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Published on: February 3, 2021
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Improvement of Phase Change Materials (PCM) Used for Solar Process Heat Applications.
Cristina Prieto1,2, Anton Lopez-Roman1, Noelia Martínez1
1Abengoa Energía, c/Energía Solar 1, 41012 Sevilla, Spain.
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
|March 3, 2021
Summary
Metal wool infiltration significantly enhances thermal conductivity in phase change materials (PCM), addressing solar energy storage challenges. This method achieves industrial standards for thermal conductivity, making PCMs more commercially viable.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Renewable Energy Storage
- Thermal Engineering
Background:
- Solar energy's intermittency necessitates efficient thermal energy storage solutions.
- Phase change materials (PCMs) are promising for thermal storage but suffer from low thermal conductivity.
- Low thermal conductivity limits the practical application and commercial viability of PCMs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To enhance the effective thermal conductivity of phase change materials (PCMs).
- To achieve industrial-required thermal conductivity values (approx. 4 W/m·K) for PCMs.
- To demonstrate a method for improving PCM performance using metal wool infiltration.
Main Methods:
- Infiltration of metal wool into an inert resin under vacuum conditions.
- Utilizing an inert resin to decouple PCM selection from the metal wool enhancement effect.
- Conducting high-temperature analyses in an inert atmosphere to assess metal wool behavior.
Main Results:
- Achieved effective thermal conductivity values meeting industrial requirements (around 4 W/m·K).
- Demonstrated the viability of metal wool as a thermal conductivity enhancer for PCMs.
- Confirmed the stable performance of metal wool within the resin across a broad temperature range.
Conclusions:
- Metal wool infiltration is a viable strategy to overcome the low thermal conductivity of PCMs.
- This enhancement method significantly improves the potential for using PCMs in industrial thermal energy storage.
- The developed technique offers a pathway to more efficient and commercially attractive solar energy storage solutions.
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