Experimental study on the performance of a new encapsulation panel for PCM’s to be used in the PCM-Air heat exchanger

The experimental work evaluated the thermal performance of a new panel design to encapsulate Phase Change Material (PCM) and compare this with an existing panel commercially available and incorporated within a PCM-Air heat exchanger system. The analysis was focused on the melting and solidifying time of the PCM within each panel design. It also focused on the thermal load of the ‘Latent Thermal Energy Storage’ (LTES) of a thermal battery module, each battery module consisting of multiple panels stacked together with an air gap between each panel. The existing battery modules consisted of 9 panels while the new module has 7 panels, with all panel filled with an industry recognised PCM. The new design battery module is now able to hold 17.5 kg more PCM than the existing one, resulting in 30% more material than the existing module. The air temperature used for melting and solidifying was 30°C and 15°C respectively, with a constant airflow of 75 l/s. Tests were carried out first with one battery module and then with an additional battery module in series and compared with a three-layer-calorimeter test (3LC). The results of the new design battery indicated an increase in time to melt and solidify the PCM due to the additional material within each battery module.