ABSTRACT
Heat storage is a technology of growing present and future importance, as people adopt time-variable energy sources, such as solar heat and power, or attempt to match time-variable demands with constant power sources, for example, uranium-fueled electric plants. The use of phase change materials (PCMs) for latent heat storage has lagged behind that of sensible heat storage. In some cases, the capacity of thermochemical systems can be augmented with a phase change process. The efficiency of a flat plate solar collector decreases as the inlet fluid temperature rises. Conversion systems at or near the ultimate consumer respond readily to his demands for heat, electricity, and motive power. Mechanical agitation of incongruent-melting PCMs also can be accomplished by circulating an immiscible fluid through the heat storage tank. The emergency evoked a massive effort, both in the U. S. and abroad, to conserve fuel and develop other energy sources.
