Heat Storage

In comparison to sensitive, latent heat storage, thermochemical heat storage enables the almost loss-free storage of thermal energy with high energy density. Here, heat is stored in the form of a chemical potential and can be retrieved at any time. In contrast to sensitive heat such as in hot water tanks, extensive insulation against temporary heat loss to the environment is not necessary. Typical materials for thermochemical heat storage are silica gel and zeolites in the form of pellet fills, which are already well used due to their relatively low price and high storage density. A disadvantage of the highly porous adsorbents is their poor thermal conductivity, especially in fills, which leads to a loss of performance during charging and discharging and causes high costs for heat exchanger structures. The Fraunhofer IKTS has extensive expertise in the modification and processing of highly porous ceramics, which is used in various projects for the further development of heat storage materials and components