Phase Changing

Material in Solar
Thermal Energy
Storage

Tiffany Wu
Energy Technology and Policy
University of Texas at Austin

(www.powerfromthesun.net/chapter1/Chapter1.htm )
 Contents
Introduction
Benefits and Drawbacks of PCM
PCM Options
Encapsulation
Increasing Thermal Conductivity
Conclusion
 Introduction
Most systems have a disconnect
between supply and demand

Intermittent solar energy supply

can be maximized with a heat
storage system

Thermal energy can be

stored both as sensible
and latent heat

Continued efforts to find a phase changing material is currently

underway
(Fath, 1998; Kousksou, 2007; Pasupathy, 2008)
 Benefits and Drawbacks of PCM
Benefits:
Higher storage density than sensible heat
Smaller volume
Smaller temperature change between storing and releasing energy

Drawbacks:
High cost
Corrosiveness
Density change
Low thermal conductivity
Phase separation
Incongruent melting
Supercooling

(Pasupathy, 2008)
 PCM Options

(Pasupathy, 2008)
 PCM Options
Inorganic
Glaubers salt, calcium chloride hexahydrate, sodium thiosulfate
penthydrate, sodium carbonate decahydrate

Benefits:
Low cost and readily available
High volumetric storage density
Relatively high thermal conductivity

Drawbacks:
Corrosive
Decomposition
Incongruent melting
Supercooling

(Pasupathy, 2008; Farid, 2004)

 PCM Options
Organic
Paraffin waxes and fatty acids

Benefits:
Melts congruently
Chemically and physically stable
High heat of fusion

Drawbacks:
More expensive and flammable
Low thermal conductivity in solid state
Lower heat storage capacity per volume

(Pasupathy, 2008; Farid, 2004)

PCM Options
 Encapsulation
Prevents reactivity towards environment
Compatible with stainless steel, polypropylene,
and polyolefin
Controls volume as phases change
Prevents large drops in heat transfer rates

(Farid, 2004)
(Kenisarin, 2007)
 Increasing Thermal Conductivity
Metallic fillers
Metal matrix structures
Finned tubes

Aluminum filling with VSP 25 and VSP 50

Finned Tubes
PCM-Graphite Matrix
(Farid, 2004; Kenisarin, 2007)
 Total solidification time of PCM is shorter
with fins and lessing rings, but the total
quantity of stored heat is slightly smaller

The VSP25 filling provided the highest thermal

conductivity of 1W/(mK), which is about six
times that of pure paraffin

(Kenisarin, 2007)
 Conclusion
Thermal energy storage is imperative to make
solar energy more reliable and competitive

Further research in phase changing material can

improve the efficiency of energy storage

Design of the system is also important in

optimizing energy storage
 References
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 Other Applications
Cooling of heat and electrical engines
Cooling: use of off-peak rates
Cooling: food, wine, milk products (absorbing peaks in demand), greenhouses
Heating and hot water: using off-peak rates
Medical applications: transportation of blood, operating tables, hotcold therapies
Passive storage in bio-climatic building/architecture (HDPE, paraffin)
Safety: temperature level maintenance in rooms with computers or electrical/electronic
appliances
Smoothing exothermic temperature peaks in chemical reactions
Solar power plants
Spacecraft thermal systems
Thermal comfort in vehicles
Thermal protection of electronic devices (integrated in the appliance)
Thermal protection of food: transport, hotel trade, ice-cream, etc.
Thermal storage of solar energy

(Kenisarin, 2007)