This joint Task worked on advanced materials for latent and chemical thermal energy storage, Phase Change (PCM), and Thermo Chemical (TCM) materials. The work focused on three different scales:
- Material properties focused on their behavior from molecular to bulk scale, including material synthesis, micro-scale mass transport, and sorption reactions;
- Material performance within the storage system focused on the material's behavior and when they are implemented in the storage, including heat, mass, vapor transport, wall-wall and wall-material interactions, and reactor design;
- Storage system implementation focused on the performance of a storage within a heating or cooling system, including, for instance, economic feasibility studies, case studies, and system tests.
Because seasonal storage of solar heat for solar-assisted heating of buildings is the main focus of the SHC TCP, this was one of the primary focus areas of the Task. However, because there are many more relevant applications for Thermal Energy Storage (TES), and because materials research is not and cannot be limited to only one application, this Task included multiple application areas.
Objectives
The key objectives of the joint Task were to:
- Develop and characterize storage materials to enhance TES performance.
- Develop materials testing and characterize procedures, including material testing under application conditions.
- Develop components for compact thermal energy storage systems.
- Map and evaluate TES application opportunities concerning the requirements for the storage material.