As a heat storage unit wherein, the volume variation of a heat storage
material can be absorbed without an accompanying decrease in heat
capacity, decrease in heat transfer coefficient, and oxidation and
deterioration of the heat storage material due to oxygen in the air, so
that the heat storage capacity can be adequately maintained and high
performance can be attained, and moreover, the number of parts and the
cost can be reduced, there is provided on the outside of a main member
having; a fluid passage formation section which forms a fluid passage for
circulating a fluid introduced from an inlet, on the inside of an outer
wall section, and a heat storage material filling space formation section
which forms a heat storage material filling space for filling with a heat
storage material for which the volume varies corresponding to the heat
storage condition, adjacent to the fluid passage, a passage switching
section which selectively switches a flow-in destination of a fluid
introduced from the inlet by the position of a travelling member which
travels due to the volume variation of the heat storage material, to the
fluid passage or to a bypass passage which bypasses the fluid passage to
discharge the fluid.