Development of pentadecane/diatomite and pentadecane/sepiolite nanocomposites fabricated by different compounding methods for thermal energy storage

Global warming is one of the most important consequences of excess energy consumption. Phase change materials (PCMs) have prominent advantages in thermal energy storage owing to their high latent heat capacities and small temperature variations during the phase change process. However, leakage is a major problem that limits the use of PCMs. Leakage may occur in encapsulated PCMs or in composites where the PCM is attached to the surface of a supporting material or within the pores of that material. In this study, pentadecane/diatomite and pentadecane/sepiolite nanocomposites were fabricated by using unmodified and microwave‐irradiated diatomite and sepiolite samples and by using different compounding processes, such as direct impregnation, vacuum impregnation, and ultrasonic‐assisted impregnation methods. The microstructures and the chemical and thermal properties of the composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. Subsequently, the thermal reliability and stability and the thermal conductivity of the PCM composites were also investigated. A melting temperature of 9.25°C and a latent heat capacity of 58.73 J/g were determined for the pentadecane/diatomite composite that was prepared with the direct impregnation method using a microwave‐treated diatomite sample. The pentadecane/sepiolite composite prepared in the melting temperature range 7.98°C to 8.53°C and latent heat capacity range 41.05 to 46.02 J/g. The results of the thermal analysis indicate that fabricated diatomite‐based or sepiolite‐based PCM composites have good potential as thermal energy storage materials.     

Thermal properties of a modified MOF-stearic acid composite phase change materials

以ZIF-67作为金属有机框架（MOF）,通过原位沉淀法生长在膨胀石墨片上对膨胀石墨进行改性,经过煅烧后形成Co₃O₄/EG分级多孔混合结构。为了优化硬脂酸的充放热性能,将Co₃O₄/EG与硬脂酸通过熔融共混和真空吸附法复合,制备出具有优异充放热性能的SA/Co₃O₄/EG复合相变材料。表征SA/Co₃O₄/EG复合相变材料的微结构、物相、相变焓值、相变温度和充放热时间等热物理性能,分析添加物Co₃O₄/EG的微结构对硬脂酸相变储热材料微结构和热性能产生的影响。添加物Co₃O₄/EG对SA/Co₃O₄/EG复合相变材料的相变温度影响较小,相变温度与Co₃O₄/EG添加量没有依赖关系。而复合储热材料的相变潜热随Co₃O₄/EG量的增加而减少,但与理论计算相差较少。Co₃O₄/EG分级多孔结构可以阻止Co₃O₄的团聚并提供高比表面积和孔体积吸附硬脂酸,多孔隙结构Co₃O₄和高热导率膨胀石墨（EG）的协同作用可以增加硬脂酸相变储热材料的热传递,缩短充放热时间,提高充放热效率。     

Photo-to-thermal conversion and energy storage of lauric acid/expanded graphite composite phase change materials

To make better use of solar energy, lauric acid/expanded graphite (LA/EG) composite phase change materials (PCMs) were synthesized to collect and store solar energy as latent heat thermal energy. The results of thermal characteristics show that when the mass fraction of EG is 5%, 10%, and 15%, the latent heat of LA/EG is 164.5, 156.9, and 148.0 J/g, and the thermal conductivity is 2.73, 7.98, and 10.54 W/(m·K). Leakage test shows that LA/EG PCMs with EG mass fraction of 10% and 15% are form stable after phase change. One thousand thermal cycles prove good thermal reliability of LA/EG. TG analysis indicates LA/EG PCMs have good thermal stability within operating temperature range. The Ultraviolet-visible spectra reveal that the absorbance of LA/EG composite PCMs would increase as the mass fraction of EG increases. Photothermal conversion experiment results indicate that the photothermal conversion efficiency of LA/EG composite PCMs increases as the mass fraction of EG increases, and the efficiency can reach 95% when the mass fraction of EG is 15%. Moreover, it was also found that the process of photothermal conversion can be accelerated with stronger illumination intensity or smaller heat transfer size. All the results show that the prepared LA/EG PCMs can convert solar energy into thermal energy and store it in the form of latent heat at the same time, which indicates it has promising prospect in the application of solar energy conversion and storage.     

Hydrate salt/self-curing acrylic resin form-stable phase change materials with enhanced surface stability and thermal properties via the incorporation of graphene oxide

This work presents a novel eutectic hydrate salt/self-curing acrylic resin form-stable phase change materials (PCMs) composite (EHS/SCR) with favorable form-stable performances for heat energy storage. Further, to improve the surface stability, latent heat and thermal conductivity of the EHS/SCR particles, graphene oxide (GO) used as cladding materials is incorporated onto the surface of the EHS/SCR particles to prepare the GO modified EHS/SCR phase change composite (EGO). The obtained results indicate that the GO-targeted absorption model has achieved the enhancements in stability and thermal properties of EHS/SCR while making use of GO in an efficient and economical way. To be specific, with the introduction of GO of only 1.07 wt%, the thermal conductivity of 0.508 W/m·K is achieved, the value shows a significant rise of 128.6% compared with the EHS/SCR of 0.222 W/m·K. Additionally, the maximum latent heat of EGO-6 is up to 90.4 J/g, which exhibits a 3.19-fold increase compared against that of the uncoated EHS/SCR. Moreover, the prepared EGO composite PCM remain a good thermal cycling reliability after 300 thermal cycles. This work provides a novel opportunity to improve the performance of form-stable PCM composites with an intelligent manufacture-oriented pattern.     

Fabrication and characterization of electrospun fatty acid form-stable phase change materials in the presence of copper nanoparticles

Latent heat storage system using phase change materials (PCMs) has been recognized as one of the most useful technologies for energy conservation. In this study, a novel type of fatty acid eutectic of methyl palmitate (MP) and lauric acid (LA)/polyacrylonitrile (PAN) composite phase change fiber is prepared by single electrospinning method. Additionally, copper nanoparticles (CNPs) with different mass ratio are combined for improving the thermal conductivity of the PCM. The structure and morphology of the fabricated composite PCMs are observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the thermal properties and performance are also characterized. SEM results show that the liquid fatty acid has been fully stabled by the three-dimensional structure of the fibers. Good compatibility among the components of the composites is also demonstrated. Besides, the addition of nanoparticles leads to an improved thermal conductivity by over 115.2% and a phase transition temperature 21.24 °C as well as a high latent heat of 85.07 J/g. Moreover, excellent thermal reliability of the phase change fiber is confirmed by multiple thermal cycles. Hence, the composite PCM prepared in this study shows a promising potential for thermal energy system such as building insulating and thermal mass regulating textiles.     

Structure and thermal properties of expanded graphite/paraffin composite phase change material

Different contents of expanded graphite (EG) composite phase change material (PCM) were prepared by the melt mixing method, taking paraffin as the PCM and EG as the supporting material. Phase compositions of EG, paraffin, and EG/paraffin composite were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD). Microstructures of EG and EG/paraffin composite PCMs with different EG contents were observed by a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Thermal properties, such as phase-transition temperature and latent heat of the materials, were determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Mass loss and thermal properties after 100 heating cycles were measured. The results show that physical absorption exists between paraffin and EG. EG is beneficial for the PCM composite to reduce leakage of paraffin, decrease the phase change temperature and latent heat, and strengthen the thermal stability. The solid–liquid phase change latent heat of materials is larger than that of the solid–solid one. The heating cycle has little effect on the phase-transition temperature and latent heat.     

Micro-encapsulated paraffin/high-density polyethylene/wood flour composite as form-stable phase change material for thermal energy storage

Six novel polymer-based form-stable composite phase change materials (PCMs), which comprise micro-encapsulated paraffin (MEP) as latent heat storage medium and high-density polyethylene (HDPE)/wood flour compound as supporting material, were prepared by blending and compression molding method for potential latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) applications. Micro-mist graphite (MMG) was added to improve thermal conductivities. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) images revealed that the form-stable PCMs have homogeneous constitution and most of MEP particles in them were undamaged. Both the shell of MEP and the matrix prevent molten paraffin from leakage. Therefore, the composite PCMs are described as form-stable PCMs. The differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) results showed that the melting and freezing temperatures as well as latent heats of the prepared form-stable PCMs are suitable for potential LHTES applications. Thermal cycling test indicated the form-stable PCMs have good thermal stability although it was subjected to 100 melt–freeze cycles. The thermal conductivity of the form-stable PCM was increased by 17.7% by adding 8.8 wt% MMG. The results of mechanical property test indicated that the addition of MMG has no negative influence on the mechanical properties of form-stable composite PCMs. Taking one with another, these novel form-stable PCMs have the potential for LHTES applications in terms of their proper phase change temperatures, improved thermal conductivities, outstanding leak tightness of molten paraffin and good mechanical properties.     

Thermal conductivity improvement of stearic acid using expanded graphite and carbon fiber for energy storage applications

The influence of expanded graphite (EG) and carbon fiber (CF) as heat diffusion promoters on thermal conductivity improvement of stearic acid (SA), as a phase change material (PCM), was evaluated. EG and CF in different mass fractions (2%, 4%, 7%, and 10%) were added to SA, and thermal conductivities of SA/EG and SA/CF composites were measured by using hot-wire method. An almost linear relationship between mass fractions of EG and CF additives, and thermal conductivity of SA was found. Thermal conductivity of SA (0.30 W/mK) increased by 266.6% (206.6%) by adding 10% mass fraction EG (CF). The improvement in thermal conductivity of SA was also experimentally tested by comparing melting time of the pure SA with that of SA/EG and SA/CF composites. The results indicated that the melting times of composite PCMs were reduced significantly with respect to that of pure SA. Furthermore, the latent heat capacities of the SA/EG and SA/CF (90/10 wt%) composite PCMs were determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) technique and compared with that of pure SA. On the basis of all results, it was concluded that the use of EG and CF can be considered an effective method to improve thermal conductivity of SA without reducing much its latent heat storage capacity.     

Influences of expanded graphite on structural morphology and thermal performance of composite phase change materials consisting of fatty acid eutectics and electrospun PA6 nanofibrous mats

In the present work, three fatty acid eutectics of capric acid (CA)–lauric acid (LA), capric acid–palmitic acid (PA), and capric acid–stearic acid (SA) were prepared through melt-blending followed by ultrasonication and were investigated as model phase change materials (PCMs); for comparison, the individual fatty acid of CA was also studied. The DSC measurements indicated that the phase transition temperatures of fatty acid eutectics were lower than those of individual fatty acid of CA. Thereafter, the polyamide 6 (PA6) nanofibers and PA6/EG composite nanofibers with 10 wt.% expanded graphite (EG) were prepared by electrospinning; and then composite PCMs with fatty acid eutectics absorbed in and/or supported by the overlaid mats of electrospun nanofibers (e.g., PA6 and PA6/EG) were explored for storage and retrieval of thermal energy. Influences of the EG on structural morphologies, thermal energy storage properties and thermal energy storage/retrieval rates of composite PCMs were respectively characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and measurement of melting/freezing times. The results indicated that the additions of EG caused the interfaces between fatty acid eutectics and PA6 nanofibrous mats to become more illegible; increased the absorption capacity of fatty acid eutectics within nanofibrous mats. The enthalpies of melting and crystallization of composite PCMs with EG were higher than those of the corresponding composite PCMs without EG, whereas there were no appreciable changes on the phase transition temperatures. The EG improved thermal energy storage/retrieval rates of composite PCMs were also confirmed by comparing the melting/freezing times of CA/PA6/EG and CA–SA/PA6/EG with those of CA/PA6 and CA–SA/PA6, respectively. The results from the SEM observation showed that composite PCMs had no or little variations in shape and surface morphology after heating/cooling processes.     

Morphology and thermal properties of electrospun fatty acids/polyethylene terephthalate composite fibers as novel form-stable phase change materials

The ultrafine fibers based on the composites of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and a series of fatty acids, lauric acid (LA), myristic acid (MA), palmitic acid (PA), and stearic acid (SA), were prepared successfully via electrospinning as form-stable phase change materials (PCMs). The morphology and thermal properties of the composite fibers were studied by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), respectively. It was found that the average fiber diameter increased generally with the content of fatty acid (LA) in the LA/PET composite fibers. The fibers with the low mass ratio maintained cylindrical shape with smooth surface while the quality became worse when the mass ratio is too high (more than 100/100). Moreover, the latent heat of the composite fibers increased with the increase of LA content and the phase transition temperature of the fibers have no obvious variations compared with LA. In contrast, both the latent heat and phase transition temperature of the fatty acid/PET composite fibers varied with the type of the fatty acids, and could be well maintained after 100 heating-cooling thermal cycles, which demonstrated that the composite fibers had good thermal stability and reliability.     

纳米Fe2O3/硬脂酸/十八醇纳米复合相变蓄热材料的性能研究

针对有机相变材料热导率低的问题,将高热导率的纳米Fe₂O₃添加到硬脂酸/十八醇二元有机复合蓄热相变材料中,制备纳米复合蓄热相变材料。从分散剂的种类、分散剂与纳米材料的添加量以及超声时间4个方面研究其对纳米复合相变蓄热材料的稳定性及热物性的影响。结果表明,阴离子表面活性剂的分散效果优于阳离子和非离子表面活性剂。复合相变材料中添加质量分数为0.8%,十二烷基苯磺酸钠(SDBS)和质量分数为0.4%Fe₂O₃的体系,超声时间为80 min时,纳米Fe₂O₃在相变材料中的分散效果最好。添加纳米Fe₂O₃后复合蓄热相变材料的相变潜热及相变温度有所下降,热导率提高34.9%。300次热循环复合相变材料的相变温度波动区间不超过0.41℃,相变潜热波动区间不超过4.0%,热稳定性良好。     

Thermal properties and characterization of palmitic acid/nano silicon dioxide/graphene nanoplatelet for thermal energy storage

Palmitic acid (PA), nano silicon dioxide (nano SiO₂), and graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) were fabricated to composite phase change materials (PCMs) for thermal energy storage. PA acted as PCM, nano SiO₂ was used as supporting material. GNP as thermal conductivity promoter was added to modify composite PCM. Nano SiO₂ has good adsorption property and can adsorb liquid PCM to prevent leakage. Leakage measurement indicated that PA maximum content in composite PCM is 70 wt%. Chemical and crystal structures, and microstructure of composite PCM were tested by Fourier transformation infrared spectroscope, X-ray diffractometer and scanning electronic microscope, which showed that the raw materials are well mixed by physical action. Differential scanning calorimeter result presented that composite PCM possess phase change temperature at about 60°C and latent heat of 128.42 kJ/kg. Thermogravimetric analyzer and thermal cycle experiment showed that composite PCM have outstanding thermal stability and durability. Thermal conductivity apparatus measurement results indicated that thermal conductivity of composite PCM with 5 wt% GNP is 1.65 times that of composite PCM without GNP. Therefore, this composite PCM are potential materials for thermal energy storage.     

Stearic Acid/Copper Foam as Composite Phase Change Materials for Thermal Energy Storage

The application of stearic acid in the latent thermal energy storage(LTES) systems is hindered due to its lower heat transfer rate. Stearic acid(SA) was blended with copper foam(CF) of pore numbers per inch(PPI) of 5, 20, and 40 to prepare composite phase change materials via a molten impregnation method. The thermal physical properties including latent heat, phase change temperature, and thermal energy storage density of composites were characterized. The thermogravimetric analysis indicated that the loadages of SA of SA/CF(5 PPI), SA/CF(20 PPI), and SA/CF(40 PPI) were 74.69%, 71.03%, and 63.54%, respectively;The latent heat of SA/CF(5 PPI), SA/CF(20 PPI), and SA/CF(40 PPI) were determined to 139.9 J·g^-1, 132.7 J·g^-1, and 117.8 J·g^-1, respectively. Meanwhile, the infrared thermal images of SA and SA/CF composites were provided to demonstrate the thermal energy storage and dissipation capability intuitively by the temperature response and surface temperature distribution. The infrared thermal images indicated the addition of CF also reduced the fluidity of liquid SA, and the SA/CF(40 PPI) had better internal heat transfer uniformity and thermal diffusion performance than SA/CF(5 PPI) and SA/CF(20 PPI). All these thermal properties suggested SA/CF(40 PPI) has the potential application in the latent thermal energy storage.     

Influence of 2-D nanofillers on the thermal conductivity of composite PCMs

为了探究两种不同二维纳米填料对复合相变材料导热系数的影响,分别制备了以石墨烯纳米片和六方氮化硼纳米片为填料的石蜡基复合相变材料.采用瞬态平面热源法在20 ℃时测量了不同添加量下复合相变材料的导热系数.结果显示,石蜡基复合相变材料的导热系数随纳米填料添加量近似线性增长;六方氮化硼纳米片对复合相变材料导热系数的提升远低于石墨烯纳米片.此外,利用基于有效介质模型的预测公式与试验值进行了比较,计算发现形状,大小和导热系数相近的两种纳米材料,六方氮化硼纳米片的界面热阻却高出石墨烯纳米片两个数量级,是后者具有更显著强化效果的原因之一.     

Modification of fly ash as a carrier of paraffin wax based phase change energy storage material for waste heat recovery

以石蜡为相变材料,改性粉煤灰为载体,无水乙醇为溶剂,采用溶液插层法合成了石蜡/改性粉煤灰相变储能材料.经过柠檬酸改性后的粉煤灰,骨架结构保持完整,不仅去除了其中杂质,而且对相变材料吸附能力有所改善.差示扫描量热(DSC)结果表明,PCM-3储能材料的熔化潜热值和熔化温度分别为327.85 kJ/kg和53.63 ℃;红外(FT-IR)测试表明,储能材料化学稳定性良好,由于吸附后的石蜡与粉煤灰载体间具有很强的表面张力,可以有效防止熔化后石蜡从载体中流失.借助相变蓄热式换热器测试了储能材料在工业余热回收中的应用效果,发现换热器出口水流温度在一定时间内可以近似保持恒定温度.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Disodium Hydrogen Phosphate Dodecahydrate-Lauric-Palmitic Acid Used for Indoor Energy Storage Floor Units

Organic and inorganic phase change materials(PCMs) are considered potential materials for thermal energy storage(TES) with different phase change characteristics. In this study, a novel organic-inorganic composite phase change material(PCM) called disodium hydrogen phosphate dodecahydrate-lauric-palmitic acid(D-LA-PACM) was prepared. Expanded graphite(EG) was selected as the support material, and the novel organic-inorganic form-stable PCM called D-LA-PAPCM/EG was prepared using the vacuum adsorption method. Differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, leakage testing, melting and solidification cycle testing, thermal conductivity testing, scanning electron microscopy observation of the micromorphology, and other characterization methods were used to study the microstructure and morphology, thermal physical parameters, thermal conductivity, stability of the PCMs, and the comprehensive material properties of D-LA-PAPCM under the composite action of EG. Results indicated that the melting and freezing temperatures and latent heats of D-LA-PAPCM/EG were measured to be 31.6℃ and 34.3℃ and 142.9 and 142.8 J/g, respectively. Although some of the lauric-palmitic acid(LA-PA) and disodium hydrogen phosphate dodecahydrate(DHPD) separated in the multiple porous structures of EG after 1000 cycles, they could still absorb and release latent heats independently, with D-LA-PAPCM/EG still exhibiting good thermal stability. The thermal conductivity of D-LA-PAPCM/EG was 1.361 W/(m·K). Therefore, the material and thermal properties of the prepared D-LA-PAPCM/EG indicate that it could be well used as a feasible material for energy-saving phase change floor units in indoor TES systems.     

Ag-coated polyurethane fibers membranes absorbed with quinary fatty acid eutectics solid-liquid phase change materials for storage and retrieval of thermal energy

The novel quinary fatty acid eutectic (CA-LA-MA-PA-SA) of capric acid, lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid and stearic acid was successfully prepared with the mass ratio of 61.09/24.61/8.13/4.01/2.16. Thereafter, the innovative Ag-coated polyurethane (PU) fibers membranes with different concentrations of Ag, which were selected as a supporting material to adsorb the CA-LA-MA-PA-SA eutectics, were successfully fabricated through electrospinning followed by magnetron sputter. The energy dispersive X-ray confirmed that Ag nanoclusters were successfully deposited on the surface of PU fibers as a result of sputter coating. The observations of atomic force microscope indicated that the surface roughness of the PU fibers significantly increased with increase in coating time. The scanning electron microscope images demonstrated that the CA-LA-MA-PA-SA eutectics were uniformly distributed into the three-dimensional porous structures of uncoated and Ag-coated PU fibers membranes. Furthermore, the differential scanning calorimeter curves suggested that the CA-LA-MA-PA-SA/PU/Ag composites phase change materials (PCMs) possessed melting enthalpies about 110 kJ/kg and melting temperature around 17 °C. The absorption ratios of the CA-LA-MA-PA-SA eutectic in composite PCMs was approximately at 73.74%–83.18%. The investigation on thermal performance indicated that we achieved higher melting and freezing rates of the CA-LA-MA-PA-SA/PU/Ag composites PCMs by increasing coating time. In addition to this, after depositing Ag nanoparticles the melting and freezing times of composites PCMs were shortened to about 21%–65%.     

High Density Polyethylene/Paraffin Composites as Form-stable Phase Change Material for Thermal Energy Storage

Abstract

This article focuses on the preparation and thermo-physical properties of paraffin/high density polyethylene (HDPE) composites as form-stable solid-liquid phase change material (PCM) for thermal energy storage. In the paraffin/HDPE blend, the paraffin (P) dispersed into the HDPE serves as a latent heat storage material when the HDPE, as a supporting material, prevents the melted paraffin leakage thanks to its structural strength. Therefore, this type composite is form-stable and can be used as a PCM without encapsulation for thermal energy storage. In this study, two paraffins with melting temperatures of 48°C–50°C and 63°C–65°C were used. The mass percentages of paraffins in the composites could go high as 76% without any seepage of the paraffin in melted state. The dispersion of the paraffin into the network of the solid HDPE was investigated using scanning electronic microscope (SEM). The melting temperatures and latent heats of the form-stable P1/HDPE and P2/HDPE composite PCMs were determined as 44.32°C and 61.66°C, and 179.63 and 198.14 Jg^?1, by the technique of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), respectively. Furthermore, the thermal conductivity of the composite PCMs were improved as about 33.3% for the P1/HDPE and 52.3% for the P2/HDPE by introducing the expanded and exfoliated graphite to the samples in the ratio of 3 wt%. The results reveal that the prepared form-stable composite PCMs have great potential for thermal energy storage applications in terms of their satisfactory thermal properties, improved thermal conductivity and cost-efficiency because of no encapsulation for enhancing heat transfer in paraffin.     

High latent heat storage and high thermal conductive phase change materials using exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets

Using exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets (xGnP), paraffin/xGnP composite phase change materials (PCMs) were prepared by the stirring of xGnP in liquid paraffin for high electric conductivity, thermal conductivity and latent heat storage. xGnP of 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7 wt% was added to pure paraffin at 75 °C. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) morphology showed uniform dispersion of xGnP in the paraffin wax. Good dispersion of xGnP in paraffin/xGnP composite PCMs led to high electric conductivity. The percolation threshold of paraffin/xGnP composite PCMs was between 1 and 2 wt% in resistivity measurement. The thermal conductivity of paraffin/xGnP composite PCMs was increased as xGnP loading contents. Also, reproducibility of paraffin/xGnP composite PCMs as continuous PCMs was manifested in results of electric and thermal conductivity. Paraffin/xGnP composite PCMs showed two peaks in the heating curve by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) measurement. The first phase change peak at around 35 °C is lower and corresponds to the solid-solid phase transition of the paraffin, and the second peak is high at around 55 °C, corresponding to the solid-liquid phase change. The latent heat of paraffin/xGnP composite PCMs did not decrease as loading xGnP contents to paraffin. xGnP can be considered as an effective heat-diffusion promoter to improve thermal conductivity of PCMs without reducing its latent heat storage capacity in paraffin wax.     

Study on phase change temperature distributions of composite PCMs in thermal energy storage systems

A one‐dimensional (1D) physical model is developed for latent heat thermal energy storage (TES) systems using composite phase change materials (PCMs) with different phase change temperature (PCT) distributions. By theoretical investigation under the assumption of neglecting the sensible heat, the optimum linear PCT distributions which are corresponding to minimum phase change time are derived. To verify the theoretical results of the optimum linear PCT distributions, the finite difference method is adopted to simulate the cyclical freezing and melting processes of composite PCMs. The numerical results in which the sensible heat is taken into account show that: (1) the optimum linear PCT distributions obtained from the theoretical analyses seem to be the optimum ones of composite PCMs in practical latent heat TES systems; (2) the phase change time of composite PCMs with the optimum linear PCT distributions used in practical latent heat TES systems can be decreased by as much as 25–40% by properly selecting the segmented numbers of composite PCMs as compared with that of PCMs of a single PCT. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.