Modeling and Simulation of Phase Change Material Based Thermal Energy Accumulators in Small-Scale Solar Thermal Dryers

Phase change material (PCM) features an attractive option due to its solar thermal storage capability to assist the cooling/heating process especially during night operation, thus contributing to the reduction of energy cost and carbon footprint. This study aims to analyse the emergence of PCM in the application of solar thermal energy. Subsequently, to envisage Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and commercialisation opportunity based on historical and contemporary research trends. This review encompasses of peer-reviewed literatures from Scopus database for one decade between 2010 and 2019. Based on the review, there is a moderate growth on the research related to PCM-solar thermal at 22% of emergence rate from the past one decade. China has dominated in this research development by concurring approximately 22% from the number of research articles published globally. It can be concluded that the application of PCM in solar thermal energy system is at TRL 5 which reflects research and development (R&D) progress is at intermediate prototypical development based on the trend of academic publication. Furthermore, based on the review, PCM features great potential in commercialisation opportunity due to its vital contribution as a frontier material/substance in overcoming the challenges of energy and environmental insecurity.

Download Full-text

Microencapsulated Paraffin Phase-Change Material with Calcium Carbonate Shell for Thermal Energy Storage and Solar-Thermal Conversion

Langmuir ◽

10.1021/acs.langmuir.8b03084 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 34 (47) ◽

pp. 14254-14264 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Zhuoni Jiang ◽

Wenbin Yang ◽

Fangfang He ◽

Changqiong Xie ◽

Jinghui Fan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Energy Storage ◽

Calcium Carbonate ◽

Phase Change ◽

Phase Change Material ◽

Thermal Energy ◽

Thermal Energy Storage ◽

Thermal Conversion ◽

Solar Thermal ◽

Carbonate Shell ◽

Change Material

Download Full-text

Melamine-formaldehyde microencapsulated n-Tetracosane phase change material for solar thermal energy storage in coating

Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells ◽

10.1016/j.solmat.2020.110676 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 215 ◽

pp. 110676 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Amol Tarachand Naikwadi ◽

Asit B. Samui ◽

Prakash A. Mahanwar

Keyword(s):

Energy Storage ◽

Phase Change ◽

Phase Change Material ◽

Thermal Energy ◽

Thermal Energy Storage ◽

Solar Thermal ◽

Solar Thermal Energy ◽

Melamine Formaldehyde ◽

Change Material

Download Full-text

Flexible MXene-coated melamine foam based phase change material composites for integrated solar-thermal energy conversion/storage, shape memory and thermal therapy functions

Composites Part A Applied Science and Manufacturing ◽

10.1016/j.compositesa.2021.106291 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 143 ◽

pp. 106291

Author(s):

Yao-wen Shao ◽

Wen-wen Hu ◽

Meng-hang Gao ◽

Yuan-yuan Xiao ◽

Ting Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phase Change ◽

Energy Conversion ◽

Shape Memory ◽

Phase Change Material ◽

Thermal Energy ◽

Thermal Therapy ◽

Solar Thermal ◽

Solar Thermal Energy ◽

Thermal Energy Conversion ◽

Change Material

Download Full-text

Design and fabrication of bifunctional microcapsules for solar thermal energy storage and solar photocatalysis by encapsulating paraffin phase change material into cuprous oxide

Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells ◽

10.1016/j.solmat.2017.04.026 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 168 ◽

pp. 146-164 ◽

Cited By ~ 53

Author(s):

Fengxia Gao ◽

Xiaodong Wang ◽

Dezhen Wu

Keyword(s):

Energy Storage ◽

Phase Change ◽

Phase Change Material ◽

Thermal Energy ◽

Thermal Energy Storage ◽

Cuprous Oxide ◽

Solar Thermal ◽

Solar Thermal Energy ◽

Solar Photocatalysis ◽

Change Material

Download Full-text

Development of microencapsulated phase change material for solar thermal energy storage

Applied Thermal Engineering ◽

10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2016.11.009 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 112 ◽

pp. 1205-1212 ◽

Cited By ~ 64

Author(s):

Weiguang Su ◽

Jo Darkwa ◽

Georgios Kokogiannakis

Keyword(s):

Energy Storage ◽

Phase Change ◽

Phase Change Material ◽

Thermal Energy ◽

Thermal Energy Storage ◽

Solar Thermal ◽

Solar Thermal Energy ◽

Microencapsulated Phase Change Material ◽

Change Material

Download Full-text

Characterization of Hybrid-nano/Paraffin Organic Phase Change Material for Thermal Energy Storage Applications in Solar Thermal Systems

Energies ◽

10.3390/en13195079 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (19) ◽

pp. 5079 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Manoj Kumar Pasupathi ◽

Karthick Alagar ◽

Michael Joseph Stalin P ◽

Matheswaran M.M ◽

Ghosh Aritra

Keyword(s):

Phase Change ◽

Phase Change Material ◽

Thermal Energy ◽

Physical Characteristics ◽

Ceo2 Nanoparticles ◽

Solar Thermal ◽

Hybrid Nanoparticles ◽

Experimental Investigations ◽

Thermal Systems ◽

Change Material

In this work, the experimental investigations were piloted to study the influence of hybrid nanoparticles containing SiO2 and CeO2 nanoparticles on thermo-physical characteristics of the paraffin-based phase change material (PCM). Initially, the hybrid nanoparticles were prepared by blending equal mass of SiO2 and CeO2 nanoparticles. The hybrid-nano/paraffin (HnP) samples were prepared by cautiously dispersing 0, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 percentage mass of hybrid nanoparticles inside the paraffin, respectively. The synthesized samples were examined under different instruments such as field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), and thermal properties analyzer to ascertain the influence of hybrid nanoparticles on thermo-physical characteristics of the prepared samples. The obtained experimental results proved that the hybrid nanoparticles were uniformly diffused in the paraffin matrix without affecting the chemical arrangement of paraffin molecules. Prominently, the relative thermal stability and relative thermal conductivity of the paraffin were synergistically enriched up to 115.49% and 165.56%, respectively, when dispersing hybrid nanoparticles within paraffin. Furthermore, the hybrid nanoparticles appropriately amended the melting and crystallization point of the paraffin to reduce its supercooling, and the maximum reduction in supercooling was ascertained as 35.81%. The comprehensive studies indicated that the paraffin diffused with SiO2 and CeO2 hybrid nanoparticles at 1.0 mass percentage would yield a better outcome compared to the next higher mass fractions without much diminishing the latent heat of paraffin. Hence, it is recommended to utilize the hybrid-nano/paraffin with 1.0 mass fraction of the aforementioned hybrid nanoparticles for effectively augmenting the thermal energy capacity of low-temperature solar thermal systems.

Download Full-text