A Novel Thermal Energy Storage System in Smart Building Based on Phase Change Material

This paper presents a novel phase change material based thermal energy storage system (PCMTESS) that is suitable for smart building energy management, together with its corresponding thermal-electric combined two-stage dispatching strategy. Benefiting from the phase change materials’ thermal characteristic of absorbing or releasing a significant amount of heat at a constant temperature, this thermal energy storage system is endowed with a high capacity and a relatively stable thermal state during its charge/discharge process. To evaluate the thermal performance of the PCMTESS, which is integrated as a part of building wallboard, a detailed analytic thermodynamic building model is proposed that considers the influence of the forced air convection and the external environments, such as solar radiation. Furthermore, a two-stage electric-thermal combined dispatching scheme is designed to minimize the electricity consumption expenditure and power fluctuation on the premise of maintaining a comfortable indoor temperature. Simulation studies on a smart building indicate that the proposed thermal energy storage system is a feasible and economical solution for solving peak load shaving and power fluctuation.