Experimental Investigation of Thermal Discharge Performance of a Metallic Latent Thermal Energy Storage System

Extended Abstract Metallic latent thermal energy storage systems are a promising technology for efficient storage of heat with a small foot print in volume and weight. Metallic phase change materials (mPCMs) are characterized by high energy densities and thermal conductivities [1, 2], which allow for fast thermal charging and discharging. These attributes make this kind of storage system attractive for mobile applications. High heat supply rates are required for battery electric vehicles under cold ambient conditions. In opposite to fuel cell or combustion driven engines, battery electric engines reject only little waste heat available for heating purposes. However, the usage of the battery for resistive heating or operation of a heat pump goes along with a reduction in range, which can be more than 50% at cold temperatures [3]. Therefore, a metallic latent thermal energy storage is a possible approach to solve this problem [4] and is currently considered in particular of interest for applications in battery electric buses.