Assessment of phase change materials for thermal energy storage in battery systems for heavy-duty vehicle applications.

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Title: Assessment of phase change materials for thermal energy storage in battery systems for heavy-duty vehicle applications.
Authors: Revello, Elisa1 (AUTHOR), Dixit, Prakhar2 (AUTHOR), Turunen, Konsta2 (AUTHOR), Santasalo-Aarnio, Annukka2 (AUTHOR), Monteverde, Alessandro Hugo Antonio1 (AUTHOR) alessandro.monteverdevidela@polito.it
Source: Energy Conversion & Management. Feb2026, Vol. 349, pN.PAG-N.PAG. 1p.
Subjects: Phase change materials, Octadecane, Heavy duty trucks, Temperature control, Heat storage, Battery storage plants, Heat transfer fluids, Energy density
Abstract: [Display omitted] • N-octadecane was identified as a promising PCM for battery thermal management. • Slower melting at the bottom of the TES due to reduced heat transfer under Al fins. • Higher HTF flow rate slightly improves thermal power ratio (∼5%) with minimal timing impact. • PCM integration raised gravimetric specific power to 0.056 kW kg−1, 3.5 times the baseline. • Volumetric specific power increased 6-fold (68 kW m−3) over the baseline. Thermal management plays a crucial role in ensuring performance, safety, and durability in heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs), particularly under demanding operating conditions. This study investigates the use of phase change materials (PCMs) for passive thermal control, focusing on the thermal characterization and performance evaluation of commercial PCMs for battery thermal management systems (BTMS). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) identified n-octadecane as the most promising candidate, with a melting range of 25–32 °C, a latent heat of fusion of 222.2 J g−1, and good thermal stability. Experimental tests in a dedicated thermal energy storage (TES) system examined the charging and discharging behaviour of n-octadecane under varying heat transfer fluid (HTF) flow rates. The heat transfer was conduction-dominated in the solid state and convection-enhanced in the liquid state. Increasing the heat transfer fluid (HTF) flow rate had limited influence on charging/discharging time but improved thermal power ratio of the TES to 56 at 3 L min−1, representing a 3.5-fold improvement over the baseline configuration without PCM. Experimental results highlighted that incorporating PCM into the TES system increased the gravimetric specific power to 0.056 kW kg−1 – 3.5 times higher than the baseline configuration without PCM (0.016 kW kg−1). Additionally, the volumetric specific power reached approximately 68 kW m−3, a sixfold enhancement compared to the baseline. These findings support the design of modular PCM-integrated TES systems as scalable solutions for HDV battery pack cooling or cabin thermal management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Energy Conversion & Management is the property of Pergamon Press - An Imprint of Elsevier Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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DbLabel: Engineering Source
An: 191117230
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  Label: Title
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  Data: Assessment of phase change materials for thermal energy storage in battery systems for heavy-duty vehicle applications.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Revello%2C+Elisa%22">Revello, Elisa</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Dixit%2C+Prakhar%22">Dixit, Prakhar</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Turunen%2C+Konsta%22">Turunen, Konsta</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Santasalo-Aarnio%2C+Annukka%22">Santasalo-Aarnio, Annukka</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Monteverde%2C+Alessandro+Hugo+Antonio%22">Monteverde, Alessandro Hugo Antonio</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> alessandro.monteverdevidela@polito.it</i>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Energy+Conversion+%26+Management%22">Energy Conversion & Management</searchLink>. Feb2026, Vol. 349, pN.PAG-N.PAG. 1p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Phase+change+materials%22">Phase change materials</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Octadecane%22">Octadecane</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Heavy+duty+trucks%22">Heavy duty trucks</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Temperature+control%22">Temperature control</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Heat+storage%22">Heat storage</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Battery+storage+plants%22">Battery storage plants</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Heat+transfer+fluids%22">Heat transfer fluids</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Energy+density%22">Energy density</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: [Display omitted] • N-octadecane was identified as a promising PCM for battery thermal management. • Slower melting at the bottom of the TES due to reduced heat transfer under Al fins. • Higher HTF flow rate slightly improves thermal power ratio (∼5%) with minimal timing impact. • PCM integration raised gravimetric specific power to 0.056 kW kg−1, 3.5 times the baseline. • Volumetric specific power increased 6-fold (68 kW m−3) over the baseline. Thermal management plays a crucial role in ensuring performance, safety, and durability in heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs), particularly under demanding operating conditions. This study investigates the use of phase change materials (PCMs) for passive thermal control, focusing on the thermal characterization and performance evaluation of commercial PCMs for battery thermal management systems (BTMS). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) identified n-octadecane as the most promising candidate, with a melting range of 25–32 °C, a latent heat of fusion of 222.2 J g−1, and good thermal stability. Experimental tests in a dedicated thermal energy storage (TES) system examined the charging and discharging behaviour of n-octadecane under varying heat transfer fluid (HTF) flow rates. The heat transfer was conduction-dominated in the solid state and convection-enhanced in the liquid state. Increasing the heat transfer fluid (HTF) flow rate had limited influence on charging/discharging time but improved thermal power ratio of the TES to 56 at 3 L min−1, representing a 3.5-fold improvement over the baseline configuration without PCM. Experimental results highlighted that incorporating PCM into the TES system increased the gravimetric specific power to 0.056 kW kg−1 – 3.5 times higher than the baseline configuration without PCM (0.016 kW kg−1). Additionally, the volumetric specific power reached approximately 68 kW m−3, a sixfold enhancement compared to the baseline. These findings support the design of modular PCM-integrated TES systems as scalable solutions for HDV battery pack cooling or cabin thermal management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Energy Conversion & Management is the property of Pergamon Press - An Imprint of Elsevier Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1016/j.enconman.2025.120816
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 1
        StartPage: N.PAG
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Phase change materials
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Octadecane
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Heavy duty trucks
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Temperature control
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Heat storage
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Battery storage plants
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Heat transfer fluids
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Energy density
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Assessment of phase change materials for thermal energy storage in battery systems for heavy-duty vehicle applications.
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Revello, Elisa
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          Name:
            NameFull: Dixit, Prakhar
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            NameFull: Turunen, Konsta
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            NameFull: Santasalo-Aarnio, Annukka
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Monteverde, Alessandro Hugo Antonio
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          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 02
              Text: Feb2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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              Value: 01968904
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              Value: 349
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            – TitleFull: Energy Conversion & Management
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