SALT HYDRATE EUTECTIC THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE FOR BUILDING THERMAL REGULATION

Summary

This final technical report details a U.S. Department of Energy-funded project that developed novel salt hydrate eutectic phase change materials (PCMs) for building thermal regulation. The research successfully identified and characterized PCMs with phase change temperatures between 10 °C and 40 °C, achieving a cost below $2/kWh for some compositions and energy densities exceeding 100 kWh/m3. Key innovations included the development of nucleation catalysts that reduced undercooling to less than 5°C and high thermal conductivity matrices reaching up to 25.1 W⋅m-1⋅K-1. Encapsulation techniques achieved over 90% core material loading, and shape-stabilized salogels maintained over 95% of the heat of fusion after 20-50 thermal cycles, with the project scaling up synthesis to 1 kg by its completion on January 31, 2024.

Key Facts

Source Document

https://example-government.gov/policy-document-link