Phase change material selection for small scale solar energy storage systems

Abstract

This paper focuses on choosing an appropriate phase change material for latent heat storing systems that can store excess energy of a small scale solar thermal power plant suitable for distributed or off grid power supply. Most commercially available thermal storage materials cater for Mega Watt scale power plants operated by utilities and hardly any attention has been paid to small-to-medium consummer scale power generation. Latent heat storage systems have the capability to act as storage media in current industries utilising thermal energy. The development and implementation of latent heat thermal storage systems within the industrial and residential sectors could lead to extensive energy and cost savings. Latent heat storage systems are comprised of two main sections including the development of a suitable heat exchanger and the selection of a substance to store thermal energy. The study undertaken is intended for applications with operating temperatures ranging from 100 oC – 140oC. The evaluation process used to select the best material included a variety of facets that was compiled by analysing the whole life cycle of the material. These aspects comprise of the economical validity, sustainability, and material properties of a substance. The results of this study prove that latent heat storage system have the capability to serve as suitable thermal energy storage systems.

Rwanda Journal, Volume 23 Series C, 2011