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SCAN4HEAT

The SCAN4HEAT project is a four-year project financed by the TKI Urban Energy, in which a PhD researcher will investigate compact, efficient, short term heat storage based on phase changing materials (PCMs) for use in storage solutions for heat pump systems. One example of such materials are hydrated salts.

Phase changing materials (PCMs) like salts store and release heat by changing their phase. When heated, the salts melt and absorb heat. When cooled, they solidify and release the stored heat. This process makes them ideal for efficient thermal energy storage in buildings.

Current development of PCMs and thermal storage tanks is hindered by the complex design criteria and inability to investigate effects of different geometries of the PCMs and storage module, as well as flow, phase change, effect of stratification, stability of the material,  in detail in these tanks. By combining the advanced imaging techniques available at ¹û¶³´«Ã½ with development insights from TNO and PlussAT, game-changing insights can be obtained. The project will validate simulation models, thermal storage tank prototypes and prototype encapsulated PCMs, showcasing performance across a broad range of temperatures. The ultimate goal is to enhance the thermal storage efficiency, grid flexibility, and sustainability of PCMs to enable their adoption in heat pump systems.

HEAT4BUILDINGS

In the 3-year HEAT4BUILDINGS project funded by OPZuid, a consortium of knowledge institutes and companies led by the Dutch Green Building Council will develop a myriad of systems that integrate heat generation, heat storage and heat transport to reduce the cost of energy with 30 percent. The HEAT4BUILDINGS program is aimed at developing innovations for low-rise buildings, high-rise buildings, neighborhoods and business parks. Through intensive collaborations between research institutes and industry, and by demonstrating virtually all innovations in either a test environment or a real environment, the aim is to end up with heat solutions that are close to market and can be implemented on the short term.

¹û¶³´«Ã½ is involved in improving the heat storage process. The researchers will build a phase changing materials (PCM) based thermal storage module that can be simulated in normal operational conditions, while investigating in situ flow, temperature profiles, and phase transitions using advanced imaging tools such as CT and MRI. The setup will be available for the PhD researcher in the flanking TKI SCAN4HEAT project.