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Theoretical and Experimental Analysis of Phase Change Materials for Thermal Energy Storage Applications

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "G2: Phase Change Materials for Energy Storage".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2024) | Viewed by 7963

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Luigi Mongibello

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
ENEA—Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, Portici Research Center, P.le E.Fermi, 1, 80055 Portici, NA, Italy
Interests: applied thermodynamics, solar energy, heat transfer, energy harvesting and storage; fluid dynamics; CFD; energy systems optimization methods; heat exchangers; thermal networks; cogeneration; distributed energy generation
Dr. Matteo Morciano

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Energy, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy
Interests: heat and mass transfer; heat storage; desalination; renewable energy; solar energy; molecular dynamics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We all know that thermal energy storage offers the possibility to improve the flexibility and the efficiency of several types of energy systems, as it allows the decoupling between thermal energy production and demand. We could even affirm that thermal energy storage can play a crucial role in improving the reliability of all types of energy systems.

In this context, phase change materials (PCMs) have the main advantage of higher thermal storage densities compared to conventional sensible heat storage systems. This characteristic, and the great number of commercially available PCMs with different phase change temperatures, give them the potential to be used in a wide range of thermal energy storage applications. Nonetheless, PCMs are, in general, characterized by low thermal conductivity. Thus, they are often employed with additives to enhance heat transfer, or are immersed in highly conductive foams. Further, PCMs can present other problems, such as phase separation, chemical stability, subcooling, etc., that may compromise their performance stability in the long run. Moreover, the fact that the thermal storage density of PCMs can be quite low outside a narrow range around the phase change temperature can represent a limit in terms of operation flexibility.

The objective of the present Special Issue is to put together a series of novel studies focused on the characterization of the operation of PCM-based thermal energy storage systems in different applications. Authors are invited to submit novel numerical and/or experimental contributions aimed at providing new clear and useful indications on the operation of such systems, underlying the benefits and/or the limits about the use of PCM-based solutions for thermal energy storage in the considered applications, also through comparisons with solutions based on conventional thermal energy storage systems.

Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to:

  • PCMs for the management and storage of thermal energy in electronic systems;
  • Integration of PCMs in buildings;
  • Integration of PCMs in solar thermal collectors;
  • Integration of PCMs in PV, CPV, and hybrid PV/T systems;
  • PCMs for space heating and domestic hot water;
  • PCMs for thermal management of lithium-ion batteries;
  • Life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle cost (LCC) of PCMs;
  • PCMs in cooling applications;
  • PCMs in cold-chain logistics;
  • Integration of PCMs in solar desalination systems;
  • Application of cascaded multiple-PCMs;
  • Application of PCMs in heat exchangers;
  • Techniques for improving heat transfer in PCMs systems.

Dr. Luigi Mongibello
Dr. Matteo Morciano
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • phase change materials
  • thermal energy storage
  • thermal management
  • space heating
  • space cooling
  • solar energy
  • theoretical analysis
  • experimental analysis
  • heat exchangers

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1450 KiB  
Article
Thermal Performance of Lignocellulose’s By-Product Wallboards with Bio-Based Microencapsulated Phase Change Materials
by Inga Zotova, Staņislavs Gendelis, Edgars Kirilovs and Dejan Štefanec
Energies 2024, 17(1), 257; https://doi.org/10.3390/en17010257 - 4 Jan 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1594
Abstract
The growing availability and decreasing cost of microencapsulated phase change materials (PCMs) present an opportunity to develop innovative insulation materials for latent heat energy storage. By integrating PCMs with traditional insulation materials, it is possible to enhance the thermal capacity of a building [...] Read more.
The growing availability and decreasing cost of microencapsulated phase change materials (PCMs) present an opportunity to develop innovative insulation materials for latent heat energy storage. By integrating PCMs with traditional insulation materials, it is possible to enhance the thermal capacity of a building by up to 2.5-times, virtually without increasing the building’s mass. To improve buildings’ indoor structural performance, as well as improving their energy performance, microencapsulated PCMs are integrated into wallboards. The integration of microencapsulated PCMs into the wallboard solves the PCM leakage problem and assures a good bond with the building materials to achieve better structural performance. The novelty of this research is the application of encapsulated phase change material dispersion and technology for its incorporation into the structure of hemp shives and longitudinally milled wood chip-based insulation boards, using cold pressing technology to reduce the energy consumption of board production. As a result, low-density insulation boards for indoor application were produced by varying their structure and the amount of phase change materials in the range of 5% to 15% by board mass. The obtained board prototypes can be used as microclimate and thermoregulation elements of interiors, as well as functional aesthetic elements of interior design. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Theoretical and Experimental Analysis of Phase Change Materials for Thermal Energy Storage Applications)
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20 pages, 2042 KiB  
Article
A Systematic Analysis of Phase Change Material and Optically Advanced Roof Coatings Integration for Athenian Climatic Conditions
by Angeliki Kitsopoulou, Evangelos Bellos, Panagiotis Lykas, Christos Sammoutos, Michail Gr. Vrachopoulos and Christos Tzivanidis
Energies 2023, 16(22), 7521; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16227521 - 10 Nov 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1291
Abstract
Energy retrofit solutions that concern a building’s roof structure play a significant role in the enhancement of a building’s thermal behaviour. This study investigates the integration of phase change materials (PCMs) with cool coatings (CCs) or thermochromic coatings (TCCs), namely, a PCM roof, [...] Read more.
Energy retrofit solutions that concern a building’s roof structure play a significant role in the enhancement of a building’s thermal behaviour. This study investigates the integration of phase change materials (PCMs) with cool coatings (CCs) or thermochromic coatings (TCCs), namely, a PCM roof, a PCM-CC roof, and a PCM-TCC roof, as alternative and novel tactics for the simultaneous control of solar heat transfer and solar heat reflection. An energy simulation analysis with the DesignBuilder tool is conducted for a one-story residence and the climatic conditions of Athens. The simulation results indicate that, compared to the existing concrete roof construction, the PCM roof, PCM-CC, and PCM-TCC roof systems demonstrate energy savings that reach up to 13.55%, 16.04%, and 21.70%, respectively. The systematic analysis reveals that the increase in PCM’s thickness leads to an increase in the total electricity savings of the buildings, but in the case of PCM-CC and PCM-TCC roof systems, they merely effect the cooling thermal loads. The mean phase transition temperature that favours the cumulative electricity savings is 28 °C in the case of PCM and PCM-TCC roof systems and 35 °C in the case of PCM-CC roof systems. The methodology of this study allows the design of efficient, integrated roof systems with advanced thermal and optical properties as energy retrofit solutions for Mediterranean climatic conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Theoretical and Experimental Analysis of Phase Change Materials for Thermal Energy Storage Applications)
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16 pages, 5084 KiB  
Article
Subcooling Effect on PCM Solidification: A Thermostat-like Approach to Thermal Energy Storage
by Nicola Bianco, Andrea Fragnito, Marcello Iasiello, Gerardo Maria Mauro and Luigi Mongibello
Energies 2023, 16(12), 4834; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16124834 - 20 Jun 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2212
Abstract
Choosing the right phase change material (PCM) for a thermal energy storage (TES) application is a crucial step in guaranteeing the effectiveness of the system. Among a variety of PCMs available, the choice for a given application is established by several key factors, [...] Read more.
Choosing the right phase change material (PCM) for a thermal energy storage (TES) application is a crucial step in guaranteeing the effectiveness of the system. Among a variety of PCMs available, the choice for a given application is established by several key factors, e.g., latent heat, stability, and melting point. However, phenomena such as subcooling—for which PCM cools in a liquid state below its solidification point—can lead to a reduction in the amount of energy stored or released, reducing the TES overall effectiveness, and also in some inaccuracies when modeling the problem. Thus, understanding the effects of subcooling on PCM performance is crucial for modeling and optimizing the design and the performance of TES systems. To this end, this work analyzes the PCM discharging phase in a cold thermal energy storage coupled to a chiller system. A first conduction-based predictive model is developed based on enthalpy–porosity formulation. Subcooling phenomena are encompassed through a control variable formulation, which takes its cue from the operation of a thermostat. Then, thermal properties of the PCM, i.e., the phase change range and specific heat capacity curve with temperature, are evaluated by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), in order to derive a second predictive model based on these new data, without including subcooling, for the sake of comparison with the first one. Experimental results from the storage tank confirm both model reliability and the fact that the PCM suffers from subcooling. Between the two numerical models developed, the first one that considers subcooling proves it is able to predict with satisfactory accuracy (RMSE < 1 °C) the temperature evolution on different tank levels. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Theoretical and Experimental Analysis of Phase Change Materials for Thermal Energy Storage Applications)
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16 pages, 2704 KiB  
Article
Thermal Characterization of Binary Calcium-Lithium Chloride Salts for Thermal Energy Storage at High Temperature
by Naveed Hassan, Manickam Minakshi, Willey Yun Hsien Liew, Amun Amri and Zhong-Tao Jiang
Energies 2023, 16(12), 4715; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16124715 - 14 Jun 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1951
Abstract
Due to their excellent thermophysical properties and high stability, inorganic salts and Forsalt mixtures are considered promising thermal energy storage materials for applications operating at high temperatures. A mixture of binary salts, such as CaCl2 (58 wt.%)-LiCl (42 wt.%), was investigated in [...] Read more.
Due to their excellent thermophysical properties and high stability, inorganic salts and Forsalt mixtures are considered promising thermal energy storage materials for applications operating at high temperatures. A mixture of binary salts, such as CaCl2 (58 wt.%)-LiCl (42 wt.%), was investigated in this work to understand their thermal properties and stability for use in TES systems. Thermophysical properties, such as onset melting and crystallization temperature, enthalpy of fusion, and crystallization enthalpy, were all investigated experimentally via the use of a simultaneous thermal analyzer. The experimental findings demonstrated a suitable onset melting temperature of 488 °C and a solidification temperature of 480 °C. The heat of fusion was observed as 206 J/g, whereas the heat of crystallization was recorded as 180 J/g. Thermal repeatability tests indicated little variations in melting temperature; however, fusion enthalpies changed significantly over the course of 30 heating-cooling cycles. Additionally, the results obtained from the thermogravimetric analysis showed relatively weak thermal stability with considerable mass changes. This might be caused by the salts decomposing at elevated temperatures. In order to validate this, a high-temperature in-situ X-ray diffraction technique was used to verify the thermal instability of the binary salt mixture with and without thermal cycling. The thermal decomposition of parent salts and the subsequent formation of new phases with the formation of voids were shown to be the cause of thermal instability. It is concluded that the binary mixture of chloride salt showed suitable thermal properties but relatively weak thermal stability, which may limit its use in practical applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Theoretical and Experimental Analysis of Phase Change Materials for Thermal Energy Storage Applications)
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