Dynamic Thermal Characteristics Research Articles

Dynamic internal resistance modeling and thermal characteristics of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles by considering state of health

Attempting to solve the problem of inconsistent dynamic thermal characteristics caused by transient changes in internal resistance of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) for electric vehicles (EVs) under service conditions, taking a 9.4Ah prismatic LIB as the study object, the internal resistance data under different state of health (SOH), state of charge (SOC), temperature (T), charge/discharge rates of LIB are obtained through the mixed-rate hybrid pulse power characterization (MR-HPPC) test. Based on this, a dynamic internal resistance model (DIRM) considering the SOH is proposed by the prediction of the least squares support vector machines (LS-SVM) model. In this study, a thermoelectric coupling model and a resistance-thermal co-simulation of the LIB are established based on DIRM, and the temperature rise characteristics under constant rates and dynamic operating conditions are investigated at different SOH states. The maximum DIRM error (DIRME) between DIRM-based simulated maximum transient temperature (Tmax-tra) and test Tmax-tra is 0.88 °C at constant charge/discharge rate operating conditions, while the maximum DIRME between DIRM-based simulated Tmax-tra and test Tmax-tra is 0.21 °C under dynamic operating conditions. The results can provide a theoretical support for improving the modeling precision of the heat generation of LIBs with different aging levels for accurate thermal management design.

Directional solidification of Cu with dispersed W nanoparticles: A molecular dynamics study in the context of additive manufacturing

Directional solidification, resulting in the development of columnar grains, is prevalent in laser-additive manufacturing of metal parts. The addition of grain refiners or inoculants enables the control of the nucleation process and columnar-to-equiaxed transition. In this study, we applied molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the directional solidification in liquid copper inoculated with tungsten nanoparticles. The interaction of the solidification front with inert nanoparticles resulted in either their engulfment in the Cu matrix or their pinning by grain boundaries. Analysis of the forces acting on the nanoparticles and the temperature field provides conditions for engulfment, determining the feasibility of copper matrix composites. By global cooling reflecting the thermal dynamics characteristics of additive manufacturing, a columnar-to-equiaxed transition can be captured at the nanoscale, with heterogeneous nucleation occurring at the nanoparticle surfaces. The conditions for the onset of heterogeneous nucleation were assessed on the basis of nanoparticle size and interpreted in terms of classical nucleation theory. Our results highlight the critical role of W-nanoparticle wetting by Cu solid grains in increasing grain refinement efficiency and suppression of columnar growth in additive manufacturing.

An electrical analogy model for performance evaluation of natural air-cooled TEG modules considering nonlinear effect of heat convection

With the outstanding merits of the simple principle and low computational cost, the electrical analogy model of thermoelectric generator (TEG) modules plays an important role in evaluating the performance of thermoelectric energy harvesting systems. However, owing to the simplification of the heat dissipation structure and difficulty in determining the heat dissipation parameters, it is difficult to accurately describe the nonlinear influence of thermal convection on the heat dissipation performance of the TEG module under natural air-cooled conditions, thereby reducing the estimation accuracy of the module temperature and output. A new nonlinear electrical analogy model to evaluate the performance of natural air-cooled TEG modules was proposed in this study. The proposed model more accurately describes the nonlinear influence of thermal convection on the thermal dynamic characteristics of the TEG module by introducing a heat transfer branch between the cold and hot side surfaces of the TEG module and the environment. A parameter extraction method based on multi-objective optimization and the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) was proposed to overcome the problem of the heat dissipation parameters of natural air-cooled TEG modules. The experimental results show that under natural convection conditions, the maximum estimation errors of the temperature and output voltage evaluated by the proposed model and parameter identification method are less than 6.18 % and 9.14 %, respectively. Under forced convection, the maximum estimation errors of the temperature and output voltage were less than 7.36 % and 8.71 %, respectively. The above estimation errors are significantly lower than the traditional model.

Optimization of data-center immersion cooling using liquid air energy storage

The evaporation process of liquid air leads to a high heat absorption capacity, which is expected to be a viable cooling technology for high-density data center. Therefore, this paper proposes a liquid air-based cooling system for immersion cooling in data centers. The proposed cooling system not only directly cools the data center, but also possesses the capability of power generation through direct expansion of the high-pressure air, which can be utilized again to cool the data center. A mathematical model of data-center immersion cooling using liquid air energy storage is developed to investigate its thermodynamic and economic performance. Furthermore, the genetic algorithm is utilized to maximize the cost effectiveness of a liquid air-based cooling system taking the time-varying cooling demand into account. The research results indicate that the proposed system exhibits optimal levelized cost of cooling and cooling capacity, which are $0.245/MJ and 0.544 MJ/kg, respectively. In this case, the data center's pPUE and footprint density are 1.006 and 416.8 kW/m2, representing a 5 % reduction and a 159 % increase, respectively, compared to traditional evaporative cooling towers. Additionally, using liquid air for data center cooling can reduce noise pollution and the consumption of water. Considering the time-varying characteristics of data center utilization, understanding the dynamic thermal response characteristics of this system and implementing efficient control techniques will contribute to the further promotion of this technology.

Transient and Dynamic Simulation of the Fluid Flow through Five-Way Electric Coolant Control Valve of a 100 kW Fuel Cell Vehicle by CFD with Moving Grid Technique

In order to maintain the performance of a fuel cell vehicle, it is essential to maintain a constant temperature of the stack. Therefore, it is very important to distribute the optimal coolant flow rate to each major component under very diverse and rapidly changing dynamic operating conditions. The part responsible for this is a five-way electric coolant valve. Therefore, this study aims to investigate transient dynamic flow characteristics of the fluid flow through a five-way electric coolant valve (PCCV: Penta-Control Coolant Valve). To achieve this goal, this paper attempts a three-dimensional dynamic simulation of the fluid flow through the valve using a commercial CFD solver with moving mesh technique to consider flow inertia and dynamic flow in the opening and closing stages of the ball valve rotating motion. The dynamic flow characteristics and the thermal mixing inside the PCCV ball valve during the opening and closing stages are analyzed. It was found that the discrepancies between dynamic and steady-state simulations are remarkable when fluxes with different levels of enthalpy and momentum flow into the PCCV, leading to strong flow interference and flow inertia, while the discrepancies are relatively small at low rotation speed and weak flow interference. Subsequently, the effect of the dynamic flow characteristics of the valve on the dynamic thermal mixing characteristics at two different ball valve rotation speeds and rotation directions are investigated. It was found that the dynamic flow and thermal mixing characteristics inside the PCCV are greatly affected by the rotation speed, rotation direction, and degree of flow interference between fluxes. It also helps design better coolant control strategies and improves the FCEV thermal management system.

Simulation of an aircraft thermal management system based on vapor cycle response surface model

The modern aircraft Thermal Management System (TMS) faces significant challenges due to increasing thermal loads and limited heat dissipation pathways. To optimize TMS during the conceptual design stage, the development of a modeling and simulation tool is crucial. In this study, a TMS simulation model library was created using MATLAB/SIMULINK. To simplify the complexity of the Vapor Cycle System (VCS) model, a Response Surface Model (RSM) was constructed using the Monte Carlo method and validated through simulation experiments. Taking the F-22 fighter TMS as an example, a thermal dynamic simulation model was constructed to analyze the variation of thermal response parameters in key subsystems and elucidate their coupling relationships. Furthermore, the impact of total fuel flow and ram air flow on the TMS was investigated. The findings demonstrate the existence of an optimal total fuel flow that achieves a balance between maximizing fuel heat sink utilization and minimizing bleed air demand. The adaptive distribution of fuel and ram air flow was found to enhance aircraft thermal management performance. This study contributes to improving modeling efficiency and enhancing the understanding of the thermal dynamic characteristics of TMS, thereby facilitating further optimization in aircraft TMS design.

Analysis of the thermal lubrication characteristics of cycloid pinwheel transmission mechanisms in RV reducers

In this paper, the cycloidal pin wheel drive mechanism of the secondary drive component of the rotary vector (RV) reducer is studied. Under the condition of grease lubrication, considering tooth profile modifications and machining errors, we established a three-dimensional load-bearing contact analysis model of a cycloid pinwheel transmission mechanism. We studied the time-varying contact characteristics of the gear teeth and dynamic joint surfaces of the inner and outer races of a crankshaft bearing. Considering the thermal effects, we proposed an analysis model of the lubrication characteristics of cycloid pinwheel transmission mechanisms. We also studied the thermal lubrication properties, such as load de-formation, lubrication film thickness, contact pressure and temperature increase at the lubrication contact area. The accuracy of the model was verified by temperature experiments on the inner raceway of an RV reducer bearing and the evolution law of the dynamic thermal lubrication characteristics of the inner and outer races of the crankshaft bearing, the meshing gear tooth pair and the whole process of single pin tooth meshing were revealed. This study provides an effective method for analyzing the temperature increases of the key joints of RV reducers.

Improving Dynamic Thermal Characteristics of Power Transformers Using an Earth-Oil Heat Exchanger

A significant aspect affecting the power transformer’s performance and lifetime is the maximum temperature within the machine. This research estimates the top-oil temperature (TOT), bottom-oil temperature (BOT), and hot-spot temperature (HST) for a 2500 kVA oil natural air natural (ONAN) distribution transformer with or without an earth-oil heat exchanger (EOHE). The differential equations of the thermal models are solved using the Runge-Kutta fourth-order method. MATLAB code is used to simulate the created models. The present model takes into account how oil properties such as dynamic viscosity, thermal conductivity, and density change with temperature. The IEEE model is used for model validation. The estimated findings are of high accuracy compared with the others. Results show that the maximum reductions in the HST, TOT, and BOT due to EOHE are 48.82%, 41.93%, and 29.59%, respectively. The use of EOHE decreases the temperature of the transformer oil as well as increases the transformer’s lifetime.

Effects of thermophoresis and Brownian motion on radiative MHD hybrid nanofluid flow over a stretching sheet with convective boundary conditions: A homotopic approach

Energy efficiency is the highest need of present times to meet the challenges of global energy demands. Nanofluids have proved to possess dynamic thermal characteristics in many experimental and theoretical studies during recent years. Nowadays, a variety of nanomaterials are accessible, and among these alloys of aluminum, AA7072 and AA7075 are important due to their unique functional characteristics. These alloys are widely used in the engineering of aircraft, spacecraft, buildings, and so on. Aiming to highlight the importance of nanofluids, this article analyses the heat and mass transfer for magnetohydrodynamic hybrid nanofluid flow on a stretching sheet of gyrotactic microorganisms. Additionally, the impacts of chemical reactions, activation energy, Peclet number, thermophoresis, Lewis number, Brownian motion, and thermal radiation are also studied. The governing equations from Partial differential equations into Ordinary differential equations are transformed with the support of resemblance transformations, and the solution is obtained with HAM techniques. The numerical findings are presented in figures and tabular form with the Mathematica program. The obtained results are explained from a physical point of view in detail. An assessment between the proposed and current model is described under specific flow parameter assumptions to validate the analysis. It is revealed that the outcomes are consistent with previous findings. The numbers of engineering importance like skin friction and heat transfer rate are explained for practical relevance. The impacts of nanoparticle loading show interesting results. It is perceived that an escalating trend is noted in the nanoparticle temperature through thermal radiation and thermophoretic parameters.

Numerical research on the thermal characteristics and mechanical properties of a molten-salt single tank storage system

Single-tank thermal storage systems are an effective solution for enhancing the stability and continuity of solar power plants. The thermal characteristics and safety of the cycling process are essential indicators of single-tank performance. In this study, an integrated model of the finite volume method (FVM) and finite element method (FEM) is established for a molten-salt single tank system with a composite wall, and the effects of operating parameters and structural parameters on the cyclic dynamic thermal and mechanical characteristics are investigated. Our findings indicate that increasing the inlet flow rate reduces the heat storage capacity and increases thermal efficiency, while increasing the equivalent stress on the tank wall. However, increasing the inlet/outlet temperature difference enhances the thermal efficiency and the wall equivalent stress and reduces the heat storage capacity. Additionally, a reduction in the solid particle diameters improves the dynamic thermal properties of a single tank, and the thermal efficiency increases from 92.1 % to 94.1 % when the particle diameter decreases from 0.05 m to 0.01 m. In a composite wall structure, increasing the firebrick thickness improves the thermal efficiency and mechanical properties of the tank, while increasing the steel shell thickness improves the stress concentration on the tank wall. Therefore, to improve the thermal efficiency of a single tank and guarantee its security, the inlet flow rate and inlet/outlet temperature differences should be controlled within a certain range. Furthermore, the diameters of solid particles should be reduced, the thickness of the firebrick should be increased and the thickness of the steel shell layer should be controlled within a certain range.

A Novel Quick Temperature Prediction Algorithm for Battery Thermal Management Systems Based on a Flat Heat Pipe

Predicting the core temperature of a Li-ion battery is crucial for precise state estimation, but it is difficult to directly measure. Existing quick temperature-predicting approaches can hardly consider the thermal mass of complex structure that may cause time delays, particularly under high C-rate dynamic conditions. In this paper, we developed a quick temperature prediction algorithm based on a thermal convolution method (TCM) to calculate the core temperature of a flat heat pipe-based battery thermal management system (FHP-BTMS) under dynamic conditions. The model could predict the core temperature rapidly through convolution of the thermal response map which contains full physical information. Firstly, in order to obtain a high fidelity spatio-temporal temperature distribution, the thermal capacitance-resistance network (TCRN) of the FHP-BTMS is established and validated by constant and dynamic discharging experiments. Then, the response map of the core temperature motivated by various impulse heat sources and heat sinks is obtained. Specifically, the dynamic thermal characteristics of an FHP are discussed to correct the boundary conditions of the TCM. Afterwards, the temperature prediction performances of the TCM and a lumped model under different step operating conditions are compared. The TCM results show a 70–80% accuracy improvement and better dynamic adaptivity than the lumped model. Lastly, a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) profile is employed. The temperature prediction accuracy results show that the TCM can maintain a relative error below 5% throughout the entire prediction period.

Theoretical analysis and economic evaluation of wind power consumption by electric boiler and heat storage tank for distributed heat supply system

The intermittency and volatility of wind power and the characteristics of the operating mode of cogeneration units pose certain challenges to the wind power consumption of the power grid. To optimize the performance of the power and heat combined operation system and maximize the wind power consumption, this paper establishes a mathematical model for each component of the cogeneration system, including the thermal dynamic characteristics of the heat network, buildings, cogeneration units, electric boiler, and heat storage tank. At the same time, a scheduling optimization model is proposed, which considers the power load demand, and wind power output of the regional heating system. The research results provide insights and optimal dispatching strategies for ensuring the reliable operation of the power system and heating system and realizing the efficient utilization of wind power. This paper verifies the effectiveness and feasibility of optimizing the cogeneration system and provides a practical solution to the challenge of cogeneration economics.

Thermal Model and Thermal Analysis of the Dual Drive Sliding Feed System

The dual drive sliding feed system can obtain a uniform and stable resolution at extremely low speeds and significantly reduce the system’s nonlinear friction. However, the numerous thermal sources within the system and the multipoint sliding contact during transmission result in a significant temperature rise, leading to considerable thermal deformation and errors. Moreover, the responsive mechanism of the thermal characteristics needs to be clarified. Therefore, firstly, a frictional torque model of the engagement of the screw and nut is established, and the heat generation, heat transfer, and thermal contact resistance (TCR) are solved. Then, based on the solution, a finite element thermal simulation model of the dual drive sliding feed system is established, and experiments are performed for validation. The results show that the error in temperature at the measuring point is less than 2.1 °C, and the axial thermal elongation of the screw is less than 6.2 µm. Finally, the thermal characteristics of the feeding system under various operating conditions are analyzed. The results show that the established thermal simulated model can effectively describe the dynamic thermal characteristics of the dual drive sliding feed system during operation. The effects of the rotational speed and ambient temperature on the dynamic thermal characteristics of the dual drive sliding feed system are investigated separately. The temperature increase in each part of the screw during the operation is characterized.

Characterisation of the COMFORTBOARD gypsum board for thermal energy storage in buildings

Currently, the construction sector contributes considerably to the total energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. Thermal energy storage (TES) systems are alternatives to increase the thermal inertia of buildings, aiming to use less energy, improve thermal comfort and reduce temperature fluctuations of interior spaces. One of the possible applications in buildings is to increase their thermal mass by impregnating phase change materials (PCM) in porous construction materials, e.g., gypsum boards. In this investigation, a commercial gypsum board impregnated with PCM (Knauf Comfortboard – BASF) was investigated by carrying out a structural and thermal characterisation. The thermal response obtained agrees with the product's technical data sheet provided by the supplier. The results of the thermal characterisation show that the inclusion of PCM in the gypsum board decreased the U-value by 2 % compared to the control sample (no PCM), increased the heat storage capacity by around 45 %, improved the thermal dynamic characteristics of the material by decreasing the thermal stability coefficient from 0.92 to 0.76 and increasing the thermal lag from 0.27 to 0.49 h. Our results sustain the potential application of commercial gypsum boards with PCM under environmental conditions across a wide range of daily temperature fluctuations (e.g., The North of Chile).

A Reduced-Order Decoupling Method Applied to Efficient Junction Temperature Simulation Model in Multichip Devices

As the power density of power modules increases, the cross-heating effects in multichip modules become severe, which intensifies the local overheating stress. To accurately predict the dynamic thermal characteristics of the multichip modules, this paper establishes the mathematical relationship between the resistance-capacitance (RC) parameters and the thermal diffusion angle to obtain accurate RC parameters. The decoupling of the self-heating and cross-heating effects is realized according to the dynamic power flow in the RC thermal network, reducing the transient thermal impedance matrix to the steady-state thermal resistance matrix. In this way, the 3-D cross-heating effect on the junction temperature is characterized by the 1-D RC thermal network. Then, an efficient junction temperature simulation model based on the reduced-order decoupling method is proposed. This article also identifies the variation law of RC parameters with boundary conditions. Compared with existing models that need transient information, the model parameter extraction process requires only the steady-state information of the finite element method (FEM) and fewer RC parameters, which improves the parameter extraction efficiency by more than 87 times. In addition, compared with the FEM model, the transient junction temperature prediction efficiency is improved by more than 994 times. Finally, based on a 1200V/50A half-bridge module, an electrothermal coupling model is constructed and applied to a three-phase two-stage inverter circuit. The results verify the accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed model, demonstrating that the junction temperature error between the proposed model and the experimental result is less than 5%.

Sulfur-induced transitions of thermal behavior and flow dynamics in laser powder bed fusion of 316L powders

A three-dimensional (3D) powder-scale model is developed to analyze the melt pool dynamics in laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) of 316L powders considering the transition of melt pool dynamics induced by sulfur element. In sulfur-free situation, thermal behavior and fluid flow are modeled involving 3D details. In sulfur-considered situation, sulfur-effect on melt pool dynamics is simulated with the surface tension described by the function of local temperature and the sulfur content. It is concluded that heat transfer is dominated by convection flow, and surface tension is the most important driving force. When the sulfur-effect is absent, surface tension increases from center to the periphery, inducing a centrally outward Marangoni convection. In the situation of 0.03% sulfur, surface tension first increases then decreases from center to the boundary, resulting in the novel flow pattern of combined outward-inward flow. Probing the underlying physical details induced by sulfur-effect, it makes melt pool dynamics more complex with more vortexes, and the sulfur-induced backward branch flow at the transverse view is benefit for the reduction of surface roughness. Furthermore, more vortexes, more branch flow, and more mixing positions of branch flow (MPBF) are observed in the sulfur-considered situation, which induces the increasing flow complexity, the drop of temperature gradient and driving force, as well as the decreasing flow intensity. Moreover, the variation of sulfur content leads to significant transitions of thermal behavior, driving force, and dynamic characteristics. Fundamental conclusions contribute significantly to the comprehensive understanding of the physical process in L-PBF of 316L powders.

Dynamic mechanical and thermal properties of Flax/bio-phenolic/epoxy reinforced hybrid composites

ObjectivesThe influence of flax fibre loading on the dynamic thermal and mechanical characteristics of composites was investigated in this work. MethodsFlax composites were fabricated at 30 (F-30), 40(F-40) and 50(F-50) wt% fibre loading. As a control, a bio-phenolic/epoxy polymer blend (P-20) containing 20% bio-phenolic was made. ResultsThe findings suggest that the incorporation of flax into the composites led to an enhancement in the dynamic mechanical properties of the experimental sample. The glass transition temperature (Tg) was identified via dynamic mechanical analysis to be between 60 °C and 85 °C. Aside from that, the cole–cole plot revealed a heterogeneous mixture of fabricated samples, with strong fibre-to-matrix adhesion. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed adding flax to the composite reduces thermal stability. ConclusionsWith the integration of flax as reinforcement, it could be asserted that the composites' dynamic mechanical properties improved while their thermal stability reduced.

Experimental study on dynamic thermal characteristics of novel thermosyphon with latent thermal energy storage condenser

Emergency cooling systems are an essential part of data centers. A water tank is usually used as an emergency cooling source to provide cold thermal energy; however, tanks are bulky and additional uninterrupted power supplies (UPSs) are needed. For flexible emergency cooling, a novel thermosyphon integrated with a latent thermal energy storage condenser (TLTESC) is developed and experimentally studied. The effects of the refrigerant filling ratio and inlet conditions on the dynamic thermal performance are analyzed. With an increase in the refrigerant filling ratio from 48.7% to 82.5%, the cooling capacity decreases; the maximum cooling capacity decreases from 4.68 to 2.03 kW. The superheating temperatures for all cases are always zero, indicative of the two-phase refrigerant being at the evaporator outlet. During the entire operating period, the refrigerant temperatures at the vapor line are considerably higher than those at the liquid line. Moreover, the refrigerant pressure at the evaporator inlet is the highest. Under the optimal filling ratio, the outlet air temperature increases and the maximum cooling capacity increases from 3.6 to 4.8 kW with the inlet air temperature increasing from 30 to 40 °C. The cooling capacity increases with air flow rate during the first half, after which the situation is reversed. The accumulated energy increases slightly as the air flow rate increases. The thermal performance is investigated to promote the application of TLTESC in data center.

Hydraulic-thermal coupling dynamic models based on mechanism and data-driven methods of the heating networks in integrated energy systems

The district heating is expected to play a crucial role in the decarbonization of integrated energy systems within the context of attaining carbon neutrality. The literature review reveals a research gapin the investigation of models that account for thehydraulic-thermalcouplingdynamiccharacteristics of heating networks in integrated energy systems, particularly those based on the flow-regulation mode. This discrepancy may affect the safety of the heating networksand contribute to the inefficient scheduling of integrated energy systems, which motivates this study. In this study, it refutes the harsh hypotheses in previous studies, making it more closely related to the real hydraulic and thermal conditions of heating networks. A mechanism-driven model is proposed, which involves the coupled hydraulic and thermal dynamic characteristics of heating networks. The modified forward–backward iteration as a calculation method is carried out, which is embedded with the method of characteristic and upwind difference. A data-driven hydraulic-thermal dynamic model is proposed for fast calculations. For model validation and case analysis, three heating networks in the integrated energy systems are utilized. The simulation results indicate that1) The hydraulic and thermal average relative errors between the measured data and the simulation results are 0.396% and 0.091%, respectively, validating the effectiveness of the proposed dynamic mechanism model; 2) Compared to the current quasi-dynamic model, the proposed dynamic mechanism modelcould reflect the characteristics of heating networks more accurately and simulates the dynamic processes with higher resolution. These results demonstrate that the fluctuations of water head and pipe flow can reach 61.24 ∼ 237.53 m and −4.26 ∼ 32.16 kg/s, respectively. The average temperature difference between the two models is around 0.264 °C; 3) Compared to the forward–backward iteration, the modified forward–backward iteration has a superior convergence performance and calculation accuracy; 4) Compared to the quasi-dynamic model, the proposed data-driven model increases the overall accuracy of hydraulic-thermal calculations and significantly reduces the amount of time required. The average calculation time of the data-driven model is 0.0349 s, while those of the quasi-dynamic model and the proposed mechanism model are 352.92 s and 624.13 s, respectively. In conclusion, the proposed mechanism model of hydraulic-thermal coupling calculation and the related data-driven model are suitable for the dynamic simulations of heating networks in integrated energy systems.

Dynamic Thermal Performance Analysis of PCM Products Used for Energy Efficiency and Internal Climate Control in Buildings

PCMs are attractive for the future generation of buildings, where energy efficiency targets and thermal comfort expectations are increasingly prioritized. Experimental analysis of local thermal processes in these dynamic components and whole-building energy consumption predictions are essential for the proper implementation of PCMs in buildings. This paper discusses the experimental analysis of the thermophysical characteristics of both a latent heat storage material (PCM) and a product containing this PCM. The prototype product under investigation is a panelized PCM technology containing inorganic, salt-hydrate-based PCM. The thermal analysis includes studies of melting and freezing temperatures, enthalpy changes during phase change processes, nucleation intensity, sub-cooling effects, and PCM stability. The PCM’s stability is also investigated, as is the ability of PCM products to control local temperatures and peak load transmission times. Two inorganic PCM formulations based on calcium chloride hexahydrate (CaCl2.6H2O) were prepared and tested in laboratory conditions. Material-scale testing results were compared with outcomes from the system-scale analysis, using both laboratory test methods as well as field exposure in test huts. This work demonstrates that PCM technologies used in buildings can effectively control both the magnitude of thermal storage capacity as well as the time of the peak thermal load. It was found that commonly used material-scale testing methods may not always be beneficial in assessing the dynamic thermal performance characteristics of building technologies containing PCMs.