Analysis of the Thermal Stability of PCMs and Its Effect on Energy Storage Efficiency

Abstract

The intermittent nature of many sources of clean energy has a considerable impact on energy conversion efficiency, making it a significant hurdle to the development of adequate power generation systems. The rapid advancement of thermal energy storage offers hope for a solution to this issue (TES). Applications that produce energy from renewable sources benefit from TES because it increases their efficiency and dispatchability. Phase Change Materials (PCMs) are becoming more and more popular for use in thermal energy storage (TES). Since they increase the heat transfer area and stop melted materials from escaping, microcapsules boost the thermal and mechanical performance of PCMs used to store thermal energy. The number of studies addressing the benefits of PCM microcapsules in energy systems has increased in recent years. This article provides a thorough analysis of PCM microcapsules for thermal energy storage. The five areas discussed here are PCM categorization, encapsulation shell materials, microencapsulation techniques, characterisation of PCM microcapsules, and thermal applications. Understanding PCM microcapsules and providing key concepts for using this technology for the storage of thermal energy in the future are the objectives of this analysis.