The adoption of super-insulating materials could dramatically reduce the energy losses in thermal energy storage (TES). In this paper, these materials were tested and compared with the traditional materials adopted in TES. The reduction of system performance caused by thermal bridging effect was considered using FEM analysis.
Therefore, advanced insulation materials are a promising insulation technology for the storage tanks. The Super Insulating Materials (SIMs), such as Vacuum Insulation Panels (VIPs) and Aerogel Based Products (ABPs), , have a 5 - 10 times lower thermal conductivity compared to the traditional insulating materials. [7,8,9].
Influence of insulating materials on TES net volume Several storage tank technical sheets show that a common material used for TES insulation is PU (layer 5cm thick). The corresponding thermal resistance is equal to 1.92 m2K/W .
Conclusions Today, thermal energy storage systems are typically insulated using conventional materials such as mineral wools due to their reliability, ease of installation, and low cost. The main drawback of these materials is their relatively high thermal conductivity, which results in a large insulation thickness.
The economic hurdle of small-scale systems highlights the importance of developing cost-effective thermal insulation solutions that allow the storage structure to be built of low-cost materials and, more importantly, to reduce the space required by large storage systems incorporated inside buildings. 3. Thermal insulation methods and materials
In conventional insulation materials like glass wool, rock wool or organic foams, the total heat transfer is dominated by the contribution of the gas within the hollow spaces. Alternatively, the thermal insulation can be realized within the wall of the storage as illustrated in Fig. 2 b.