PCM-Based Energy Storage System with High Power Output Using Open Porous Aluminum Foams

Joachim Baumeister, Jörg Weise, Sebastian Myslicki, Esther Kieseritzky and Götz Lindenberg
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Joachim Baumeister: Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials (IFAM), D-28359 Bremen, Germany
Jörg Weise: Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials (IFAM), D-28359 Bremen, Germany
Sebastian Myslicki: Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials (IFAM), D-28359 Bremen, Germany
Esther Kieseritzky: Rubitherm Technologies GmbH, D-12307 Berlin, Germany
Götz Lindenberg: Rubitherm Technologies GmbH, D-12307 Berlin, Germany

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 23, 1-17

Abstract: Thermal comfort (heating, ventilation and air conditioning, HVAC) and the energy consumption involved with it can put a strain on the driving range of fully electric vehicles (FEV), especially in certain times of the year as midsummer or winter. In order to reduce the energy consumption of HVAC, improved thermal management and adapted means of energy storage are needed. One part of the solution can be the use of phase change materials (PCM) for storing waste heat. For the specific application, however, a high loading/unloading power rate is required, which is challenging as the PCMs exhibit low heat conductivities. In the presented work, a storage demonstrator system was investigated which is part of an HVAC system of a specific fully electric vehicle. The profile of requirements of the system (power, stored capacity and allowed volume) make a new design of the storage necessary. Two demonstrator units, in which the PCM was combined with aluminum foam, were manufactured and their power output in dependency on the fluid flow of the coolant system was compared. An adapted squeeze casting process with polymer placeholders was used for the production of the aluminium foam. This process results in foams with a specific pore structure and allows the in-situ integration of the heat transfer fluid (HTF) pipes. Both newly developed PCM storage systems satisfy the HVAC system requirements.

Keywords: aluminum foam; open porosity; thermal conductivity; phase change material; latent heat storage (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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