Experimental and numerical investigation on latent heat/cold stores for advanced pumped-thermal energy storage

Pumped-thermal energy storage plays a pivotal role in large-scale harvesting and utilization for renewable resource endowments with intrinsic properties such as intermittency and instability. Here, we conducted detailed experimental and numerical studies on latent heat/cold stores of Brayton-like pumped-thermal energy storage. A demonstration thermal energy storage system with rated power of 20 kW including phase change materials (PCMs) preparation and structural design of energy storage units is synergistically designed and built. In this paper, the operating mechanism behind the theoretical experiment and control groups that raises the intake temperature through an air heater is uncovered and compared. Moreover, an auxiliary numerical model for further energy and exergy analyses is established to perfect the system-wide assessment. In terms of the first law of thermodynamics, the speed of energy storage and efficiency increase with higher operational pressures. For instance, system properties like roundtrip efficiency can reach up to 0.37 at an operating pressure of 0.7 MPa. As for systematic exergy despite the total destruction of thermal energy storage units amounts to 12.25 kWh the maximum exergy efficiency could reach 0.61 simultaneously. •Latent heat/cold stores for pumped-thermal energy storage are experimentally studied.•The rated power of the demonstration system is 20 kW and the charge/discharge time is 5 h.•The round-trip efficiency of the experimental system achieves up to 0.37.•The cumulative stored exergy can reach 11.89 kWh with an exergy efficiency of 0.61.