Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Wei Li, Jiri Jaromir Klemes, Qiuwang Wang, Min Zeng
Summary: This study provides a comprehensive overview of salt hydrate based gas-solid thermochemical energy storage systems, discussing materials properties, reactor types, applications, heat and mass transfer processes, reaction mechanisms, and offering critical comments and outlooks. It evaluates the development of thermochemical materials, the design of reactors and prototypes, theoretical models, and identifies challenges and prospects in the field.
RENEWABLE & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Thermodynamics
Akshay Chate, Rakesh Sharma, S. Srinivasa Murthy, Pradip Dutta
Summary: This study proposes a Thermochemical Energy Storage System (TESS) based on potassium carbonate salt hydrate, which is suitable for heating applications in cold ambient conditions. The reaction times of potassium carbonate salt hydrate are estimated using hydration-dehydration reaction rate expressions. A thermodynamic analysis is conducted to understand the performance of the TESS under different operating parameters. The results show that ambient temperature plays a significant role in influencing the system's performance.
Review
Energy & Fuels
Zhendong Ye, Hongzhi Liu, Wantong Wang, Han Liu, Jing Lv, Fan Yang
Summary: This review focuses on the dehydration/hydration kinetics of pure salt hydrates and the desorption/sorption kinetics of composite salt hydrates. The rate of dehydration/desorption can be accelerated by increasing heating temperature or decreasing water vapor pressure, while low temperature and high water vapor pressure are usually beneficial for hydration/sorption kinetics. Smaller particle sizes and larger relative surface areas can enhance the reaction kinetics. The desorption/sorption kinetics of composite salt hydrates are generally faster than those of pure salt hydrates.
JOURNAL OF ENERGY STORAGE
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Joey Aarts, Bas van Ravensteijn, Hartmut Fischer, Olaf Adan, Henk Huinink
Summary: Non-stabilized thermochemical materials have limitations such as swelling/shrinkage, cracking, and agglomeration. This study stabilized salt hydrates in a porous polymer matrix, showing stability against deliquescence. Different composites were cycled, with the K2CO3-polymer composite being stable for 50 cycles, the LiCl-polymer composite becoming unstable after 40 cycles, and the CaCl2 composite stable for 15 cycles. These composites achieved high energy densities and power outputs, providing new pathways for stabilizing salt hydrates.
Article
Polymer Science
Luigi Calabrese, Leonor Hernandez, Rosa Mondragon, Luisa F. Cabeza
Summary: A macroporous silicone foam containing magnesium sulfate was used for a reversible hydration/dehydration process of the salt hydrate. The study focused on the relationship between microstructure, permeability, and mass diffusion of the composite foam, which is crucial for its industrial development. The results showed that the filler content influenced the foam morphology, with 50 wt% of salt hydrates leading to a highly interconnected microstructure and increased permeability suitable for thermochemical energy storage applications.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Fengyuan Zhang, Xiaolin Wang, Bo Wang, Xia Lou, Wojciech Lipinski
Summary: The promotion of gas hydrate formation kinetics through mass transfer enhancement has been an important research topic. This study investigates the kinetics of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) hydrate formation in microparticles made of silica. The results reveal that dry water particles with 8-wt% silica have the highest gas uptake. The simulation results show that the average effective diffusion coefficient of gas is higher in smaller particles. The heat transfer in gas hydrate formation is found to have negligible impact.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Andrew Martin, Drew Lilley, Ravi Prasher, Sumanjeet Kaur
Summary: Thermal energy storage solutions, specifically the use of thermochemical materials (TCMs), can help reduce energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and cost. However, TCMs suffer from instabilities at the material and reactor level, leading to poor efficiency and high storage costs. This study develops a model to predict the pulverization limit of TCMs during thermal cycling, providing design rules for mechanically stable TCM composites and enabling more energy-efficient manufacturing processes.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Review
Energy & Fuels
Isye Hayatina, Amar Auckaili, Mohammed Farid
Summary: The industrial sector consumes about 40% of global energy, and a significant amount of waste energy is discarded at low temperatures. Thermochemical heat transformers (THT) can recover this low-temperature waste heat by storing and releasing it at a higher temperature. This allows for waste heat reintegration into industrial processes, improving energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Review
Energy & Fuels
Jianquan Lin, Qian Zhao, Haotian Huang, Hongzhi Mao, Yexin Liu, Yimin Xiao
Summary: Thermochemical energy storage (TCES) systems are an advanced technology that helps address the mismatch between the availability and consumption of solar energy. Solid/gas sorption systems utilizing salt hydrates are the most commonly used among TCES systems. This study establishes a classification of salt hydrates for TCES systems and discusses the properties of materials, suitable reactor types, applications, and system optimization based on material characteristics. Additionally, it comprehensively reviews TCES applications based on salt hydrates and discusses directions for target-oriented design and optimization of TCES systems.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Minh Hoang Nguyen, Mohamed Zbair, Patrick Dutournie, Lionel Limousy, Simona Bennici
Summary: This study explores the development of new efficient heat storage materials by impregnating hygroscopic salts into biochar-based composite sorbents. The results show that the new materials have high water sorption capacity and energy storage density, making them suitable for sustainable thermal energy storage applications.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Jiaxing Xu, Tingxian Li, Taisen Yan, Jingwei Chao, Ruzhu Wang
Summary: The reversible thermal dehydration reaction of MgCl2.6H(2)O has been studied as a potential working way for thermochemical heat storage with high energy density. The research delves into the reaction mechanism, dehydration kinetics, and equilibrium behaviors of MgCl2.6H(2)O using thermal analytical measurements and morphological observations, revealing the impact of various factors on the dehydration behavior and reaction pathways.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Emanuela Mastronardo, Emanuele La Mazza, Davide Palamara, Elpida Piperopoulos, Daniela Iannazzo, Edoardo Proverbio, Candida Milone
Summary: This study explores the potential of using organic salt hydrates as novel TCS materials, with a focus on the thermal behavior and stability of CaHS. The findings demonstrate the suitability of CaHS for TCS applications, highlighting its heat storage capacity and good reversibility after dehydration-hydration cycles.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Henk Huinink, Stan de Jong, Vera Houben
Summary: The hydration of packed beds of millimeter-sized salt hydrate particles is essential for low temperature thermochemical energy storage. A model for packed bed hydration as an advection-reaction process is developed, and traveling wave solutions are obtained to describe the moving hydration front. The hydration front speed is orders of magnitude slower than the air velocity in the particle bed, and its width ranges from 10 to 100 cm under relevant conditions. Constant hydration rates and power output can only be achieved in meter-sized TCES reactors. Temperature gradients and finite size effects need to be further investigated and analyzed.
JOURNAL OF ENERGY STORAGE
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Natalia Mazur, Henk Huinink, Hartmut Fischer, Pim Donkers, Olaf Adan
Summary: This study investigates the impact of caesium fluoride (CsF) incorporated through recrystallisation on the phase transitions of potassium carbonate (K2CO3). The addition of CsF significantly enhances the hydration kinetics of K2CO3 and accelerates the dehydration process. The presence of CsF also affects the dehydration process at equilibrium conditions, leading to a unique 2-step dehydration mode.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Arun Mathew, Nima Nadim, Tilak T. Chandratilleke, Mark Paskevicius, Terry D. Humphries, Craig E. Buckley
Summary: This study conducted kinetic and parametric analyses of the carbonation reaction of CaCO3 with Al2O3 as well as the performance of a thermochemical reactor. The results revealed the rapid reaction kinetics of the carbonation reaction and provided a suitable model to explain the growth of carbonation. Numerical analysis showed that increasing the thermal conductivity of the reactor bed and reducing the boundary temperature can greatly improve the reactor's performance.
Review
Energy & Fuels
Ruby-Jean Clark, Abbas Mehrabadi, Mohammed Farid
JOURNAL OF ENERGY STORAGE
(2020)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Ruby-Jean Clark, Mohammed Farid
Summary: This research investigated a new salt-based thermochemical composite material for long-term heat storage, comparing its performance with zeolite 13X and finding promising candidates for high energy density applications. Further research is needed to commercialize the technology.
JOURNAL OF ENERGY STORAGE
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Ruby-Jean Clark, Mohammed Farid
Summary: The study demonstrates that a cascade thermochemical energy storage system can improve thermal and exergy efficiencies, with high energy density, power output, and temperature lift over a range of dehydration temperatures.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Ruby-Jean Clark, Gohar Gholamibozanjani, Jason Woods, Sumanjeet Kaur, Adewale Odukomaiya, Said Al-Hallaj, Mohammed Farid
Summary: This study selected and tested the most promising salts for storing intermediate heat energy. Based on the set criteria, SrCl2 and SrBr2 were concluded to be the most promising salts.
JOURNAL OF ENERGY STORAGE
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Shahriyar Safat Dipta, Md Habibur Rahaman, Walia Binte Tarique, Ashraful Hossain Howlader, Ayush Pratik, John A. Stride, Ashraf Uddin
Summary: Implementing a double-sided passivation approach can enhance the performance of n-i-p structured PSCs and improve the stability and photovoltaic properties of the cells.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2024)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Daniel Ourinson, Andreas Brand, Andreas Lorenz, Marwan Dhamrin, Sebastian Tepner, Michael Linse, Nathalie Goettlicher, Kosuke Tsuji, Jonas D. Huyeng, Florian Clement
Summary: This work presents two approaches to reduce the amount of silver on the rear side of M2-sized industrial iTOPCon solar cells. The Cu-based approach shows promise with similar power conversion efficiency compared to the conventional approach, while the Al-based approach exhibits some limitations but demonstrates the potential of such type of contact for iTOPCon solar cells.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2024)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Abasifreke Ebong, Donald Intal, Sandra Huneycutt, Thad Druffel, Ruvini Dharmadasa, Kevin Elmer, Apolo Nambo
Summary: This study demonstrates the successful metallization of a PERC silicon solar cell using screen-printable copper (Cu) paste. The Cu paste contains antioxidant additives and diffusion inhibitors to prevent oxidation and diffusion of Cu. The Cu-printed cells achieved an efficiency of 19% and showed no Cu diffusion after characterization tests. The long-term stability and effectiveness of the Cu diffusion barrier were also confirmed.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2024)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Senami Zogbo, Wilfried Favre, Olivier Bonino, Marie-Estelle Gueunier-Farret
Summary: Measuring specific contact resistivity (pc) is crucial for interface engineering in high efficiency solar cells. The Transfer Length Method (TLM) is commonly used for evaluating layer sheet resistance (Rsheet) and pc, but it is not suitable for metal/Transparent Conductive Oxide (TCO) interface evaluation in silicon heterojunction (SHJ) cells. This study investigates the parameters that restrict current confinement within the TCO, including mid-gap trap density (Dit) at the a-Si:H/c-Si interface and the activation energy (Ea = Ec - EF) variation of a-Si:H contact layers.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2024)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Jean-Baptiste Charpentier, Philippe Voarino, Julien Gaume
Summary: The phenomenon of ribbon lengthening in PV modules exposed to thermal cycling is not well explained in the literature. In this study, a three layers model is proposed to explain this effect, and the predictions of the model are validated through finite element method simulations and experiments. The results show that the model predictions are consistent with the indirect measurements, but not with the direct measurements. Additionally, it is inferred that the encapsulant plays a role after the solder failure.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2024)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Jean-Baptiste Charpentier, Philippe Voarino, Julien Gaume
Summary: This study investigates the problematic ribbon lengthening observed in PV modules exposed to high amplitude thermal cycling. A simplified system model is proposed and accurate predictions are obtained using the Finite Element Method. The results show that the thickness of the encapsulant has a substantial impact on the lengthening of the ribbons.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2024)
Article
Energy & Fuels
S. Catalan-Gomez, E. Martinez Castellano, M. Schwarz, M. Montes Bajo, L. Dorado Vargas, A. Gonzalo, A. Redondo-Cubero, A. Gallego Carro, A. Hierro, J. M. Ulloa
Summary: This study investigates the use of core-shell gallium nanoparticles as functional light scatterers on solar cells. By optimizing the nanoparticle size, the short-circuit current of the solar cells is significantly improved. The underlying physical mechanism is studied through optical measurements and simulations, and a method to reduce the plasmonic effect of the nanoparticles is demonstrated.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2024)
Article
Energy & Fuels
M. Gamel, G. Lopez, A. M. Medrano, A. Jimenez, A. Datas, M. Garin, I. Martin
Summary: In this study, a highly reflective ohmic contact to p-type c-Ge material is demonstrated, which can improve the efficiency of thermophotovoltaic devices. The experimental results show that this contact can simultaneously meet the requirements of good back surface passivation, low electrical resistivity, and high reflectivity. Moreover, simulations suggest that implementing these back contacts has the potential to achieve conversion efficiencies comparable to high-efficiency c-Ge TPV cells.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2024)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Hongyang Wei, Qing Xu, Dongchu Chen, Min Chen, Menglei Chang, Xiufang Ye
Summary: This study prepared solar selective absorption films based on anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) photonic crystals using a unique electrodeposition method. The Co-Ag electrodeposited film exhibited superior solar selective absorption properties and thermal stability.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2024)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Ankit Kumar, Ankit Chauhan, Jordi Llobet, Helder Fonseca, Patricia C. Sousa, Carlos Calaza, Gil Shalev
Summary: This study found that decorating subwavelength arrays with SiO2 quasi-nanolenses (qNL arrays) can enhance the absorption of the solar spectrum. Optical absorption mechanisms in qNL arrays were investigated using near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM), revealing that the enhancement is a result of the combination of effective antireflection coating, increased optical interactions between adjacent dielectrics for elevated light trapping, and strong light concentration due to the presence of qNLs.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2024)
Article
Energy & Fuels
S. Pingel, T. Wenzel, N. Goettlicher, M. Linse, L. Folcarelli, J. Schube, S. Hoffmann, S. Tepner, Y. C. Lau, J. Huyeng, A. Lorenz, F. Clement
Summary: This study demonstrates the potential to reduce silver consumption in highly efficient SHJ cells through fine-line screen printing using low temperature paste with various screens. The results show that using finer mesh allows for narrower grid fingers and lower resistance, leading to improved cell efficiency. Simulation results indicate that module wire configuration is crucial for reducing silver consumption.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2024)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Xibo He, Jun Qiu, Wei Wang, Yicheng Hou, Yong Shuai
Summary: This paper proposes a novel phase change material with high thermal conductivity and stability for fast photo-thermal conversion and storage. The experimental results demonstrate excellent durability and stability of the phase change material, with good performance in thermal conductivity and thermal storage efficiency.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2024)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Qingyuan Liu, Lin Wang, Zheng Liu, Guohua Liu
Summary: A new evaporating structure consisting of liquid marble with tunable nanowire array is proposed to enhance solar evaporation. The experiments show that the liquid marble with nanowire array exhibits outstanding evaporation performance, which has significant implications for seawater desalination or wastewater treatment.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2024)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Hao Liu, Qiming Liu, Jinpei Liu, Yonggang Zhao, Yingjie Yu, Yue An, Ganghui Wei, Yanzheng Li, Yujun Fu, Junshuai Li, Deyan He
Summary: Moisture in the air is identified as the main cause of performance degradation in organic-inorganic hybrid solar cells. Exposure to air leads to the growth of thin oxide layer on the interface and the formation of silver sulfide, increasing the series resistance and decreasing the fill factor, thus degrading the cell performance.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2024)
Article
Energy & Fuels
E. Blanco, P. Martin, M. Dominguez, P. Fernandez-Palacios, I. Lombardero, C. Sanchez-Perez, I. Garcia, C. Algora, M. Gabas
Summary: This study addresses the lack of optical parameters for p-type Ge wafers by determining the complex refractive indices of commercial Ge wafers with varying doping levels. The obtained data successfully reproduces the critical points associated with interband transitions and absorption features below the bandgap. The refractive indices were validated through experimental measurements and solar cell simulations.
SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS
(2024)