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Current potential research project

Development of a phase change thermal storage system for medium temperature applications

  1. Supervisors: Dr Frank Bruno and Dr Martin Belusko
  2. Area: Mechanical Engineering, Sustainable Energy
  3. Abstract: Thermal energy can be stored as sensible heat whereby the temperature of the storage material varies with the amount of energy stored. Alternatively, thermal energy can be stored as latent heat which makes use of the energy stored when a substance changes from one phase to another by either melting or freezing. In the latter, the storage media is known as a phase change material (PCM). Ice is an example of a 0oC PCM. A number of PCMs have been developed however as yet there are only a limited number of applications. The reason for this is that PCMs are expensive and so their use has only been practical in a small number of applications. There are a number of industrial applications where PCMs could be cost effective. For these applications, thermal energy needs to be stored around 90 to 130oC. The objective of this project is to develop a medium temperature (90 to 130oC) thermal storage system that use phase change material as the energy storage medium. The thermal storage system is to be used to store heat collected from a solar system.
  4. Related references:
    • Bruno F., Using Phase Change Materials (PCMs) for Space Heating and Cooling in Buildings. EcoLibrium, Journal of Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air conditioning and Heating, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp 26-31, March 2005.
    • Saman W., Bruno F. & Halawa E., Thermal Performance of PCM Thermal Storage Unit for a Roof Integrated Solar Heating System. Solar Energy, Volume 78, Issue 2, Pages 341-349, 2005.

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