High power thermal energy storage research at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.

Latent heat storage with phase change materials is a promising technique to store thermal energy. The high latent heat of these materials and their near-steady charging/discharging temperature offers a unique energy density compared to conventional sensible-only heat storage and allows for more compact and efficient systems. However, the low heat transfer rate inherent to such storage units, presents a significant barrier for their widespread application in processes which require fast-response, high-thermal-power outputs and steady operational conditions. This papers presents the current activities of the TES group on the topic of the development and modeling of novel high-power latent heat storage technologies.