Choice of the Suitable Melting Temperature of Phase Change Material: Application on Solar Assisted Heat Pump

Thermal energy storage (TES) is a key issue in efficient energy systems applications. In this regard, phase-changing material (PCM) has been of interest as an active solution for efficient energy management, especially in the context of the building. This paper presents a thermal analysis on sensible and latent TES systems to investigate their thermal performance in the case of Solar Assisted Heat Pump (SAHP). The storage tank allows to store the heat produced via unglazed solar panels (Batisol®) and represents the heat source of the heat pump (HP). The objective of the study is firstly to define the suitable melting temperature of the PCM to be integrated in SAHP system, and then to compare its performance to the case of sensible storage. In order to improve the coefficient of performance (COP), the results indicate a melting temperature 15°C regardless to the volume storage. On the other hand, a melting temperature of 9°C is suitable to increase the solar coverage rate of SAHP system. Furthermore, the comparison with sensible storage shows an improvement in the COP when latent storage is used. In order to optimize the choice of melting temperature and the volume of the storage, future work will consist of conducting a multi-objective optimization study considering energy, economic and environmental criteria.