:Latent Heat Storage (PCM)

Iten, M., & Liu, S. (2014). A work procedure of utilising PCMs as thermal storage systems
.based on air-TES systems. Energy conversion and management, 77, 608-627
PCM is the most efficient way to store thermal energy with higher storage density and -1
smaller temperature changes when storing and releasing heat
:Comment
PCM can store more energy than sensible heat because sensible heat is limited by the heat
capacity of the matter used (water, sand, soil, rocks, gravel, and concrete) and the temperature
.range. However, PCM depends on the latent heat of the material used
:Equation to make it clearer
:Sensible heat

Qsensible=m⋅c⋅ΔT
As you see the sensible heat is proportional to the heat capacity (fixed) of the material also
with temperature change
:Latent heat

Qlatent=m⋅L
The heat latent is proportional to the latent heat of the material
.PCM has been used in buildings in the form of a combined HVAC system -2
:Comments
Heat Ventilation Air Condition system (HVAC) > utilizing the PCM in the building to heat or
cooling in walls, floors, and ceilings in order to reduce energy consumption
:PCM attracts the researchers because of -3
Temperature ranges (melting/ freezing) -
Range of categories (organic, inorganic, and eutectic) > high-temperature density -
:Comments
Each type of PCM has properties and specific melting points. In addition, each type of PCM
has a wide range of applications
.No published paper to confirm the right method for using the PCM as a storage medium -4
The way to determine the PCM materials is by jointly considering the material’s -5
.thermophysical properties, kinetic properties, chemical properties, economic factors, etc
choose the suitable heat exchanger for arrangement between the fluid and PCM including -6
the macro/micro-container, and the heat transfer enhancement techniques then do the
.mathematical methods to evaluate the system
Socaciu, L. G. (2012). Thermal energy storage with phase change material. Leonardo
Electronic Journal of Practices and Technologies, 20, 75-98

Abstract & Introduction

PCM for TES are materials supplying thermal regulation at a particular phase change -
.temperature by absorbing and emitting the heat of the medium
PCM in the last 30 years become the main topic in research but there is a lack of information -
.and is difficult to find
PCM absorbs energy during the heat process and releases it during the reverse cooling -
.process
PCM can change their state with certain temperatures (Solid to liquid, ..) -
PCM advantages such as high TES capacity, small unit size, and isothermal behavior during -
.charge and discharge when compared to sensible TES
.PCM can store energy during phase change (melting, evaporation, crystallization) -
.PCM with high enthalpy changes, higher storage density, and small temperature difference -
Q = m*L used to calculate the latent heat -
Latent TES system stores energy in PCMs for example (energy required to convert the ice to -
.water)
.water to ice (absorbed), ice to water (released) -
the energy required to cause these changes is named heat of fusion at the melting point, and -
.the heat of vaporization at the boiling point
PCMs are either packaged in specialized containers such as tubes, shallow, panels, plastic -
bags; or contained in conventional building elements such as; wallboard and ceiling; or
.encapsulated as self-contained elements
Material & Method
Types of PCM
- There are two main types of PCM which are organic e.g. paraffin wax and
inorganic e.g. salt hydrates
- Early efforts on PCM were on inorganic using Glauber’s salt (sodium
sulphate decahydrate).
PCMs Properties
:Advantages of inorganic PCM
High latent heat values, higher thermal conductivity, not flammable,
lower in cost comparison to organic compounds, high water content
.(inexpensive), and readily available
:Disadvantages of inorganic PCM
Corrosiveness (causing the metal to corrode), instability, improper re-
solidification, suffer from decomposition, and supercooling affect their
.PCM properties
Nucleating and thickening agents can be added to inorganic PCM to
.minimize supercooling and decomposition
.Organic PCMs are useful for LHS in certain building elements
:Advantages of Organic PCM
They are more chemically stable than inorganic substances, non-
corrosive, have higher LH per unit weight, are recyclable, melt
.congruently, and exhibit little or supercooling
.Suitable for absorption into various building materials
.The initial cost will be higher than inorganic materials
:Disadvantages of organic PCM
.Organic materials do have their quota of unsuitable properties
Low thermal conductivity, high changes in volume during PC,
flammable, and may generate harmful fumes on combustion. Another
problem which can be rare cases of reaction with the products of
hydration in concrete, thermal-oxidative ageing, odour, and appreciable
.volume change
It has been found that the thermal oxidative ageing of PCMs concerned
.can be inhibited by the use of a proper antioxidant
PCMs have not always re-solidified properly, because some PCMs get
separated and stratified when they are liquid state which reduces
.the capacity to store latent heat
These problems are overcome by packaging PCM in containers and by
.adding thickening agents
The interest turned towards a new class of materials: low volatility,
anhydrous organic substances (paraffin, fatty acid, and polyethylene
glycol) this material are more costly than common salts hydrates, but they
.have lower heat storage capacity per unit volume

Selection criteria for PCMs

:To select the suitable PCM as a storage medium there is some criteria are mentioned
Thermodynamic properties-
Large enthalpy transition with respect to the volume of the storage unit
High change of enthalpy near the temperature of use
PC temperature fitted to application
The latent heat should be as high as possible to minimize the physical size of the heat
storage (maximizing the latent heat of a phase change material (PCM) enables the
.system to store more energy in a smaller volume)
A melting point in the desired operating temperature range
.Fixed and clearly determined PC temperature (freeze/melt point)
.Congruent melting point to avoid segregation
Lower change of volume during phase change
High thermal conductivity (both liquid and solid phases) would assist in charging and
discharging of the energy storage high specific heat that provides additional sensible
.TES effect and also avoid subcooling
Kinetic properties-
Little or undercooling during the freezing process
Sufficient crystallisation rates
Chemical properties
No chemical decomposition
Non-corrosiveness to construction materials
Long-term chemical stability
Non-toxic
Non-explosive
Non-flammable
Physical properties
Limited changes in density to avoid problems with the storage tank
High density with low density variation
Small unit size
Low vapor pressure
Favourable phase equilibrium
Economics properties
Available in large quantities
Cheap to make the system economically feasible
Micro and Macro Encapsulation Method
PCM has a relatively low thermal conductivity and there is two solution to solve this
:problem
Sol1, Distance for heat transfer by conduction can be shorted, this is done by
encapsulating the material into relatively small capsules or by highly dispersed heat
.exchangers with low distances between fins or pipe
Sol2, thermal conductivity can be enhanced by embedding structures of material with
high conductivity into the PCM, this is done by adding graphite powder into PCM
which increases the thermal conductivity by 10-20 factor, and also creates a kind of
carries structure that inhibits the segregation of the salts hydrates and therefore
improves their cycling stability
Micro-encapsulation enables handling the PCMs independently of being solid or
liquid, it also tiny particles of solid, liquid, and gas with diameters smaller than 1mm
and larger than 1micro meter (5-10 micrometers in diameter) , surrounded by
paraffinic PCM core material individually with a hard polymeric shell. Also, it can be
incorporated in any matrix that is compatible with both the PCM and the
encapsulating. Due to the small diameter, the ratio of the surface area to volume is
very high, and low conductivity is not a problem. Water + the microcapsules = pump-
able slurry, then its easy to transport energy and storage medium ‘PCM slurry’ and
can be treated as a homogeneous fluid
Amino plastic and ethyl cellulose are well-used as shell materials
Microencapsulating can be physical and chemical
Physical encapsulation methods include pan coating, air-suspension coating,
centrifugal extrusion, vibration nozzle, and spray drying and its done by
polymerization
Macro-encapsulation comprises the inclusion of PCM in some form of package such
as a tube, pouches, sphere, panel, or other receptacle. It can be directly as heat
.exchanger or can be incorporated into building product
The previous experiment on microencapsulation failed because of poor conductivity
of PCM when it’s the time to regain the energy from the liquid phase the PCM
solidified around edges and prevented effective heat transfer
In conclusion, both case have disadvantages, plastic or metallic encapsulation of the
PCM is expensive but safer, as the PCM is not in contact with concrete.
Microencapsulation by impregnating the PCM in the concrete is very effective but
.may affect some mechanical strength of the concrete
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/374133294

Phase Change Material thermal energy storage (PCM-TES)

.Phase Change material selected based on the required temperature ranges
.Advantages: high thermal energy storage capacity, and isothermal storage process
A wide variety of PCM exists, each melting and solidifying at specific temperatures
.ranges

PC
.Ms have two main types: organic PCMs and inorganic PCMs
Organic PCMs, e.g. paraffin, and fatty acids
High storage density with minimal temperature difference between
.melting and freezing
Paraffin wax (CnH2n+2), where an increase in chain length corresponds
to higher melting points and LH of fusion = greater energy storage
.capacity
Fatty acids (CH3(CH2)2nCOOH, carboxylic acids with extended
.aliphatic tails, chain number between 12 and 28
Fatty acids exhibit superior phase transition properties compared to
.paraffin wax but are generally more expensive
Inorganic PCMs, sharp melting point, high heat of fusion, substantial
.latent heat storage per unit mass, and high thermal conductivity
.Inorganic PCMs is classified into salt hydrates and metallic
.Salt hydrates consist of inorganic salts containing crystallized water
Thermal energy is stored after drying the salt hydrate, water and the dry
.hydrate salt are stored separately
Salts hydrate with high storage density and minimal heat loss during
.storage
.Metallic PCMs, metals with low melting points, and metal eutectics
Metallic PCMs have high latent heat of fusion, excellent thermal
.conductivity, low specific heat, and low vapor pressure
Eutectic materials have fixed freezing/melting points, which prevent
.crystallization
Eutectic material has a lower melting point temperature than individual
.constituents
Table 14: Melting points of many types of paraffin, metallic, inorganic
.substances, and inorganic eutectics
When heat is supplied to the PCMs (charging phase), PCM absorbs heat
without significant change in temperature until it undergoes a phase
transition from solid to liquid. During (discharging), the liquid PCM
undergoes a phase change from liquid to solid (releasing the stored latent
.heat)
PCM have the capacity to store 5-14 times more than Sensible storage
.material e.g. water, rock, and sand
.PCMs can absorb and release heat at a constant temperature
The low thermal conductivity of PCMs presents a significant challenge
.for their large-scale application
Carbon-based and Metal-based materials demonstrate superior thermal
.properties