http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/44841/1/WRAP_Tian_Review%20on%20thermal%20energy%20storage%20with%20phase%20change.pdf

Review on thermal energy storage with phase change materials (PCMs) in building applications

https://uhra.herts.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/2299/11214/904970.pdf;sequence=2

A review of solar collectors and thermal energy storage in solar thermal applications

A review of experimental/computational studies to enhance the thermal conductivity of phase change materials (PCM) that were conducted over many decades is presented. Thermal management of electronics for aeronautics and space exploration appears to be the original intended application, with later extension to storage of thermal energy for solar thermal applications. The present review will focus on studies that concern with positioning of fixed, stationary high conductivity inserts/structures. Copper, aluminum, nickel, stainless steel and carbon fiber in various forms (fins, honeycomb, wool, brush, etc.) were generally utilized as the materials of the thermal conductivity promoters. The reviewed research studies covered a variety of PCM, operating conditions, heat exchange and thermal energy storage arrangements. The energy storage vessels included isolated thermal storage units (rectangular boxes, cylindrical and annular tubes and spheres) and containers that transferred heat to a moving fluid medium passing through it. A few studies have focused on the marked role of flow regimes that are formed due to the presence of thermally unstable fluid layers that in turn give rise to greater convective mixing and thus expedited melting of PCM. In general, it can be stated that due to utilization of fixed high conductivity inserts/structures, the conducting pathways linking the hot and cold ends must be minimized.

Thermal conductivity enhancement of phase change materials for thermal energy storage: A review ☆

Review of passive PCM latent heat thermal energy storage systems towards buildings’ energy efficiency

Materials with hierarchical porosity and structures have been heavily involved in newly developed energy storage and conversion systems. Because of meticulous design and ingenious hierarchical structuration of porosities through the mimicking of natural systems, hierarchically structured porous materials can provide large surface areas for reaction, interfacial transport, or dispersion of active sites at different length scales of pores and shorten diffusion paths or reduce diffusion effect. By the incorporation of macroporosity in materials, light harvesting can be enhanced, showing the importance of macrochannels in light related systems such as photocatalysis and photovoltaics. A state-of-the-art review of the applications of hierarchically structured porous materials in energy conversion and storage is presented. Their involvement in energy conversion such as in photosynthesis, photocatalytic H 2 production, photocatalysis, or in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and fuel cells (FCs) is discussed. Energy storage technologies such as Li-ions batteries, supercapacitors, hydrogen storage, and solar thermal storage developed based on hierarchically porous materials are then discussed. The links between the hierarchically porous structures and their performances in energy conversion and storage presented can promote the design of the novel structures with advanced properties.

Hierarchically Structured Porous Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage

Heat transfer enhancement for thermal energy storage using metal foams embedded within phase change materials (PCMs)

Thermal analysis on metal-foam filled heat exchangers. Part I: Metal-foam filled pipes

Thermal analysis on metal-foam filled heat exchangers. Part II: Tube heat exchangers

Experimental study of the thermal characteristics of phase change slurries for active cooling

The two-phase flow and boiling heat transfer in horizontal metal-foam filled tubes are experimentally investigated. The results show that the heat transfer is almost doubled by reducing the cell size from 20 ppi to 40 ppi for a given porosity, thanks to more surface area and strong flow mixing for the smaller cell size. The boiling heat transfer coefficient keeps steady rising, albeit slowly, by increasing the vapor quality for high mass flow rates, while the same story does not hold for the cases of low mass flow rates. The flow pattern can be indirectly judged through monitoring the cross-sectional wall surface temperature fluctuations and wall-refrigerant temperature difference. As the operating pressure increases, the boiling heat transfer at low vapor quality (x < 0.1) exhibits similar behavior with pool boiling heat transfer namely, the heat transfer is enhanced by improving the pressure. However the flow boiling heat transfer is suppressed to some extent as the pressure increases. The heat transfer coefficient of copper foam tubes is approximately three times higher than that of plain tubes. [DOI: 10.1115/1.3216036]

W. Lu

Papers

Heat transfer enhancement for thermal energy storage using metal foams embedded within phase change materials (PCMs)

Thermal analysis on metal-foam filled heat exchangers. Part I: Metal-foam filled pipes

Thermal analysis on metal-foam filled heat exchangers. Part II: Tube heat exchangers

Experimental study of the thermal characteristics of phase change slurries for active cooling

Flow Boiling Heat Transfer in Horizontal Metal-Foam Tubes