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High-efficiency solar-thermal phase change storage driven by virtual boundary grid

Author

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  • Guo, Xiao
  • Qin, Bo
  • Guo, Junhong
  • Li, Xiaoxia
  • Tian, Rui
  • Nie, Jing
  • Zhou, Feng

Abstract

Phase change heat storage technology plays a crucial role in addressing the intermittent and fluctuating challenges associated with solar energy. This study presents a novel low-temperature phase change heat storage unit (GCHST) featuring a virtual boundary grid structure that enhances solar-thermal storage performance. We propose two new metrics — normalized temperature (T*) and synchronous storage-collector ratio (CSR) — to establish a robust correlation model between T* and the global heat transfer coefficient (U). Results indicate a strong negative correlation between T* and U, with distribution ranges during charging being 3.17 and 3.39 times wider than during discharging, respectively. The h(U) = 1/(U−1) varies quadratically with the coded T* values, which yielding the coefficient of determination (R2) greater than 0.9800. The sensitivities of heat storage (Pq-s) and collection (Pc) power to optical power (Po) show a marked shift at the initial melting point (48.65 °C) of the paraffin-phase change material (PCM), a transition that coincides with the CSR exceeding 1.00. The GCHST achieves a notably high daily integrated CSR of 0.89. This work offers novel quantitative indicators and structural insights for the design of advanced PCM thermal storage systems.

Suggested Citation

  • Guo, Xiao & Qin, Bo & Guo, Junhong & Li, Xiaoxia & Tian, Rui & Nie, Jing & Zhou, Feng, 2026. "High-efficiency solar-thermal phase change storage driven by virtual boundary grid," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 258(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:258:y:2026:i:c:s0960148125025984
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2025.124934
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    References listed on IDEAS

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