A thermal management system includes a closed-circuit refrigeration system that includes a vapor cycle system (VCS) and a liquid pumping system (LPS). The VCS includes a receiver that stores a refrigerant fluid and a liquid separator. The vapor cycle system is configured to operate in one or more operational modes including at least one of a TES cooling mode, a heat load cooling mode, or a pump-down mode. The LPS includes a thermal energy storage (TES) that stores a phase change material (PCM) and a pump fluidly coupled to at least one evaporator. The evaporator is configured to extract heat from a heat load that is in thermal conductive or convective contact to the evaporator to transfer heat to the refrigerant fluid and provide the refrigerant fluid from an evaporator outlet to the TES.

A heat exchange device comprising phase change material-impregnated heat conductive foam disposed between fluid stream channels in a heat exchanger element.

A phase-change energy-storage structure for building insulation. The wall structure is provided with a wall base, an insulation layer, an oriented structural board, a shaped phase-change energy-storage insulation board, and an exterior decorative board in sequence from outdoor to indoor. The shaped phase-change energy-storage insulation board is composed of an inorganic composite phase-change material and a packaging sheet. The inorganic composite phase-change material has a phase-change temperature of 10 to 40° C., obtained by compounding an inorganic hydrated salt and a porous structural carrier. In the inorganic composite phase-change material, a mass percentage of the inorganic hydrated salt is 40 to 95%, and the inorganic composite phase-change material is coated with a fire resistant and corrosion resistant light-cured resin. The coldness in outdoor air in summer night can be stored in the phase-change energy-storage insulation board, which can be released into the indoor air during the day.

Methods, systems, and device for thermal energy storage are provided. For example, some embodiments include a thermal energy storage device that may include: a first casing wall; a second casing wall; and/or multiple support structures located between the first casing wall and the second casing wall. The multiple support structures may provide continuous thermal paths and/or continuous mechanical paths between the first casing wall and the second casing wall. The thermal energy storage device may be fabricated utilizing an additive manufacturing technique, such as direct laser metal sintering. Some embodiments may be manufactured utilizing printed metals, such as an aluminum alloy. In some embodiments, a phase-change material is charged between the first casing wall and the second casing wall. The phase-change material may include paraffin.

A food delivery system comprising an induction heating apparatus, an induction-heatable apparatus, and a food delivery cart. The induction heating apparatus includes an induction heating element and an electronic system including a communication element configured to communicatively link to an ordering system. The induction-heatable apparatus is configured to be heated via the induction heating apparatus and includes an RFID tag configured to store information of food being heated and information of an intended recipient or intended destination of the food. The food delivery cart includes an induction heating element configured to warm the induction-heatable apparatus and hence the food and an electronic system including an RFID reader to determine information corresponding to the food, augment the information, and transmit the augmented information a central monitoring system.

Methods and system for operating a thermal storage device of a vehicle system are provided. In one example, a method comprises estimating a temperature of a thermal battery after the battery and coolant included therein have reached thermal equilibrium, and determining a state of charge of the battery based on the estimated temperature and one or more chemical properties of two phase change materials included within the battery. Specifically, the thermal battery may include two phase change materials with different melting points for providing thermal energy to warm coolant in a vehicle coolant system.

A heating system including a heat pump; a thermal battery loop including a thermal battery and a pump configured to circulate a working fluid through the thermal battery; a fluid conductor for receiving the first fluid at an inlet at a first temperature and delivering the first fluid at a second temperature; a first heat exchanger configured to thermally couple the heat pump and the fluid conductor at a first location of the fluid conductor; a second heat exchanger configured to thermally couple the thermal battery loop and the heat pump; and a third heat exchanger configured to thermally couple the thermal battery and the fluid conductor at a second location of the fluid conductor, wherein the second location of the fluid conductor is a location downstream from the first location of the fluid conductor between the inlet and the outlet of the fluid conductor.

The present invention provides an energy-storing temperature control material, and belongs to the technical field of temperature control materials. In the energy-storing temperature control material provided in the present invention, the organic synthetic fiber based phase-change material has a three-dimensional dispersion effect, and can form a network constraint for remaining phase-change materials to reinforce mechanical properties of the materials, thereby fixing shapes of the materials and avoiding a liquid-crystal phase separation phenomenon in the phase-change process. The phase-change energy storage agent can absorb and release the heat by means of solid-liquid phase conversion of the material, to achieve the temperature control effect; and the phase-change temperature regulator can regulate a phase-change temperature range of the phase-change material, to make the energy-storing temperature control material suitable for climatic features of northern China.

A phase change material heat sink including: a carbon graphite matrix having one or more removed portions; and an expanded graphite located within the one or more removed portions.

The present disclosure is directed to materials that can be used in a heat storage and transfer, and an improved method for storing thermal energy which includes a high heat capacity thermal energy storage system using pumped or flowing metallic phase change materials (MPCs). Heat is added by pumping a cold fluid of MPCs mixed with a fluid media such as a molten glass and/or salt from a tank through a heat exchanger, solar receiver, or electrical heater cell and returning the heated fluid to a tank, or solid MPCs can be transported physically, or via gas transport such as entrained flow or a circulating fluid bed. In the heat exchanger, heat can optionally be transferred directly to a counterflowing gas or other fluid, or indirectly through heat exchanger walls to a working fluid, which can be steam, CO.sub.2 or sCO.sub.2, He, H.sub.2, process gas, and/or heat transfer fluid. The MPCs (encapsulated MPCs, non-coated MPCs) are solid-liquid and/or solid-solid phase change particles, salts, metals, or other compounds with a melting point between the hot and cold fluid temperatures, and can optionally include high heat capacity, and/or energy absorbing (IR and divisible) nanoparticles.