A proposition of peritectic structures as candidates for thermal energy storage

Peritectic structures are proposed as candidates for thermal energy storage in solar power plants. According to the evolution of Concentrated Solar Plants (CSP) technologies, the development of a new technology for ultra-compact Thermal Energy Storage (TES) over an extended range of temperatures is required. Identification, synthesis, analysis and characterization of innovative advanced materials should allow reaching outstanding energy density, long term stability, reasonable investment and could also enhancing heat transfers. All these assets make the 'peritectics' very appealing potential candidates for heat storage. In this work, a theoretical study based on phase diagrams modeling is performed to investigate the possible use of binary peritectic structures. It has been shown that peritectics can provide significantly increased energy density compared to simple melting/solidification processes, mainly because they involve chemical reactions. These materials could hence represent a very innovative and promising route for ultra-compact heat storage over a wide range of temperatures [300 - 700°C].