Advantages
- Molten PCMs are compatible with the encapsulating material
- Capsules are non-porous to the molten PCMs
- Capsules can accommodate the expansion of PCM at elevated temperatures
Summary
Thermal energy storage is critical to the future of solar thermal power. Such storage reduces the cost of the energy and enables the energy to be available both during and after daylight hours. The selection of appropriate thermal energy storage media is important to developing an effective thermal energy storage scheme. Phase change materials (PCMs) are particularly attractive for such applications because they can store much more heat than sensible heat storage materials. It would be desirable to develop a method to use PCMs both in future installations as well as in existing installations that are not specifically configured for use of such materials.
Our researchers have proposed a way to encapsulate thermal energy storage media, such as phase change materials (PCMs). The invention has one or more PCMs contained within a ceramic capsule. A hollow ceramic capsule body is initially fabricated, the capsule body is filled with one or more PCMs. This new approach alleviated the issue with molten PCM/encapsulating material incompatibility of material of the past. Furthermore, the capsules are designed to accommodate the expansion and contraction of the PCM as a result of phase change. This new method of producing encapsulated PCMs can provide a more effective means of thermal energy storage for a variety of applications.
A Flow Diagram of a Method for Closing and Sealing a Body of a Ceramic PCM Capsule
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