Research

Research Topic:

Thermochemical Energy Storage Systems (TESS) and their applications

Abstract:

In the context of increasing global warming and depleting fossil fuel reserves, the utilization of renewable energy sources is gaining more traction globally. Renewable energy sources (like Solar energy) provide energy with minimal environmental impact. But one of the key challenges in the mass adaption of renewables is the fluctuations in energy supply. Therefore, energy storage systems play a critical role in mitigating the mismatch between fluctuating energy supply from renewables and the variable user demand. Thermal storage systems are classified based on the operational principle as: Sensible, Latent and Thermochemical energy storage systems. TESS offer significantly higher energy storage density than the Sensible and Latent energy storage systems. TESS also offer flexibility in storage material selection as per the operating temperature range, better control over the storage and extraction of energy, storage of thermal energy at ambient temperature with minimal energy loss, ease of transportation.

Some of the interesting applications of TESS that are being currently investigated are for different applications in Electric Vehicles (EV) and Hybrid EV as well as building heating applications.

Publications:

A. Chate, S. Srinivasa Murthy, P. Dutta, Performance Analysis of a Thermochemical Energy Storage System for Battery Preheating in Electric Vehicles, Applied Thermal Engineering (favourably reviewed, re-submitted).
A. Chate, R. Sharma, S. Srinivasa Murthy, P. Dutta, Studies on a Potassium Carbonate Salt Hydrate based Thermochemical Energy Storage System, Applied Thermal Engineering (favourably reviewed, re-submitted).

Conferences/Workshops:

Oral presentation at ME@75 Research Frontiers Conference, IISc, Bangalore (01 July 2022).
Oral presentation at BRICS InternationalWorkshop on Sorption-based High Performance Thermal Batteries: Materials, Thermal Engineering, and Systems BRICS, IISc, Bangalore (15 December 2021).
Attended the International Workshop on Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage at IIT, Tirupati (24–25 December 2019).
Participated in COMSOL Conference 2019 Bangalore (28–29 Novmber 2019).