Thermal Energy Storage

TES bridges the time gap between energy requirement and energy use. For HVAC and refrigeration application purposes, water and the water ice constitute the principal storage media.

Water has the advantage of universal availability, low cost and transport ability through other system components. However, water ice as latent heat energy storage can only be produced using inefficient low temperature chillers for cooling applications and if it is applied for heating using purely sensible heat storage capacity designers’ have to use large storage tanks.

 However, Phase Change Materials (PCM) between +4 °C and +90°C range offer us new horizons and practical application options.

 One can provide a latent heat Coolth energy storage utilising conventional water chillers for new and retrofit applications without the need for any modifications as well as having the possibility of free cooling.

 By storing day-time warm energy for evening periods and night-time cool energy for day-time cooling requirements, a PCM system can simply bridge the gap between energy availability and energy use and therefore has the potential to achieve considerable environmental as well as economical benefits for many heating and cooling applications.