Performance improvement of a solar volumetric reactor with passive thermal management under different solar radiation conditions

To alleviate the effect of solar radiation fluctuation on the solar volumetric reactor, phase change material (PCM) is applied to buffer the temperature vibration and improve the stability of thermochemical reactions. In this work, we analyzed the heat flow and distribution characteristics of the conventional double-walled volumetric reactor filled with PCMs (SVR1). We then proposed a novel solar volumetric reactor design (SVR2) to solve the problems of local high temperature, slow charging-discharging rate, and fluctuating methane conversion in various radiation conditions. The heat and mass transfer model coupled with thermochemical reaction kinetics was established to compare the performance of SVR1 and SVR2 under steady state, heat charging-discharging mode, and actual solar radiation fluctuation, respectively. The results show that compared to SVR1, the maximum temperature of SVR2 decreases by 106.3 K, and the minimum methane conversion rate increases from 77.4% to 93.6% under natural solar radiation fluctuation.     

Photo-to-thermal conversion and energy storage of lauric acid/expanded graphite composite phase change materials

To make better use of solar energy, lauric acid/expanded graphite (LA/EG) composite phase change materials (PCMs) were synthesized to collect and store solar energy as latent heat thermal energy. The results of thermal characteristics show that when the mass fraction of EG is 5%, 10%, and 15%, the latent heat of LA/EG is 164.5, 156.9, and 148.0 J/g, and the thermal conductivity is 2.73, 7.98, and 10.54 W/(m·K). Leakage test shows that LA/EG PCMs with EG mass fraction of 10% and 15% are form stable after phase change. One thousand thermal cycles prove good thermal reliability of LA/EG. TG analysis indicates LA/EG PCMs have good thermal stability within operating temperature range. The Ultraviolet-visible spectra reveal that the absorbance of LA/EG composite PCMs would increase as the mass fraction of EG increases. Photothermal conversion experiment results indicate that the photothermal conversion efficiency of LA/EG composite PCMs increases as the mass fraction of EG increases, and the efficiency can reach 95% when the mass fraction of EG is 15%. Moreover, it was also found that the process of photothermal conversion can be accelerated with stronger illumination intensity or smaller heat transfer size. All the results show that the prepared LA/EG PCMs can convert solar energy into thermal energy and store it in the form of latent heat at the same time, which indicates it has promising prospect in the application of solar energy conversion and storage.     

Numerical analysis of latent heat thermal energy storage using encapsulated phase change material for solar thermal power plant

Thermal energy storage improves the load stability and efficiency of solar thermal power plants by reducing fluctuations and intermittency inherent to solar radiation. This paper presents a numerical study on the transient response of packed bed latent heat thermal energy storage system in removing fluctuations in the heat transfer fluid (HTF) temperature during the charging and discharging period. The packed bed consisting of spherical shaped encapsulated phase change materials (PCMs) is integrated in an organic Rankine cycle-based solar thermal power plant for electricity generation. A comprehensive numerical model is developed using flow equations for HTF and two-temperature non-equilibrium energy equation for heat transfer, coupled with enthalpy method to account for phase change in PCM. Systematic parametric studies are performed to understand the effect of mass flow rate, inlet charging system, storage system dimension and encapsulation of the shell diameter on the dynamic behaviour of the storage system. The overall effectiveness and transient temperature difference in HTF temperature in a cycle are computed for different geometrical and operational parameters to evaluate the system performance. It is found that the ability of the latent heat thermal energy storage system to store and release energy is significantly improved by increasing mass flow rate and inlet charging temperature. The transient variation in the HTF temperature can be effectively reduced by decreasing porosity.     

Application of a ground source heat pump system with PCM‐embedded radiant wall heating for buildings

This paper deals with the utilization of a renewable energy‐based integrated system with the latent heat storage option for building thermal management systems. Both energy and exergy‐based assessments of the current combined system are conducted. For this purpose, phase change material (PCM)‐embedded radiant wall heating system using solar heating and ground source heat pump (GSHP) is studied thermodynamically. Heat is essentially stored within the PCMs as used in the panels to increase the effectiveness. The stored heat is released when the solar energy is not available. In the thermal energy storage analyses, four different PCMs are considered. The present results show that the overall first ‐ law (energy) and second ‐ law (exergy) efficiencies of the PCM‐free radiant heating system are much lower than the case with the PCM‐embedded radiant heating system. Therefore, it is confirmed that the energy efficiency increases from 62% to 87% while the exergy efficiency rises from 14% to 56% with the option where SP26E PCM is employed accordingly.     

Selection of phase change materials,metal foams and geometries for improving metal hydride performance

This paper reports the numerical investigation of the effect of different phase change materials (PCMs) on the metal hydride (MH) behaviour in a reactor bed during the absorption process. The feasibility of integrating metal foams (MFs) into the phase change materials to improve the hydrogen storage performance of the system was also evaluated. A two-dimensional model for a LaNi₅ hydride reactor equipped with different phase change materials has been developed. The selection of five different PCMs having a high latent heat of fusion and a range of melting temperatures were investigated. In addition, the effect of the mass and volume of the different PCMs on the hydrogen performance of the MH reactor was studied. It was found that LiNO₃·3H₂O PCM shown better performance than the other PCMs, its loading time is faster, and its mass within the reactor is enough to absorb the total heat generated from the MH during hydrogenation. Three different metals foam with three different porosities were integrated into the most suitable PCM with the appropriate dimension of a cylindrical reactor that shows the optimum performance. The obtained results indicated that the integration of the metal foams into the PCM show better heat transfer performance than the case of MH-PCM without metal foams. Two different configurations cylindrical and spherical MH reactors were investigated. The obtained results indicated that the two configurations have very similar behaviours. So, both configurations are good for the hydriding process within an MH reactor.     

组合式相变材料组分配比与储热性能研究

采用焓法对组合式相变材料(PCM)储热系统的相变过程进行了数值计算,分析了组合式相变材料中各个PCM组分质量分数的变化对系统储热性能的影响。结果表明,对于组合式相变材料储热系统,存在着最优组分配比,使得系统的储热性能达到最佳。     

Experimental study of the phase change and energy characteristics inside a cylindrical latent heat energy storage system: Part 2 simultaneous charging and discharging

The time mismatch between energy availability and energy demand with solar domestic hot water (SDHW) systems is often solved using energy storage. Energy storage systems typically employ water for thermal energy storage, however, water storage takes up considerable space and weight due to the large volumes required under certain conditions. A latent heat energy storage system (LHESS) may provide a valuable solution to the space and weight issue, while also correcting the energy mismatch by storing energy in phase change materials (PCMs) when it is available, dispensing energy when it is in demand, and acting as a heat exchanger when there is supply and demand simultaneously. PCMs are advantageous as energy storage materials due to their high energy density which reduces the space requirements for energy storage. However, heat transfer problems arise due to the inherently low thermal conductivity of PCMs. Simultaneous charging and discharging has not been addressed in literature making questionable the ability of a LHESS to operate as a heat exchanger during the mode of operation. The main objective of this research is to study the heat transfer processes and phase change behavior of a PCM during simultaneous charging and discharging of a LHESS.In Part 2 of this paper, experiments are performed using a vertical cylindrical LHESS which is charged and discharged simultaneously to replicate latent heat energy storage paired with a SDHW system with simultaneous energy supply and demand. Dodecanoic acid is used as the PCM. Experimental results for simultaneous operations are presented, under various scenarios and flow rates for both the hot and cold heat transfer fluids. The ability of the system to directly transfer heat between the hot and cold heat transfer fluids is studied, and the results found during consecutive, or separate, charging and discharging, presented in Part 1 of this paper, are compared to the results found during simultaneous charging and discharging. It was found that natural convection in the melted PCM clearly provides an advantage towards direct heat exchange between the hot and cold heat transfer fluid; while the low thermal conductivity of solid PCM provides a barrier to this direct energy exchange.     

Experimental and numerical investigation of the melting process and heat transfer characteristics of multiple phase change materials

The melting and heat transfer characteristics of multiple phase change materials (PCMs) are investigated both experimentally and numerically. Multiple PCMs, which consist of three PCMs with different melting points, are filled into a rectangle-shaped cavity to serve as heat storage unit. One side of the cavity is set as heating wall. The melting rate of multiple PCMs was recorded experimentally and compared with that of single PCM for different heating temperatures. A two-dimensional mathematical model to describe the phase change heat transfer was developed and verified experimentally. The properties of multiple PCMs, including the effect of the melting point difference (combined type), thermal conductivity, and latent heat, on the heat transfer performance of the PCM were analyzed numerically. The results show that, the melting time decreases before it increases, with an increasing melting point difference for the multiple PCMs. In addition, the melting point decreases with increasing distance from the heating wall. Most of these types of multiple PCMs melt faster than the single PCM, and the multiple PCMs, with the melting point arranged as 322 K/313 K/304 K, has the shortest melting time in this study. The melting rate of the multiple PCMs, 322 K/313 K/304 K, accelerates faster than for the single PCM as the thermal conductivity, latent heat, and heating wall temperature increase. Finally, generalized results are obtained using a dimensionless analysis for both single and multiple PCMs.     

Investigations on thermal and optical performances of a glazing roof with PCM layer

The thermal and optical performances of a roof in a building containing phase change material (PCM) were investigated in this paper. The glazing roof model consists of two layers of glass and one layer of PCM. The purpose of filling the roof structure with PCM is to utilize the solar energy efficiently. The effectiveness of thermal and optical performances of the roof PCM system was determined by analyzing the heat flux and temperature at the indoor surface with different absorption coefficients and refractive index of PCM in solid and liquid states. The results show that the absorption coefficients and refractive index of solid and liquid PCMs have both effects on thermal performance in the roof PCM system. Of all the thermal performances, the effect on internal temperature, temperature lag, and total transmitted energy is smaller and the effect on solar transmittance and transmitted solar energy is bigger. The absorption coefficients have the opposite effect with the refractive index on interior temperature lag. Considering the indoor daylight, increasing the refractive index and absorption coefficient of liquid PCM is a better method to better the thermal performance of a roof PCM system. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Energy and exergy analysis of a latent heat storage system with phase change material for a solar collector

Analysis of energy and exergy has been performed for a latent heat storage system with phase change material (PCM) for a flat-plate solar collector. CaCl₂·6H₂O was used as PCM in thermal energy storage (TES) system. The designed collector combines in single unit solar energy collection and storage. PCMs are stored in a storage tank, which is located under the collector. A special heat transfer fluid was used to transfer heat from collector to PCM. Exergy analysis, which is based on the second law of thermodynamics, and energy analysis, which is based on the first law, were applied for evaluation of the system efficiency for charging period. The analyses were performed on 3 days in October. It was observed that the average net energy and exergy efficiencies are 45% and 2.2%, respectively.     

Design of a solar-driven methanol steam reforming receiver/reactor with a thermal storage medium and its performance analysis

A novel method of triple line focused on solar-powered receiver/reactor with a thermal storage medium for methanol steam reforming (MSR) hydrogen production is proposed in this paper. The photo-thermal-chemical energy conversion and coupling equations of the receiver/reactor are established, and the dynamic regularity between solar radiation and the hydrogen production characteristics is obtained by numerical simulation. The results show that a high solar radiation intensity helps to stabilize the duration of the reaction. For every 100 W m⁻² increase in the solar radiation intensity, the duration of the reaction maintained at the phase change point temperature of the phase change material (PCM) increases by approximately 11%. The daily hydrogen production performance of the system in Kunming (102°43′E and 25°02′N) during typical solar days is studied. The average annual total hydrogen production per unit of the lighting area is approximately 1300 m³. This research can guide similar issues related to solar thermochemical technology.     

Solar water heaters with phase change material thermal energy storage medium: A review

Latent heat thermal energy storage is one of the most efficient ways to store thermal energy for heating water by energy received from sun. This paper summarizes the investigation and analysis of thermal energy storage incorporating with and without PCM for use in solar water heaters. The relative studies are classified on the basis of type of collector and the type of storage used i.e. sensible or latent. A thorough literature investigation into the use of phase change material (PCM) in solar water heating has been considered. It has been demonstrated that for a better thermal performance of solar water heater a phase change material with high latent heat and with large surface area for heat transfer is required.     

Review on storage materials and thermal performance enhancement techniques for high temperature phase change thermal storage systems

Designing a cost-effective phase change thermal storage system involves two challenging aspects: one is to select a suitable storage material and the other is to increase the heat transfer between the storage material and the heat transfer fluid as the performance of the system is limited by the poor thermal conductivity of the latent heat storage material. When used for storing energy in concentrated solar thermal power plants, the solar field operation temperature will determine the PCM melting temperature selection. This paper reviews concentrated solar thermal power plants that are currently operating and under construction. It also reviews phase change materials with melting temperatures above 300 °C, which potentially can be used as energy storage media in these plants. In addition, various techniques employed to enhance the thermal performance of high temperature phase change thermal storage systems have been reviewed and discussed. This review aims to provide the necessary information for further research in the development of cost-effective high temperature phase change thermal storage systems.     

Second law analysis of latent thermal storage for solar system

A theoretical model has been developed for analysis and optimization of the solar system using phase change material (PCM). The later consists of a solar air heating collector coupled with a cylindrical storage tank which contains spherical capsules filled with a PCM. Energy and exergy analyses are carried out to understand the behavior of the system using single PCM or multiple PCMs. Numerical results show that the performance of the latent thermal storage system can be ameliored by the judicious choice of the melting temperature of the PCM.     

Development of pentadecane/diatomite and pentadecane/sepiolite nanocomposites fabricated by different compounding methods for thermal energy storage

Global warming is one of the most important consequences of excess energy consumption. Phase change materials (PCMs) have prominent advantages in thermal energy storage owing to their high latent heat capacities and small temperature variations during the phase change process. However, leakage is a major problem that limits the use of PCMs. Leakage may occur in encapsulated PCMs or in composites where the PCM is attached to the surface of a supporting material or within the pores of that material. In this study, pentadecane/diatomite and pentadecane/sepiolite nanocomposites were fabricated by using unmodified and microwave‐irradiated diatomite and sepiolite samples and by using different compounding processes, such as direct impregnation, vacuum impregnation, and ultrasonic‐assisted impregnation methods. The microstructures and the chemical and thermal properties of the composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. Subsequently, the thermal reliability and stability and the thermal conductivity of the PCM composites were also investigated. A melting temperature of 9.25°C and a latent heat capacity of 58.73 J/g were determined for the pentadecane/diatomite composite that was prepared with the direct impregnation method using a microwave‐treated diatomite sample. The pentadecane/sepiolite composite prepared in the melting temperature range 7.98°C to 8.53°C and latent heat capacity range 41.05 to 46.02 J/g. The results of the thermal analysis indicate that fabricated diatomite‐based or sepiolite‐based PCM composites have good potential as thermal energy storage materials.     

Preparation and characterization of cross-linking PEG/MDI/PE copolymer as solid–solid phase change heat storage material

Phase change materials (PCMs) are a series of functional materials with storing and releasing energy properties. PCMs can impact small environment around them through storing and releasing energy during phase change process. Phase change latent heat of PCMs has two main characters: one is high enthalpy and capacity of per unit volume and the other is that the temperature over phase change process keeps constant or changes slightly. PCMs have been widely used in lots of fields such as solar energy storing, smart housing, thermo-regulated fibers and agricultural greenhouse.In this article, a novel solid–solid phase change heat storage material was synthesized via the two-step condensation reaction of high molecule weight polyethylene glycol (PEG10000) with pentaerythritol (PE) and 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI). To characterize the resulting product in comparison with pristine PEG10000, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), polarization optical microscopy (POM) and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) measurements were employed to investigate their ingredients, thermal properties and crystalline behaviors. The results indicated that the cross-linking PCM showed typical solid–solid phase transition property, and its phase change enthalpy and crystallinity reached 152.97 kJ/kg and 81.76%, respectively.     

Microencapsulated phase change slurries for thermal energy storage in a residential solar energy system

Phase change materials (PCMs) are attractive for use in thermal energy storage applications and thermal regulation/control due to their high-energy storage density over a small temperature range. The direct use of phase change materials for energy storage and/or heat transfer applications has been limited due to the low thermal conductivity of the PCM particularly when solidifying on the heat transfer surface. A Phase change slurry (PCS) consists of small micro-encapsulated PCM particles suspended in a carrier fluid which enhances the heat transfer to the PCM. The PCS can serve not only as the thermal storage media but also as the heat transfer fluid, and hence may have many potentially important applications including in the field of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, solar energy and heat exchangers. A test system to examine PCS performance in residential thermal energy storage applications has been developed to both observe and characterise the thermal processes that occur in a thermal store with a helical coil heat exchanger. These test results will be used to improve the system design and identify limitations when used for intermittent application.     

Review on solar air heating system with and without thermal energy storage system

In order to produce process heat for drying of agricultural, textile, marine products, heating of buildings and re-generating dehumidify agent, solar energy is one of the promising heat sources for meeting energy demand without putting adverse impact of environment. Hence it plays a key role for sustainable development. Solar energy is intermittent in nature and time dependent energy source. Owing to this nature, PCMs based thermal energy storage system can achieve the more popularity for solar energy based heating systems. The recent researches focused on the phase change materials (PCMs), as latent heat storage is more efficient than sensible heat storage. In this paper an attempt has been made to present holistic view of available solar air heater for different applications and their performance.     

A review of research and development work on solar dryers with heat storage

Drying of agricultural food products is one of the most attractive and cost-effective applications of solar energy. The solar dryer is less reliable due to the intermittent nature of solar energy. This shortcoming can be overcome to some extent by storing solar energy. Information on sensible and latent heat storage materials and systems is spread widely in the literature. In this paper, we try to gather information about the previous and current research works in the field of thermal energy storage technology for solar air heater and dryer. The relative studies are classified on the basis of the type of storage material used in solar dryers, i.e. phase change material (PCM), rock, water, etc. Several designs of solar dryers with different heat storage materials were proposed by researchers. Recent studies focused on PCMs such as Paraffin and salt hydrate, due to their high heat storage capacity per unit volume.