Laboratory crestCombustion andLaser Sensing Laboratory
中文EN

CLS · RESEARCH AREAS

Advanced Energy Storage and Thermal Management

Exploring efficient heat recovery, storage, control, and conversion for industry, transport, and renewable energy applications.

Battery thermal management and phase-change heat storage: a research concept illustration

Overview

Efficient use of heat is an important route to improving energy efficiency. Substantial waste heat remains underused in industry and transport, while solar energy supply often does not coincide with demand. Batteries and industrial equipment also require suitable, stable temperatures. Focusing on heat recovery, storage, and control, we investigate thermoelectric generation for waste-heat recovery and phase-change materials for thermal energy storage, and explore their applications in solar energy utilization and thermal management. By improving heat transfer and device design, we aim to increase energy efficiency and enhance equipment performance and reliability.

Research themes

Waste-heat recovery and thermoelectric generation

For heat sources such as automotive exhaust and high-temperature industrial waste heat, we investigate the direct conversion of heat into electricity using thermoelectric generators. We study how generator design can be matched to heat-source characteristics, including the effects of material configurations, device structures, hot- and cold-side heat transfer, and radiative heat losses on performance. Considering heat collection, cooling, and operating conditions, we evaluate electricity output alongside flow resistance and auxiliary energy consumption to identify designs that improve net energy gains.

Phase-change heat storage and heat-transfer enhancement

We investigate thermal energy storage using the melting and solidification of phase-change materials across different temperature ranges and energy demands. Research examines phase-boundary evolution and the effects of conduction, natural convection, and thermal radiation on heat storage and release. Material selection, fins, and conductive enhancement structures are explored to improve charging and discharging performance. We balance storage capacity, charging and discharging rates, and cycling stability in the design and application of compact, efficient thermal storage units.

Thermal management of batteries and industrial processes

We study the balance among heat generation, transfer, and dissipation in temperature control for batteries, energy conversion devices, and industrial processes. Combining phase-change buffering, enhanced cooling, thermal insulation, and active and passive temperature control, we seek to improve temperature uniformity, limit local overheating, and manage temperature responses to varying thermal loads. We examine the recovery of heat-storage capacity in phase-change materials and the matching of heat sources, storage units, and cooling conditions, evaluating temperature control, additional energy consumption, and reliability under practical operating conditions.

Solar thermal utilization and system integration

We investigate efficient collection of solar radiation, heat transfer, and integrated energy utilization, focusing on how concentration methods, receiver structures, and environmental conditions affect heat collection and losses. Research on cavity receivers, heat-pipe heat transfer, and thermoelectric generation explores systems for converting solar energy into heat and electricity. We also study integrated photovoltaic–thermal utilization, coordinating cooling and heat recovery to balance photovoltaic performance with useful heat output and extend solar energy applications in heating and power generation.

Future directions

Future work will explore the joint design of phase-change heat storage and thermoelectric generation to make better use of fluctuating heat sources, as well as integrated systems for solar heat collection, storage, and energy supply. For batteries and industrial processes, we will further investigate temperature control under continuous operation and varying loads, balancing heat utilization efficiency with equipment reliability.

Related publications

  1. Automotive exhaust thermoelectric generators: Current status, challenges and future prospects

    Z. Shen, L. Tian, X. Liu*

    Energy Conversion and Management · 2019; 195: 1138–1173

    Reviews thermoelectric generation from automotive exhaust, covering heat recovery, device and heat-exchanger design, system integration, and net energy gains.

  2. A novel strategy of inserting radiation shields to enhance the performance of thermoelectric generator systems for industrial high-temperature heat recovery

    X. Liu, K. Wang, Z. Shen

    Energy · 2024; 301: 131704

    Theoretically investigates radiation shields for controlling heat losses and improving thermoelectric system performance in high-temperature industrial waste-heat recovery.

  3. Heat transfer performance of a finned shell-and-tube latent heat thermal energy storage unit in the presence of thermal radiation

    Z. Shen, S. Chen, B. Chen

    Journal of Energy Storage · 2022; 45: 103724

    Numerically investigates heat transfer and melting in a finned phase-change storage unit, examining the effects of thermal radiation and structural parameters on storage performance.

  4. A review on thermal management performance enhancement of phase change materials for vehicle lithium-ion batteries

    Z. Shen, S. Chen, X. Liu, B. Chen

    Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews · 2021; 148: 111301

    Reviews enhancement methods for phase-change materials in traction-battery thermal management, addressing thermal conductivity, recovery of heat-storage capacity, and integration with other cooling methods.

  5. Phase change materials-based thermal buffers can be counterproductive in reducing temperature fluctuations

    Z. Shen, L. Jing, Y. Wang*

    International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer · 2025; 160: 108300

    Investigates a phase-change buffer between a fluctuating heat source and a thermoelectric generator, showing that phase change and natural convection can amplify local temperature fluctuations under certain conditions. The findings highlight the need to account for specific structures and operating conditions in dynamic thermal management.

  6. Proposal and assessment of a solar thermoelectric generation system characterized by Fresnel lens, cavity receiver and heat pipe

    Z. Shen, S. Wu, L. Xiao, Z. Chen

    Energy · 2017; 141: 215–238

    Proposes and theoretically evaluates a solar power generation system integrating a Fresnel lens, a cavity receiver, a heat pipe, and thermoelectric devices.

  7. Experimental study on combined convective heat loss of a fully open cylindrical cavity under wind conditions

    S. Wu, Z. Shen, L. Xiao, D. Li

    International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer · 2015; 83: 509–521

    Experimentally investigates the effects of wind speed, wind direction, and cavity inclination on convective heat losses from a cavity receiver, supporting the design of solar thermal collectors.

  8. Effect of cooling channel position on heat transfer characteristics and thermoelectric performance of air-cooled PV/T system

    S. Wu, T. Wang, L. Xiao, Z. Shen

    Solar Energy · 2019; 180: 489–500

    Numerically investigates how the position of an air-cooling channel affects heat transfer, photovoltaic generation, and heat recovery in a photovoltaic–thermal system, illustrating research on combined solar electricity and heat utilization.

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