Energy Storage Science and Technology ›› 2023, Vol. 12 ›› Issue (1): 120-130.doi: 10.19799/j.cnki.2095-4239.2022.0518

• Energy Storage Materials and Devices • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Research progress of aluminum potassium sulfate dodecahydrate phase-change material for thermal energy storage

Fa MAO(), Xuelai ZHANG(), Weisan HUA   

  1. Merchant Marine College, Shanghai Maritime University, Shanghai 201306, China
  • Received:2022-09-13 Revised:2022-09-24 Online:2023-01-05 Published:2023-02-08
  • Contact: Xuelai ZHANG E-mail:maofa0330@163.com;xlzhang@shmtu.edu.cn

Abstract:

Aluminum potassium sulfate dodecahydrate [KAl(SO4)2·12H2O] has the advantages of high latent heat, low cost, safety, and nontoxicity. It is a medium-and low-temperature inorganic hydrated salt phase-change material with abundant sources. It can be widely used in valley electricity heat storage, building heating, product energy saving, solar thermal utilization, and battery thermal management. However, widespread issues with many hydrated salts, such as strong subcooling and limited thermal conductivity, severely hampered the effectiveness of heat storage and release. The phase-change temperature of KAl(SO4)2·12H2O is a little high, and the preparation of it into eutectic or noneutectic composite PCM can lower the phase-change temperature, thereby increasing the application range. In this paper, the methods of decreasing supercooling, enhancing thermal conductivity, and compound temperature regulation are reviewed by combing through the contemporary literature on KAl(SO4)2·12H2O PCM in recent years. The effects of nucleating agents, thermal conductivity enhancers, and temperature adjusting agents on the thermal characteristics of KAl(SO4)2·12H2O are emphatically expounded, and the primary applied research of KAl(SO4)2·12H2O and its composite PCMs are introduced. Finally, the future research directions of related work prospects, such as the investigation of new additives and their mechanism of action on substrates, the suppression of the loss of crystal water and the assurance of thermal reliability after a large number of melting-solidification cycles, and the further expansion of related application fields, can serve as a guide for promoting the advancements and practical applications of KAl(SO4)2·12H2O PCM.

Key words: PCM, aluminum potassium sulfate dodecahydrate, thermal energy storage, supercooling, thermal conductivity

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