train of 30 wagons carrying 75 tons of ice each can extract 288 megawatt hours trom air when ice carried in said wagons is melted and the water temperature is raised to 30 degrees Celsius.

It is to be appreciated that the embodiments of the invention described above with reference to the accompanying drawings have ben given by way of example only and that modifications may be effected.

TABLE I A ENERGY TRANSPORT CAPACITY OF HEAT TRAINS CARRYING VARIOUS HEAT STORAGE MEDIA HEAT CARRIER IS ONE TRAIN OF 30 WAGONS. EACH WAGON CARRYING A MAXIMUM OF 75 TONS AND A MAXIMUM VOLUME 100 M3 NOTES MEDIUM TEMPERATURE MELTING SPECIFIC LATENT HEAT TRANSFER NET WEIGHT HEAT TRANSFER HEAT TRANSFER RANGE POINT HEAT HEAT OF CALORIES/GRAM OF MEDIUM.TONS GRAM CALORIES MEGAWATT HOURS FUSION COOLING FREEZING /WAGON /TRAIN /WAGON /TRAIN /TRAIN a) WATER 50 C - 100 C 0 C 1 50 75 2250 3.75x109 112x109 131 MW hrs b) 50 C - 150 C 100 75 2250 7.5 x109 225x109 262 MW hrs a),c) 0 C - 50 C 80 50 80 75 2250 9.75x109 292x109 339 MW hrs a),d) 0 C - 100 C 80 100 80 75 2250 13.5x109 405x109 469 MW hrs NOTES: a) 1 bar maximum c) Energy required for driving heat pump (c.p. 6.5) d) Energy required for driving b) 4.7 bar maximum for cooling from 50 C to 0 C at receiving location heat pump (c.p. 6.5) for corresponds to 16% of transferred heat. cooling at receiving location corresponds to 16% of 339/469 d) Volume per wagon = 78 m3 or 11% of transferred energy.

PARAFFIN 50 C - 100 C 60 C 0.69 42 35 42 75 2250 5.8x109 174x109 202 MW hrs 50 C - 150 C 69 42 75 2250 8.3x109 250x109 290 MW hrs 50 C - 180 C 90 42 75 2250 9.9x109 297x109 345 MW hrs NOTES: Density of paraffin = 0.9 Boiling point of paraffin = 200 C Volume per wagon = 83 m3 NAPTHALENE 50 C - 100 C 80 C 0.5 35 25 35 75 2250 4.5x109 135x109 157 MW hrs 50 C - 150 C 50 35 75 2250 6.4x109 191x109 222 MW hrs 50 C - 200 C 75 35 75 2250 8.3x109 248x109 288 MW hrs NOTES: Density of napthalene = 1.0 Boiling point of napthalene = 218 C Volume per wagon = 75 m3 TABLE IB ENERGY TRANSPORT CAPACITY OF HEAT TRAINS CARRYING VARIOUS HEAT STORAGE MEDIA HEAT CARRIER IS ONE TRAIN OF 30 WAGONS.EACH WAGON CARRYING A MAXIMUM OF 75 TONS MEDIUM TEMPERATURE MELTING SPECIFIC LATENT HEAT TRANSFER NET WEIGHT HEAT TRANSFER HEAT TRANSFER RANGE POINT HEAT HEAT OF CALORIES/GRM OF MEDIUM, GRAM CALORIES MEGAWATT HOURS FUSION COOLING FREEZG TONS /WAGON /TRAIN /TRAIN /WAGON /TRAIN 50 C -150 C 98 C 0.28 27 28 27 75 2250 4.12x109 124x109 144 MW hours SODIUM 50 C - 200 C 42 27 5.18x109 156x109 180 MW hours Notes: Density of sodium = 0.97 Boiling point of sodium = 877 C STEEL 50 C -150 C 1500 C 0.113 11.3 75 2250 0.85x109 26x109 30 MW hours 50 C -200 C 16.9 1.27x109 38x109 44 MW hourso 50 C -250 C 22.6 1.69x109 51x109 61 MW hours Notes:Density of steel = 7.8 CARBON 50 C-150 C 0.24 26 75 2250 2.0x109 60x109 70 MW hours 50 C-200 C 40 2.9x109 87x109 104 MW hours 50 C-250 C 3.9x109 118x109 138 MW hours Notes: Density of carbon = 2.3 ALUMINIUM 50 C-150 0.21 21 75 2250 1.6x109 48x109 56 MW hours 50 C-200 C 32 2.4x109 72x109 84 MW hours 50 C-250 C 42 3.2x109 95x109 111 MW hours Notes: Density of aluminium = 2.7 TABLE II ENERGY TRANSPORT CAPACITY OF HEAT SHIPS CARRYING VARIOUS HEAT STORAGE MEDIA (SHIP LOAD CAPACITY 10,000 TONS) NOTES MEDIUM TEMPERATURE RANGE MELTING SPEC.HEAT TRANSFER HEAT TRANSFER/ HEAT TRANSFER/ POINT HEAT CALORIES/GRAM 10,000 TON SHIP 10,000 TON SHIP COOLING FREEZING GRAM CALORIES MEGAWATT HOURS C (a) WATER 50 C - 100 C 0 1 50 500x109 580 MW hours (b) 50 C - 150 C 100 1000x109 1160 MW hours (a),(c) 0 C - 50 C 50 80 1300x109 1510 MW hours (a),(d) 0 C - 100 C 100 80 1800x109 2090 MW hours Notes: (a) = 1 bar maximum pressure. (b) = 4.7 bar maximum pressure. (c) using heat pump c.p. = 6.5 (d) using heat pump c.p. = 3.7 PARAFFIN 50 C - 180 C 60 0.69 90 42 1310x109 1520 MW hours Notes: Boiling point of paraffin = 200 C. Latent heat of fusion of paraffin = 42 cal/gram Density of paraffin = 0.9 NAPTHALENE 50 C - 200 C 80 0.5 75 35 1100x109 1280 MW hours Notes: Density of napthalene = 1. Boiling point of napthalene = 218 C.Latent heat of fusion = 35 cal/gm SODIUM 50 C - 200 C 98 0.28 42 27 700x109 900 MW hours 50 C - 250 C 56 27 830x109 1080 MW hours Notes: Boiling point of sodium = 877 C. Latent heat of fusion of sodium = 27 cal/gram Density of sodium = 0.97 STEEL 50 C - 250 C 0.113 22.6 226x109 263 MW hours Note: Density of steel = 7.8 CARBON 50 C - 250 C 0.24 52 520 605 MW hours Note: Density of carbon = 2.3 ALUMINIUM 50 C - 250 C 0.21 42 423 492 MW hours Note:Density of sluminium = 2.7 TABLE III HEAT TRANSFER THROUGH RIVER Electrical Power Cutput from Power Station 500 megawatts Waste heat input into river water from Power Station 750 Megawatts Required water flow in river ) Temperature rise 3 C 6 C to absorb waste heat of 750 Megawatts ) ) ..... (tons per hour) 2x105 1x105 ) 20 sq.meters 10 km/hr 5 km/hr Required water speed in river for ) 50 sq.meters 4 km/hr 2 km/hr various channel cross sections ) 100 sq.meters 2 km/hr I km/hr ) 200 sq.meters 1 km/hr 0.5 km/hr Time required for water to travel 10 km at Temperature .rise 3 C 6 C TIME REQUIRED Channel Cross Section 20 sq.meters 1 hr 2 hrs 50 sq.meters 2.5 hrs 5 hrs 100 sq.meters 5 hrs 10 hrs 200 sq.meters 10 hrs 20 hrs Example of heat extraction from river: ) ......... 0.2 x 750 Megawatts = 150 Megawatts Assumed efficiency of heat extraction at) heat-using location 10 km downstream, ) with heat extraction efficiency from ) river = 20% ) TABLE IV COOLING PERFORMANCE OF COOLANT TRAINS OF 30 WAGONS EACH CARRYING 75 TONS OF ICE TEMPERATURE RANGE HEAT EXTRACTED HEAT EXTRACTED HEAT EXTRACTED CALORIES/GRAM PER WAGON PER TRAIN MELTG WARMING GRAM CAL MW HOURS 0 C - 20 C 80 20 7.5x109 8.7 261 MW hours 0 C - 30 C 80 30 8.3x109 9.6 288 MW hours 0 C - 40 C 80 40 9.0x109 10.5 315 MW hours -20 C - 20 C 80 40 9.0x109 10.5 315 MW hours -20 C - 30 C 80 50 9.8x109 11.3 339 MW hours -20 C - 40 C 80 60 10.5x109 12.2 366 MW hours

Claims (1)

1. CLAIMS 1. apparatus for transferring heat from a heat source to a heat-using location, comprising means by which heat can be supplied to a medium from said heat source, means for transporting said medium to said heat-using location and means for extracting heat from said medium at said heat-using location.

   2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said means for transporting said medium is a wheeled vehicle.

   Apparatus according to claim 2 in which said means for transporting said medium is a road vehicle.

   4. Apparatus according to claim 2 in which said means for transporting said medium is one or a plurality of railway wagons.

   5. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said means for transporting said medium is a shiv.

   6. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said means for transporting said medium is the water flow in a river.

   7. Apparatus according to claims 1 to 5 in which said medium is a liquid.

   8. Apparatus according to claims 1 to 5in which said medium is water.

   9. Apparatus according to claims 1 to 5 in which aid medium i hydrocarbon-based.

   ln. Apparatus according to claims 1 to 5 in which said medium is a solid.

   11. Apparatus according to claims 1 to 5 in which said medium has a melting point between -10 degrees Celsius and +125 degree @el@ius.

   12. Apparatus according to claim 10 in which said solid is a metal.

   13. Apparatus according to any one claims 1 to 5 in which said medium is mainly carbon.

   14. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims in which said means for extracting heat from said medium at said heat-using location includes heat pump means.

   15. Apparatus according to one of claims 1 to 5 or 7 to 14 in which said means for extracting heat from said transported medium includes means for cooling or freezing said medium below ambient temperature.

   16. Apparatus according to claim 15 and including means for supplying heat to a medium from a heat source, means for etracting heat from said medium at a heat-using location, and means for adding heat to said medium from approximately ambient temperature air or approximately ambient temperature water.

   1.7. Apparatus according to claim 16 in which said means for transporting said medium includes means for temporarily modifying thermal insulation means associated with said transport means in order to facilitate the adding of heat to said fluid by heat transfer from approximately ambient temperature water or air.

   i8. Apparatus for transferring heat and including means for cooling a transported medium by means of one or a plurality of cooling sources, and means for supplying cooling from said transported medium to a space requiring cooling.

   19 apparatus according to claim 18 in which said means fnr supplying cooling from said transForted medium are adjustable 20. Apparatus for transferring heat according to claim 18 or claim 19, in which said space requiring cooling is a tunnel.

   21 Apparatus for transporting heat from a heat source, substantially as nereid described with reference to the accompanying drawings.