Håkon Selvnes, PhD, NTNU
Industrial refrigeration systems are large users of energy, providing freezing and cooling to food products, often in batch processes at low temperatures. Cold thermal energy storage (CTES) technology applied to these systems can help shift the refrigeration load to off-peak hours and reduce the maximum electrical power demand. Large quantities of thermal energy can be stored in a phase change material (PCM), in the phase transition between liquid and solid. The focus of my research has been the development and demonstration of CTES technology with PCM suitable for industrial-scale applications. The work has consisted of developing a novel CTES unit and test facility and demonstrating the proof-of-concept. The research has demonstrated the technology at a laboratory scale and proven the flexible design of the developed CTES unit, being suitable for several different cooling systems, temperature levels, required storage capacities and power requirements.