A Latent Heat Storage System for Low-Temperature Applications: From Materials Selection to Prototype Performances

Abstract

The industrial sector is increasingly obliged to reduce its energy consumption and greenhouse gases emissions to contribute to the world organizations’ targets in energy transition. An energy efficiency solution lies in the development of thermal energy storage systems, which are notably lacking in the low-temperature range (50–85 °C), for applications such as district heating or low-temperature waste heat recovery. This work aims to bring a latent heat storage solution from material selection to prototype evaluation. The first part of this paper is dedicated to the characterization and aging of a phase change material selected from a screening of the literature (fatty acid mixture mainly composed by stearic and palmitic acid). Then, this material is encapsulated and tested in a prototype whose performances are evaluated under various operating conditions. Finally, a numerical model validated by the experimental results is used to explore the influence of a wider range of operating conditions, dimensioning choices, and material conductivity improvements.