THERMAL STORAGE

Sunamp wins £9.25m to trial heat storage system in 100 UK homes

Heat battery maker Sunamp Ltd. of Scotland has been awarded 9.25 million pounds (about 11 million USD) to develop and trial its thermal storage system in 100 homes in the United Kingdom.

The field trial is designed to demonstrate increased storage and capacity in homes to address periods of low renewables generation on the grid.

The funding is awarded through the UK’s Longer Duration Energy Storage Demonstration program, part of the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, which provides funding for low-carbon technologies and systems.

Sunamp logoProject partners include myenergi, which designs and manufactures smart home energy products; Energy Systems Catapult, the UK’s net zero innovation center; and Ripple Energy which enables consumers to own stakes in large-scale wind projects.

Sunamp’s system directly replaces boilers fired by fossil fuels. A heat pump charges renewable heat into high-capacity, time-shifting thermal storage, delivering space heating and hot water on demand. The bulk of input electrical energy in the trial will come from offsite wind energy.

In a LinkedIn post, Sunamp CEO Andrew Bissell wrote: “This is important because it opens up a possible route to decarbonise the heating in all the homes with #gas #combi #boilers today AND stabilise the #grid against times (like yesterday evening) when the #wind drops and there isn’t enough #renewable generation. At those times our system will use tens to hundreds of kWh of built in #heatbattery storage and stop being a load on the grid.”

IN BRIEF

“Thermal Energy Storage for Sustainable Industrial Technologies,” a special issue of the journal Sustainability, is now open for submissions. Topics include thermal energy technologies, thermal energy analysis, sustainable thermal energy, thermal energy efficiency, thermal energy storage, thermal energy emissions, thermal energy management, thermal energy economies and related policies. Manuscripts should be submitted by Oct. 15, 2023.

Kyle Gluesenkamp
• The U.S. Department of Energy‘s National Renewable Energy Laboratory has established a consortium to accelerate the development and commercialization of thermal energy storage technologies. The Stor4Build consortium will be led by NREL, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. “By shifting HVAC loads off-peak, TES addresses grid challenges associated with electrification and decarbonization. To become impactful nationwide requires new materials and new methods of integrating storage with HVAC,” said Kyle Gluesenkamp, senior scientist at Oak Ridge and Stor4Build co-director. “Stor4Build will bring together the stakeholders necessary to accelerate development and market adoption of scalable TES technologies.”

• The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations has announced a funding opportunity for long-duration energy storage demonstration projects. Up to $350 million will be available for projects capable of delivering electricity for 10 to 24 hours or longer. Initial application letters are due by Dec. 15, 2022.

The Canadian government is introducing 30% refundable investment tax credits for energy storage. All forms of electricity storage systems that do not use fossil fuels are eligible, including batteries, flywheels, supercapacitors, magnetic energy storage, compressed air energy storage, gravity energy storage, pumped hydro and thermal energy storage. The investment tax credits will be in place until 2035, with a phase-out period starting in 2032.

• Registration is open for the 10th Swiss Symposium Thermal Energy Storage, to be held at the Lucerne School of Engineering and Architecture on Jan. 20, 2023. The participation fee is 360 Swiss francs. The symposium will also be streamed online, with a fee of 150 Swiss francs. Exhibition space is available for companies wishing to showcase their work to relevant stakeholders, scientists and students. The exhibitor fee of 1,100 Swiss francs includes two symposium passes.

Harald Mehling, a consultant to Pluss Advanced Technologies and the RAL Quality Association PCM, is seeking data for a paper in which he intends to show that thermal energy storage can play a much bigger role in a renewable energy system. In a Linked post, he writes: “Today, most decision makers focus on batteries only. Basically, I want to compare the option of storing electric energy to storing thermal energy, when heat or cold are finally needed anyway. Due to the conversion by an electric heater, heat pump, or cooler, the COP needs to be taken into account. Because I want to show the potential existing already today, I want to focus on existing, commercial, and proven solutions. … What I need most is cost per energy stored (for sensible heat storage with temperature range), and typical life time or number of cycles. Interesting is also energy stored per volume, weight, and typical charge / discharge times are also interesting.” You can contact Mehling at harald.mehling@gmail.com.

World Courier blast conditionerCold chain shipper World Courier has installed new blast conditioners at 11 sites in its global network. The conditioner reduces the time needed to solidify PCM packs used in frozen and refrigerated pharmaceutical packaging. The time to reach the frozen temperature range is down from 72 hours to six to eight hours for -20 °C packs. The time for 2-8 °C packs is down from 48 hours to three to four hours.

Sunamp Ltd. is among dozens of fast-growth scale-ups honored as WIRED Trailblazers in the United Kingdom. The list recognizes companies that are “pushing boundaries and solving the social, economic and environmental issues of our time.”

• The Global Energy Interconnection Research Institute Europe, Berlin, has an opening for a thermal energy storage research engineer. The institute, a subsidiary of China’s Global Energy Interconnection Research Institute, focuses on applied research into technologies for new energies and intelligent power grids. The engineer will take a leading role in the research and development of energy storage systems. Qualifications include a master’s degree in engineering thermal physics, process engineering, or chemical engineering or comparable qualification.

Sunamp has an opening for a materials test technician. The technician “will measure and report the thermophysical properties of bulk PCMs, such as energy capacity, heat of fusion, specific heat, density, and thermal conductivity, in various environments, including from lab (vial) scales to full-sized Heat Batteries.” Qualifications include a chemistry degree, preferably in inorganic or physical chemistry, or thermal analysis with experimental design.

Rubitherm LLC’s new subsidiary in Egypt has an opening for a sales executive. Qualifications include a bachelor’s degree in a relevant major and two to five years of sales experience in the medical, pharmaceutical or F&B fields.

PATENTS

Smart passive phase change composite

U.S. patent application 20220373268 (applicant Beam Global, San Diego, Calif.):

Beam Global patent drawing

“A thermal management apparatus and method of use, such as in a battery pack or electronic device. A thermally responsive material is disposed between two surfaces, wherein the thermally responsive material changes upon heating, to increase a thermal conductance between the two surfaces. The thermally responsive material is offset from one of the surfaces and expands upon heating to connect the two surfaces. The thermally responsive material is a phase change composite including a phase change material selected from a paraffin wax, a hydrated salt, and combinations thereof.”

Thermoelectrically actuated TES module

U.S. patent application 20220376157 (applicant U.S. Army DEVCOM, Army Research Laboratory, Adelphi, Maryland:

“A thermal energy storage (TES) device includes a thermoelectric cooler; and a metallic phase change material (PCM) within the thermoelectric cooler. The PCM may include any of gallium or its alloys, low temperature fusible alloys, and solid metal shape memory alloys. A thermoelectric effect within the PCM is to transport heat in the thermoelectric cooler. The TES device may include a graded oxide layer adjacent to the PCM to serve as a distributed electrical junction in the thermoelectric cooler to create a hot side thermoelectric junction in a bulk volume of the PCM. The graded oxide layer may include α-IGZO. The TES device may include a high-thermopower corrugated metal foil layer comprising barrier oxides patterned therein. The high-thermopower metal foil layer may be adjacent to the graded oxide layer. The TES device may include a dielectric layer adjacent to the high-thermopower corrugated metal foil layer.”

Temperature regulated tray

U.S. patent application 20220346547 (applicant Global Chilltech Group Pty. Ltd., Birtinya, Australia):

Chilltech patent drawing

“A tray for releasably engaging a trolley, the tray comprises a body describing a sealed volume, the sealed volume having a phase change material (PCM) received therein, the tray comprising an engagement means for releasably engaging a trolley. … By providing a sealed volume, the tray may be passed through a sterilisation process (i.e. may undergo sterilisation) without affecting the phase change material and therefore, the associated thermal properties of the overall apparatus.”

Building system for reducing energy consumption

U.S. patent application 20220341605 (applicant Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, South Korea):

“Disclosed is a building system for reducing energy consumption. The building system includes an exterior wall layer disposed on an exterior wall of building walls, a circulation pipe disposed inside the exterior wall layer and through which a heating medium for absorbing heat caused by solar radiant energy applied to the exterior wall layer flows, and a thermal energy storage connected to the circulation pipe and configured to store the heat transmitted by the heating medium.”

More U.S. patent applications:

Cooling structure or assembly using PCM (Glacier Tek LLC, Minneapolis, Minnesota) | Burst-resistant, dispersible nano-encapsulated PCM (Nano and Advanced Materials Institute Ltd., Hong Kong) | Thermoelectric cooling and compact carbonation system (Elkay Manufacturing Co., Downers, Illinois) | Pressure-compensated TES module (Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Falls Church, Virginia) | Constant temperature container (Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co. Ltd. , Osaka, Japan) | Reversible mattress topper (Dreamwell Ltd., Doraville, Georgia) | Method and system for storing and/or transporting temperature-sensitive goods (Cold Chain Technologies LLC, Franklin, Massachusetts) | Form-stable phase change material (Mary Anne White, Halifax, Nova Scotia, and John Alexander Noël, Grand Bend, Ontario)

RESEARCH ROUNDUP

From Journal of Energy Storage:

Life cycle assessment of the inclusion of phase change materials in lightweight buildings
Study on the thermal storage performance of a new cascade structure phase change thermal storage tank
Lignin-g-polycaprolactone as a form-stable phase change material for thermal energy storage application
Progress in corrosion and anti-corrosion measures of phase change materials in thermal storage and management systems

From Energy and Buildings:

Thermodynamic responses of adaptive mechanisms in BiPV façade systems coupled with latent thermal energy storage
Study on thermal storage performance of heat storage tank with phase change material balls
Thermal performance analysis of an existing building heating based on a novel active phase change heater
Performance analysis of a stand-alone thermal energy storage system based on CSM plates filled with phase change material

From Journal of the American Chemical Society:

Discovery of Salt Hydrates for Thermal Energy Storage

From Renewable Energy:

Life cycle assessment and circularity evaluation of a PV panel integrated with phase change material

From Construction and Building Materials:

3D hierarchical porous expanded perlite-based composite phase-change material with superior latent heat storage capability for thermal management
Lightweight aggregates as carriers for phase change materials

From Numerical Heat Transfer:

Energy storage analysis of phase change materials (PCMs) integrated with thermal conductivity enhancers (TCEs)

From AIP Conference Proceedings:

Research and development of seasonal heat and ice storage for energy supply system of building

From Journal of Supercritical Fluids:

Testing the encapsulation of Phase Change Materials using Supercritical Emulsion Extraction

From Chemical Reviews:

Phase Change Materials for Renewable Energy Storage at Intermediate Temperatures

From Energy and Power Engineering:

Comparative Heat Transfer Data for Solid-Liquid Phase Change of D-Mannitol and Adipic Acid

From Applied Energy:

A clean strategy of concrete curing in cold climate: Solar thermal energy storage based on phase change material

From Applied Clay Science:

Preparation of hierarchical porous microspheres composite phase change material for thermal energy storage concrete in buildings

From Energy:

Energy-saving potential of compression heat pump using thermal energy storage of phase change materials for cooling and heating applications

From Cellulose:

Developing a novel thermo-regulating cotton fabric using inorganic eutectic phase change material

From Journal of Food Engineering:

Application of an improved latent heat storage system in the food packaging

From Applied Research:

Thermal properties of geopolymer composites containing microencapsulated phase change materials

From International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer:

Encapsulation methods for phase change materials – A critical review

NETWORKING

Connect with PCM experts and industry leaders on LinkedIn

LinkedIn logoMore than 1,750 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 Baskar Inbasekaran, assistant professor at Mepco Schlenk Engineering College, Virudhunagar, India; Man Mohan, assistant professor at Rungta College of Engineering & Technology, Bhilai, India; Monika Bishnoi, senior executive at UFLEX Group, Punjab, India; Akshaykumar Desai, doctoral student at Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, India; Jeff Hetu, senior director for strategic accounts at Phase Change Solutions, Asheboro, N.C.; Oguzhan Kazaz, Ph.D. researcher at the University of Glasgow, Scotland; Gabriella Consoli, master’s student at Delft University of Technology, Netherlands; John Victor Christy, materials scientist at PLUSS Advanced Technologies, Gurugram, India; and Xavier Badibanga, product engineer at MoldTecs, Laval, France.

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

RAL Quality MarkThis 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, executive director, at pcm@kellencompany.com.

Axiotherm GmbH | 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