Topic Editors

Institute of the Building Environment & Sustainability Technology, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
BS Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow, Angelholm, Sweden

Thermal Energy Transfer and Storage, 2nd Edition

Abstract submission deadline
31 March 2026
Manuscript submission deadline
31 July 2026
Viewed by
1189

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Topic is a continuation of the previous successful Topic “Thermal Energy Transfer and Storage”.

The energy crisis, environmental deterioration, and global greenhouse effect have become increasingly more serious in recent decades, leading to a rapid-growing demand for the utilization of renewable energy. Currently, their transience and intermittency have been concerns affecting further development and commercialization on device levels. Therefore, thermal energy storage has been widely used to provide a reliable thermal performance and stable power production. There are three kinds of TES technologies, including sensible heat storage (SHS), latent heat storage (LHS), and thermochemical heat storage (TCHS). In recent years, various scholars have placed emphasis on the improvement of energy-storage tanks, including novel structures and composite PCM by installing fins and adding high thermal conductivity materials. Thus, we are committed to providing a platform for high-quality papers in the field of thermal energy storage. This issue focuses on fundamental and applied research which could help to augment the charging/discharging performance of thermal energy storage.

Prof. Dr. Xiaohu Yang
Prof. Dr. Bengt Sunden
Topic Editors

Keywords

  • renewable energy
  • sensible heat storage
  • latent heat storage
  • thermochemical heat storage
  • solid–liquid heat transfer
  • finned tube
  • metal foam
  • nanoparticles

Participating Journals

Journal Name Impact Factor CiteScore Launched Year First Decision (median) APC
Applied Sciences
applsci
2.5 5.5 2011 19.8 Days CHF 2400 Submit
Clean Technologies
cleantechnol
4.7 8.3 2019 33.7 Days CHF 1600 Submit
Energies
energies
3.2 7.3 2008 16.2 Days CHF 2600 Submit
Materials
materials
3.2 6.4 2008 15.2 Days CHF 2600 Submit
Processes
processes
2.8 5.5 2013 16 Days CHF 2400 Submit

Preprints.org is a multidisciplinary platform offering a preprint service designed to facilitate the early sharing of your research. It supports and empowers your research journey from the very beginning.

MDPI Topics is collaborating with Preprints.org and has established a direct connection between MDPI journals and the platform. Authors are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity by posting their preprints at Preprints.org prior to publication:

  1. Share your research immediately: disseminate your ideas prior to publication and establish priority for your work.
  2. Safeguard your intellectual contribution: Protect your ideas with a time-stamped preprint that serves as proof of your research timeline.
  3. Boost visibility and impact: Increase the reach and influence of your research by making it accessible to a global audience.
  4. Gain early feedback: Receive valuable input and insights from peers before submitting to a journal.
  5. Ensure broad indexing: Web of Science (Preprint Citation Index), Google Scholar, Crossref, SHARE, PrePubMed, Scilit and Europe PMC.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Journals
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
14 pages, 2465 KB  
Article
Experimental Performance and Techno-Economic Analysis of an Air Conditioning System with an Ice Storage System
by Enes Hüseyin Ergün and Salih Coşkun
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(18), 10088; https://doi.org/10.3390/app151810088 - 15 Sep 2025
Viewed by 535
Abstract
High peak-hour energy consumption from air conditioning in commercial buildings creates significant operational costs and grid instability. This study experimentally investigates the thermo-economic performance of a vapor compression refrigeration system (VCR) ice storage system to address this challenge through load shifting. The methodology [...] Read more.
High peak-hour energy consumption from air conditioning in commercial buildings creates significant operational costs and grid instability. This study experimentally investigates the thermo-economic performance of a vapor compression refrigeration system (VCR) ice storage system to address this challenge through load shifting. The methodology involved operating a custom test rig, featuring an insulated test chamber and an ice tank with a novel spiral evaporator, under an improved 8 h night charging and 9 h day discharge strategy. Results show the system consumed 5.44 kWh of electricity to store 7.70 kWh of thermal energy, achieving a charging Coefficient of Performance (COP) of 1.42. A total of 5.195 kWh of cooling was delivered with a discharge efficiency of 67.5%. The experimental cost analysis confirmed an approximate 20% operating cost advantage over conventional direct cooling. A simple payback assessment indicates strong sensitivity to tariff structures and annual operating days. This study concludes that the optimized Ice Storage System (ISS) is a technically viable and economically advantageous solution for managing peak cooling loads, providing a validated reference model and dataset for future work. Full article
(This article belongs to the Topic Thermal Energy Transfer and Storage, 2nd Edition)
Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 4705 KB  
Article
Justification of Pore Configuration of Metal-Foam-Filled Thermal Energy Storage Tank: Optimization of Energy Performance
by Chuanqing Huang, Jiajie Liu, Jiajun Chen, Junwei Su and Chang Su
Energies 2025, 18(18), 4859; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18184859 - 12 Sep 2025
Viewed by 328
Abstract
Thermal energy storage (TES) is a crucial technology for mitigating energy supply–demand mismatches and facilitating the integration of renewable energy. This study proposes a novel horizontal phase change TES unit integrated with partially filled metal foam (MF) and fins, divided into six sub-regions [...] Read more.
Thermal energy storage (TES) is a crucial technology for mitigating energy supply–demand mismatches and facilitating the integration of renewable energy. This study proposes a novel horizontal phase change TES unit integrated with partially filled metal foam (MF) and fins, divided into six sub-regions (ε1ε6) with graded pore parameters. A comprehensive numerical model is developed to investigate the synergistic heat exchange mechanism and energy storage performance. The results demonstrate that porosity in Porosity-1 (ε1) and Porosity-2 (ε2) regions dominates melting dynamics. Through multi-objective optimization, targeting both minimal energy storage time and maximal energy storage rate, an optimal configuration (Case TD) is derived after technical design. Case TD features porosity values ε1 = ε2 = ε3 = ε5 = ε6 = 0.97 and ε4 = 0.98, where the graded porosity distribution balances heat conduction efficiency and energy storage capacity. Compared to the uniform MF case (Case 1) and the fin-only case (Case 6), Case TD reduces TES time by 51.75% and 17.39%, respectively, while increasing the mean TES rate by 102.55% and 19.12%, respectively. This design minimizes the TES capacity loss (only decreasing by 2.14% compared to Case 1) while maximizing the energy storage density and improving the efficiency–cost trade-off of the phase-change material-based system. It provides a scalable solution for rapid-response TES applications in solar thermal power plants and industrial waste heat recovery. Full article
(This article belongs to the Topic Thermal Energy Transfer and Storage, 2nd Edition)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop