Thermal energy storage systems are an essential feature to make an efficient use of solar energy due to the inherent intermittence of this energy source. These systems allow making use of thermal energy -accumulated in hours of high solar radiation - in moments of lower solar radiation, reducing the mismatch between the supply and demand of the energy. Phase change materials (PCM) provide an effective way of accumulating thermal energy, due to their high capacity to store heat at a constant or near to constant temperature. This paper deals with the numerical simulation of thermal energy storage systems with PCM. Numerical simulations are a powerful tool for predicting the thermal behaviour of thermal systems, as well as for optimizing their design.
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