Sorption Based Mobile Thermal Energy Storage for Better Sustainability

Abstract

Global energy demand is expected to increase significantly due to population expansion, but present energy generation is unable to keep up with it. For the purpose of space heating and cooling, air conditioning is one application where energy demand is anticipated to increase significantly. In order to accomplish sustainable space heating and cooling, it is necessary to investigate alternate/next energy sources for conventional building air conditioning, specifically by utilizing waste heat from industries through mobile thermal energy storage (MTES) devices. The sorption-based storage device, which is one of the many types of thermal energy storage devices, such as latent, sensible, and thermochemical/sorption-based, shows tremendous potential because of its high energy density, low heat losses, and compact design. The development of an MTES system for sustainable space heating and cooling applications in district energy networks is reviewed in-depth in this study. The proposed MTES system offers an effective solution to utilize the waste heat from industry while lowering local heat generation. It does this by utilizing the unused heat created by power plants to provide cooling for buildings. The review digs into a complete examination of sorption materials, including their categorization, selection criteria, assessment criteria, and comparisons. The material comparison primarily focuses on cost analysis, energy storage density, and energy storage capacity. This work also discusses system-level research that includes system analysis, sorption bed design, and process interpretation. Additionally, the research highlights possible areas for research and development of MTES, identifies current shortcomings, and offers a roadmap for next energy sources in this field