Research Progress on the Phase Change Materials for Cold Thermal Energy Storage

Xinghui Zhang, Qili Shi, Lingai Luo, Yilin Fan, Qian Wang and Guanguan Jia
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Xinghui Zhang: College of Civil Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
Qili Shi: College of Civil Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
Lingai Luo: Université de Nantes, CNRS, Laboratoire de Thermique et Énergie de Nantes, LTeN, UMR6607, F-44000 Nantes, France
Yilin Fan: Université de Nantes, CNRS, Laboratoire de Thermique et Énergie de Nantes, LTeN, UMR6607, F-44000 Nantes, France
Qian Wang: College of Civil Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
Guanguan Jia: College of Civil Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 24, 1-46

Abstract: Thermal energy storage based on phase change materials (PCMs) can improve the efficiency of energy utilization by eliminating the mismatch between energy supply and demand. It has become a hot research topic in recent years, especially for cold thermal energy storage (CTES), such as free cooling of buildings, food transportation, electronic cooling, telecommunications cooling, etc. This paper summarizes the latest research progress of the PCMs-based CTES. Firstly, the classification of PCMs for low temperature storage is introduced; the thermal physical properties (e.g., phase change temperature (PCT) and latent heat) of suitable PCM candidates (−97 to 30 °C) for CTES are summarized as well. Secondly, the techniques proposed to enhance the thermal properties of PCMs are presented, including the addition of nanomaterials, the microencapsulation and the shape stabilization. Finally, several representative applications (−97 to 65 °C) of PCMs in different CTES systems are discussed. The present review provides a comprehensive summary, systematical analysis, and comparison for the PCMs-based CTES systems, which can be helpful for the future development in this field.

Keywords: cold thermal energy storage (CTES); phase change material (PCM); PCM performance; shape-stabilized PCM; cold application (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: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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