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 7756
Special Issue Editors
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
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
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.