QUALITY STANDARDS
Rubitherm test bench in line for RAL certification
Rubitherm Technologies of Germany is seeking RAL Quality Association PCM certification for the test bench it has developed to measure the performance of its heating and cooling systems.
Andreas Laube of w&a, one of the association’s external monitoring organizations, visited Rubitherm in November to inspect the test bench and gauge its performance. Laube’s report has been submitted to the association’s quality committee for review. Certification is expected in early 2024.
In a LinkedIn post, Rubitherm’s managing director, Lutz Klinkner, right, says the test bench “can measure and characterize both air- and water-based PCM systems with great accuracy, do long-term cycle-testing, measure customer-specific use cases and keep further improving system performance in a quick feedback loop.”
The test bench as tested by Laube consists mainly of a test track for air-based systems (such as PhaseCube) and a central command hub that is overseen and directed through the Universal Regulator, or UVR.
“The UVR, functioning as a computational powerhouse, dynamically computes the precise amount of power required to reach the specified temperature,” Rubitherm says. “This calculation takes into account multiple variables, such as the ambient room temperature, the airflow volume, and the specific characteristics of the air heater in use. These intricate calculations result in a power requirement that is perfectly attuned to the given conditions. In essence, it ensures that the generated power is delivered in a controlled and finely adjustable manner and guarantees a seamless and accurate convergence towards the user-defined temperature goal.”
“Congratulations to Rubitherm for setting up their state-of-the-art test bench for air- and water-guided PCM storages,” said Stefan Thomann, the association’s managing director. “Once our Quality Committee has approved it, performance and cycling test data can be acknowledged for RAL certification. This will help in collecting significant data and reducing certification costs at the same time – and can be a good approach for others.”
IN BRIEF
• A 2,000-liter heat pump buffer tank at an apartment complex in Switzerland has been retrofitted with salt-hydrate PCM capsules made by a Swiss company, cowa Thermal Solutions. “Thanks to the increased storage capacity, the heat pump can remain switched on for longer and therefore does not have to switch on again until later,” the company says. “Switch-on cycles are generally detrimental to the lifespan of a heat pump. By simply retrofitting with cowa technology, the heat pump will be protected in the future and its service life will be extended.”
• A five-year research program led by Benyi Cao of the University of Surrey “aims to unlock a cost-effective way of using solar-to-ground heat exchange to prevent freeze-thaw damage of road pavements,” World Highways reports. The idea is to boost the heat-storing potential of soil beneath roads using PCM microcapsules under development by advanced engineering materials company Versarien.
• Andrea Gutierrez of the German Aerospace Center DLR will give the keynote session at the 11th Swiss Symposium Thermal Energy Storage, to be held Jan. 26, 2024, at the Lucerne School of Engineering and Architecture. The topic: “Latent heat thermal energy storage systems enable the efficient and flexible supply of process heat from renewable energies.”
• Farasis Energy, Ganzhou, China, showcased its new Super Pouch Solution lithium-ion battery system at the China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing this month. The company says its proprietary phase change materials and related features provide superior thermal management.
• “A concentrated solar power (CSP) site, touted as the world’s largest, has been formally inaugurated in Dubai as part of the 950-MW fourth phase of the mega solar project Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park,” Renewables Now reports. The site’s molten-salt thermal energy store has a capacity of 5,907 MWh.
• The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service is collaborating with North Carolina State University on two solar-powered cold storage projects in Kenya. Inficold India Pvt., which makes solar-powered cold storage equipped with PCM, is among the other collaborators.
• The abstract submission deadline for Enerstock 2024 has been extended to Jan. 15. The energy storage conference, which is organized every three years by the IEA Energy Storage Technology Collaboration Program, will be held June 5-7, 2024, in Lyon, France. Topics include thermal energy storage, electrical energy storage, chemical energy storage and storage materials and components.
• Williams Medical Supplies Ltd. is partnering with Phase Change Solutions, Asheboro, N.C., to distribute Apollo PCM panels in the United Kingdom. The panels are used in medical refrigerators to reduce power consumption and protect temperature-senstive medicines in the event of a power outage. “During a power outage or when the fridge fails, the only option that exists until now is either to toss the medicines, hope for the best, or move them to an ice pack,” says Pallavi Madakasira, vice president for strategic marketing at Phase Change Solutions. “With the Apollo panel installed, it provides up to seven hours of temperature stability; an insurance that even the best-in-class refrigerator cannot offer. The National Health Service has tested it, loved it, and will be rolling this out.” In another new partnership, Tessol, Navi Mumbai, has agree to market and distribute the Apollo panels in India and work with PCS to build new applications based on the BioPCM platform.
JOBS
• Ulster University, Northern Ireland, is funding a Ph.D. research position to help develop “efficient, low-cost, personalised cooling systems which can be deployed in a workplace.”
• Phase Change Material Products Ltd. is seeking to hire project engineers to join its R&D team in Yaxley, England. “We welcome individuals with backgrounds in Building Services, Mechanical, or Chemical engineering for our Horizon and Innovate funded R&D projects,” the company says.
PATENTS
U.S. patent application 20230382080 (applicant eXclaim IP LLC, Cornelius, N.C.):
“A thermally insulating material comprising at least three layers, wherein the first layer comprises a metalized material capable of reflecting thermal radiation, wherein the second layer [302] comprises a foam, an ultra-low thermally conductive material, a phase change material, or a combination thereof, and wherein the third layer (or a fourth layer) comprises a woven or non-woven material and includes at least one conductive material prohibiting transmission of electronic transmissions. In aspects, the metalized layer reflects thermal radiation away from a covered electronic component or device.”
U.S. patent application 20230395903 (applicant Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd., Ningde City, China):
“Provided are a phase-change microcapsule, a separator, an electrode plate, a battery, and an electrical device. The phase-change microcapsule includes: a core and an insulative heat-conducting wall material wrapped around the core. The core includes a first phase-change component and a second phase-change component. The first phase-change component is paraffin with a melting point of 37° C. to 42° C. The second phase-change component is paraffin with a melting point of 65° C. to 75° C. … The phase-change microcapsule is applied to the battery in the form of a coating layer. The specified first phase-change component and second phase-change component of a specified melting point are mixed at a specified ratio in the core.”
Bowls and attachments for food processing apparatuses
U.S. patent application 20230399557 (applicant Haier US Appliance Solutions Inc., Wilmington, Delaware):
“An accessory for a food processing apparatus includes a wall having an inner and outer surface. An enclosed space is defined by the inner surface of the wall. A phase change material fills at least a portion of the enclosed space and is in thermal communication with at least a portion of the inner surface the wall. The phase change material changes phases at a predetermined temperature.”
More U.S. patent applications:
System for transporting fragile objects (The Supporting Organization For The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Santa Fe, New Mexico) | Transport container (Rep IP AG, Zug, Switzerland) | Fractal store (Kraftblock GmbH, Sulzbach, Germany) | Soft shell boots (Solid Water Holdings, Eastport, Maine) | Case of battery, battery and electrical device (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd., Ningde, China) | Latent heat storage (Shinko Electric Industries Co. Ltd., Nagano, Japan)
RESEARCH ROUNDUP
From Journal of Energy Storage:
• Characterisation of the COMFORTBOARD gypsum board for thermal energy storage in buildings
• Experimental study on the effect of phase change material on thermal runaway characteristics of lithium-ion battery under different triggering methods
• Performance evaluation of a novel cement brick filled with micro-PCM used as a thermal energy storage system in building walls
From Construction and Building Materials:
From JOM:
From Chemical Engineering Research and Design:
From Energy:
• Performance enhancement of photovoltaic system using composite phase change materials
From Materials Research:
• Thermal Performance Investigation of Phase Change Materials in Concrete Blocks Masonry
From MRS Energy & Sustainability:
From International Conference on Recovery, Maintenance and Rehabilitation of Buildings:
From Nature Communications:
From E3S Web of Conferences:
From Advances in Cement Research:
From Acta Geotechnica:
• Volumetric behaviour of soil mixed with phase change materials
From Energy and Buildings:
From Fashion and Textiles:
From Journal of Food Engineering:
• Chilling of the agitated milk using nano-enhanced phase change materials
From Journal of Thermal Science:
From HardwareX:
NETWORKING
Connect with PCM experts and industry leaders on LinkedIn
More than 1,800 people have joined a LinkedIn group devoted to the discussion of phase change material and thermal energy storage. You are invited to join the Phase Change Matters group and connect with PCM and TES experts from around the world. This month we welcome Jenro Wei, marketing director at Passive Edge Tech, Suzhou, China; and Appolinaire Kabore, Ph.D. candidate in thermal energy storage at ADEME, Douai, France.
Jolie Chen, owner of InnoCap New Materials Ltd.,
Hangzhou, China, posted this inquiry:
“I am looking for the suppliers of C11 n-Undecane – CAS 1120-21-4 with purity level above 98.5%. Any information will be highly appreciated. If you are the supplier please contact joliechen@fendichllc.com.”
NEWS TIPS
Does your company, agency or university have a job opening, new research, new product or other news you’d like to share? I would love to hear from you. Please contact newsletter editor Ben Welter at benedict.welter@gmail.com.
A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR
This newsletter is made possible through the generous support of the RAL Quality Association PCM and the members listed below. To learn more about the association, including membership benefits, please contact Stefan Thomann, managing director, at pcm@kellencompany.com.
Axiotherm GmbH | B Medical Systems | Croda International Plc. | ISU Chemical Co. Ltd. | RuhrTech | Microtek Laboratories | PCM Technology | PLUSS Advanced Technologies | PureTemp LLC | Rubitherm Technologies GmbH | Sasol Germany GmbH | S.Lab Asia Inc. | Sunamp Ltd. | va-Q-tec AG