In a study published in the Journal of Power and Energy this month, researchers at the Institute of Engineering Thermophysics in Beijing presented results showing how to improve the functionality of phase change thermal storage devices using innovative design.
Phase change energy storage is an excellent way of storing vast amounts of energy as heat. However, conductivity has proven to be an issue, limiting the charge/discharge rate and round-trip efficiency.
To better understand the problem, researchers conducted a numerical study on a unique energy storage design integrating three types of phase change materials. Results showed that a cascaded phase change material design greatly increases the heat transfer rate and reduced charging time.
Flowchart describing experimental set-up. Source: IET, Chinese Academy of Science
This is the latest of IET's achievements in energy storage. In October 2015, IET announced new international patents for supercritical CAES.