Phase change material heat storage performance in the solar thermal storage structure employing experimental evaluation

One of the most investigated and broadly used mediums in the solar thermal storage systems is using phase change materials. In this research, a comprehensive performance test bench for solar thermal utilization system using a controllable heater to substitute different levels of solar input was established. The test bench is not limited by the weather and equipped with alternative heat storage tanks for different PCMs. The heat storage structure and the performance of paraffin in low temperature system was examined using numerical simulation method. The results showed that the heating power received by PCM was stable at 6–8 kW under the heating condition of 85 °C. At the stage of incompletely melting, the temperature difference between the inside and outside was as high as 31.6, which can reduce the loss of heat to a great extent.