Thermal energy storage
CrodaTherm™ phase change materials (PCMs) are a sustainable and cost-effective method to store and recycle heat in energy-intensive industries. With typical total heat capacities up to 230 kJ/kg, CrodaTherm can store large amounts of thermal energy making it suitable for consumer and industrial scale thermal energy storage (TES) projects. Thermal energy storage using PCMs allows energy to be stored for later use.
Most CrodaTherm products are derived from natural, renewable sources and are therefore the preferred option over pure paraffin PCMs, which are generally derivatives of non-renewable petrochemicals.
On the other hand, salt hydrates can also be used as PCMs. Whilst they are available in several grades, they may suffer instability over time especially in stationary applications.
What is thermal energy storage (TES)?
Thermal energy storage stocks thermal energy by heating or cooling a storage medium so that the stored energy can be used later for heating and cooling applications, such as increasing the thermal capacity of existing heating and cold storage systems.
The main application of TES systems is to improve thermal management in buildings and industrial processes, making them more efficient. Whilst materials with sensible heating properties can be used as a storage medium, by selecting a material with a phase-transition suitable for the operating conditions, latent heat properties of a phase transition can be used to improve the energy storage capacity of the material. As such, by moving through the phase change temperature (typically the melting and crystallisation point) large amounts of energy can be stored.
