Selection of compatible metallic phase change materials and containers for thermal storage applications

Abstract

Thermal storage offers an alternative to the consumption of battery charge for many applications requiring heat, space heating in electric vehicles for example. Metallic phase change materials are energy dense, thermally conductive and are economically viable for this application. The frequent cycling and non-inertial environment of an electric vehicle necessitate compatibility between the metallic phase change material and the container up to and beyond the metal's melting point. This article is concerned with the identification of alloys appropriate for this application and containers appropriate for those alloys utilising automated macro generation, implemented in two CALPHAD database. Thermal properties sufficient for engineering calculations of over a hundred eutectic compositions are tabulated and compatible containers identified where possible. The output of the study is validated by comparison to literature.