COMMERCIAL TRIAL
Organon Pharma plant to test EnergiVault thermal battery
Organic Heat Exchangers (O-Hx), of Thornton, England, is conducting a three-month trial of its EnergiVault cold thermal energy storage solution at an Organon Pharma manufacturing plant in Cramlington, England.
The EnergiVault thermal battery, which employs a phase change material, is charged by the refrigeration system using off-peak electricity. The charged battery is employed during peak periods. EnergiVault’s heat recovery system is also able to capture waste heat from the refrigeration system and use it to heat spaces or water.
The trial is a test of the EnergiVault’s potential for scaling up for widespread commercial use. O-Hx and Organon both said they could work together to design a tailored commercial solution, potentially involving multiple EnergiVault units, if the trial is successful.
Geoff Barker, O-Hx’s product director, told the Cooling Post: “Whilst the EnergiVault technology is sector agnostic, it is particularly well suited to the demands of pharmaceutical and healthcare applications on a global scale.”
Organon utilities lead Paul Lunn agreed that the thermal battery could meet the pharmaceutical company’s energy needs. “The O-Hx EnergiVault system has the potential to work alongside our existing refrigeration systems and efficiently manage part load chillers and respond to peak loading situations without significant energy consumption,” he said.
“The system will allow us to effectively store energy from renewable sources such as the existing on-site wind turbines and future solar PV and, overall, adding system resilience.”
RAL ASSOCIATION
Axiotherm’s heatStixx earns RAL Quality Mark
The RAL Quality Association PCM recently awarded the RAL Quality Mark to Axiotherm’s heatStixx ATS 44 for cycling category A (≥10.000 cycles). Its superellipsoid macro-encapsulation gives heatStixx a distinctive cigar-shape that can easily be integrated in every heat or cold storage unit through the standard 1.5-inch socket. Various phase change materials can be used, allowing heatStixx to meet the needs of a wide range of refrigeration, air-conditioning, and heating applications.
“We are delighted that our heatSixx have been awarded a globally recognized Quality Mark,” said Klaus Rauch, managing director of Axiotherm´s subsidiary kraftBoxx. “The highest RAL certification is a great accolade and consolidates Axiotherm/kraftBoxx’s position as technology leader in macro-encapsulated PCM for heating and cooling systems. Of crucial importance to us is that certification gives our customers in this sensitive market segment the certainty that they can trust an independently tested, reliable and, above all, very durable product.
“By integrating these PCM products into a variety of applications and systems, we hope to make a significant contribution to the necessary reduction of CO2 emissions in buildings and industries.”
The heatSixx have also been successfully tested in practice. One example is the Center for Applied Energy Research’s RENBuild project (BMWK FKZ 03EN1009), which provides a regenerative supply of highly efficient heating, cooling and electricity in demonstrator buildings ranging from detached houses to office buildings. The primary components of the system are: a heat pump, photovoltaic-thermal collectors, and cold storage filled with heatStixx to increase capacity. This holistic approach enabled the system’s annual coefficient of performance to be increased from 3.8 to 6.3 compared with the reference system (simply a heat pump and standard photovoltaic system).
TES GUIDELINES
India sets standards for solar-powered cold-storage systems
India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued guidelines to regulate the design, performance, and operation of solar-powered cold-storage systems equipped with thermal energy storage (TES) that utilizes phase change materials. The standardization aims to improve efficiency and sustainability of the cold storage infrastructure powered by renewable energy that stores produce, dairy products, fish, and pharmaceuticals, ETEnergyWorld reported.
The guidelines apply to solar cold-storage systems with capacities of 2 metric tonnes (MT), 5 MT, 10 MT, and 20MT that are designed to maintain temperatures from -5°C to 4°C. They require high-efficiency polyurethane foam insulation, remote monitoring systems, and a minimum five-year maintenance guarantee.
In addition, the guidelines require each system to pass testing of its energy consumption, cooling efficiency, and ability to maintain stable temperatures during varying weather conditions. The TES systems are primarily designed for off-grid applications, however, the guidelines do allow for grid backup power.
Nitin Goel, founder of Inficold, a cold-chain solution provider in New Delhi, India, called out some key highlights of the new guidelines and a table that compares the specifications of existing installations with new guidelines on LinkedIn. He said they expand the minimum storage temperature to -5°C and 1°C applications and they include a formula for approximate estimation of thermal storage capacity, a template for vendors to provide technical specifications, a template for testing agencies to provide test summary, and a special focus on energy efficiency in the test summary.
Goel said the two-day suggested cooling backup is aligned with National Centre for Cold Chain Development (NCCD) guidelines, though he added that one day is allowable based on site-specific conditions. He also said that the pre-cooling duration has been increased to 18 hours, which is also aligned with NCCD guidelines.
“The adoption of guidelines will resolve the above-mentioned challenges faced by the farmer and create technical benchmarks for innovation,” Goel said.
IN BRIEF
• Joachim Kuhn (pictured), founder and long-standing CEO of va-Q-tec Thermal Solutions GmbH(Würzburg, Germany), announced that Julian Ehlert will serve as the new CEO beginning April 1. Kuhn lauded Ehlert’s many years of experience in consulting, his sector and industry perspective, and his familiarity with the company and key partner Envirotainer. Kuhn will serve on the company’s Advisory Board. Bernd Scheifele, chairman of the Advisory Board, said: “With his visionary leadership and tireless commitment, Dr. Joachim Kuhn has turned va-Q-tec into a globally recognized company since its foundation. His contribution to technological development and his entrepreneurial vision have had a lasting impact on the company. On behalf of the entire Advisory Board, I would like to thank him for his outstanding work as CEO and am delighted that he will remain with va-Q-tec in a strategic role and also continue to hold a significant stake through the founders’ pool.”
• Fafco has named Pure Thermal, of Blackpool, England, as its UK and Ireland distributor of IceBat cold thermal energy storage systems. The thermal energy storage company based in Chevigny-Saint-Sauveur, France, has more than 1,400 IceBat systems installations in Europe, with a capacity of over 3.6GWh. IceBat utilizes the latent heat of the ice-water phase change to accumulate and store cold energy economically and efficiently. The system can be retrofitted to work with existing systems or integrated into new projects. Pure Thermal Founder and Operational Director Garry Broadbent told Heat Pumps Today: “We’re seeing increasing requirements for load shifting and also capacity management within cooling applications. Having developed a strong relationship with Fafco and being extremely impressed with their proven track record, we are really pleased to now be appointed as their UK partner, as we see significant potential for cold thermal energy storage in the UK and Ireland.”
• Sunamp announced that its Thermino xPlus heat battery now works with Mitsubishi Ecodan PUZ-WZ R290 heat pumps, marking the first time two Scottish-manufactured products have been designed to work together as a complete low-carbon, sustainable heating and hot water solution for homeowners. “The integration of Thermino xPlus with the Mitsubishi Ecodan PUZ-WZ series is a game-changer for the industry,” said Giovanni Calabrese, head of engineering at Sunamp. “By combining our pioneering heat battery technology with one of Europe’s most widely adopted air-to-water heat pumps, we’re making it easier than ever for homeowners to transition to a low-carbon future without compromising on hot water output or space.”
• Cowa Thermal Solutions of Root, Switzerland, won the 2025 Start Up Energy Transition (SET) Award in the Clean Energy and Storage category, beating out Power to Hydrogen (United States), and Botree Recycling Technologies (China). Cowa develops compact thermal storage systems using patented PCMs. The SET website states: “Targeting the growing European heat pump market, Cowa’s scalable technology enhances urban heat pump integration and renewable energy use.”
• Members of RAL Quality Association PCM decided at its General Assembly meeting on March 11 to revise the current version of Quality Assurance RAL-GZ 896 in order to make testing simpler and to have more PCM products certified with the RAL Quality Mark in the future. Any revisions would need to pass RAL´s stakeholder review process, which is expected to be completed in approximately eight to 10 weeks.
• The Innovation Pathways for Thermal Energy Storage (INPATH-TES) network is made up of 15 European universities and two research centers that provide courses and lessons to train TES professionals. Students can earn a certificate after completing a lesson. Luisa Cabeza, a professor at the Universitat de Lleida (Spain), said nearly 120 certificates have already been given to 20 doctoral students in 2025. Cabeza encouraged other interested doctoral students to explore the full range of courses and lessons offered by the INPATH-TES network.
• Łukasz Piszczyk, a professor at the Gdańsk Tech Faculty of Chemistry, received nearly $400,000 in grant funding from the OPUS program for a project titled “Research on the possibilities of implementing and processing phase change materials (PCM) in polyurethane materials.” Piszczyk said his main goal is to develop new polyurethane materials that will accumulate and release thermal energy as efficiently as possible.
• Dräger has launched the ProAir, an advanced closed-circuit breathing apparatus designed for hazardous environments, including below-deck ship incidents, confined spaces, subterranean operations, and hazardous materials operations. The U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has certified the ProAir for federal government operations. The device, which provides oxygen for more than four times the current standard, has two cooling options: the Ice Cooler and a PCM system.
• Battery & Electrification Technology magazine and SAE International are hosting the 2025 Battery and Electrification Summit online on April 22 and 23. “Enhancing phase change materials for thermal management” is one of the topics included in the virtual event, which offers expert insight into new technologies, products, and applications for design engineers and managers.
• The International Energy Agency Solar Heating and Cooling (IEA SHC) program is hosting a webinar about compact thermal energy storage technologies on April 2 and 3. The IEA SHC program has conducted work on phase change materials and thermochemical materials development, materials characterization, state of charge determination, and component development. Results will be highlighted in the webinars. Speakers include: Wim van Helden, of AEE INTEC (Austria); Daniel Lager, of AIT (Austria), and Christoph Rathgeber, of ZAE Bayern (Germany).
• NewHydrogen of Santa Clarita, California, revealed that the secret to ThermoLoop, a technology that produces what it claims is “the world’s cheapest green hydrogen,” is the phase change properties of what it calls its “Novel Material.” NewHydrogen uses near isothermal reactions in a process called thermochemical water-splitting. “Using heat, rather than electricity, is simply a better way to split water to make green hydrogen. Heat is cheap,” said NewHydrogen CEO Steve Hill. “Heat-based systems are more scalable and have the potential to be cheaper than electrolyzer systems.”
PATENTS
System for hypothermic transport
U.S. patent application 20250072415 (applicant Paragonix Technologies, Inc, North Waltham, Massachusetts):
“A system for the hypothermic transport of biological samples, such as tissues, organs, or body fluids. The system includes support systems to permit arrangement of cooling media around a biological sample without potentially damaging direct contact between the cooling media and the biological sample. Systems and methods disclosed herein also include specific configurations, types, and performance characteristics of cooling media such as phase change materials to allow for extended hypothermic storage and transport.”
Cell holder for holding battery cells of a traction battery
U.S. patent application 20250079558 (applicant MAHLE International GmbH, Stuttgart, Germany):
“A cell holder for accommodating a plurality of battery cells of a traction battery, comprising: a base body structured in the form of a grid and formed in one piece, the base body including a plurality of grid openings; at least two first receptacles disposed on a first side of the base body, the at least two first receptacles each configured to accommodate a single battery cell of the plurality of battery cells; at least two second receptacles disposed on a second side of the base body opposite the first side, the at least two second receptacles each configured to accommodate a single battery cell of the plurality of battery cells; and at least one area including a phase change material.”
PCM cell and system technology
U.S. patent application 20250067522 (applicant Michaels Energy, Inc., La Crosse, Wisconsin):
“The description that follows describes, illustrates and exemplifies embodiments of Cooling Systems comprising an Array or group of individual Cooling Cells. The Cooling Cells utilize a Phase Change Material (PCM) for cooling. The Arrays of Cells are then arranged in Racks, Shelves, Pallets, Ceilings and the like.”
More U.S. patent applications:
Thermal management structure with fluid channels (Hutchinson, Paris, France.) | Thermal conductivity measurement based on phase change materials (General Atomics, San Diego, California.) | Systems, devices, and methods for preserving an organ for transplantation (Traferox Technologies Inc., Toronto, Canada.) | Temperature-controllable human body charging apparatus (Zhuhai CosMX Battery Co., Ltd., Zhuhai, China.) | Nucleation agent (Nostromo, Ltd., Even-Yehuda, Israel.) | Mattress assemblies including blends of phase change material to mitigate supercooling effects (Dreamwell, Ltd., Doraville, Georgia.)
RESEARCH ROUNDUP
From Journal of Energy Storage:
• Synthesis of alumina porous ceramics to enhance heat transfer and control Supercooling in sugar alcohol phase change materials for thermal energy storage
• High-performance and anti-leakage polypyrrole-modified wood-based composite phase change material with superior photothermal conversion capability
• Study on coupling technology and thermal performance of solar energy and phase change energy storage in composite wall
• Novel metal foam and phase change material integrated multi-tube heat exchanger design for simultaneous charging and discharging
From Materials:
From Journal of Alloys and Compounds:
• Die-cast Al–Si–Cu alloy (ADC12) as a phase change material for medium–high-temperature heat storage
From Journal of Building Engineering:
• Cooling performance evaluation of a novel radiant ceiling panel containing phase change material (PCM)
• Analysis of thermal performance of an innovative thermal storage wall
From International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer:
From Energy Conversion and Management: X:
From Building and Environment:
From Energy:
• Design of a passive temperature management house using composite phase change materials
• Model predictive control for ice-storage air conditioning systems with time delay compensation integration
• Application study of direct current refrigerator combining phase-change cold storage and mini-electrical storage
From Surfaces and Interfaces:
From Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells:
• Tetraethylammonium chloride as a novel eutectic partner for sodium acetate trihydrate-tailored phase change materials for efficient solar heat pump systems
• Flexible biomass-based phase change materials: L-N-Ti for environmentally friendly thermal management
From International Journal of Thermofluids:
• Parametric Enviro-Economic Analysis of Cooling Photovoltaic Panels with Phase Change Materials
From Chemical Engineering Journal:
• Ultra-stable phase change coatings constructed from dynamic boron ester crosslinked polymers and lipophilic MWCNTs
• Developing flame-retardant properties into intrinsic phase change materials: A molecular design study inspired by phosphorus-nitrogen synergy
From Carbon:
From Energy and Buildings:
From Buildings:
From Industrial Crops and Products:
From Food Chemistry:
NETWORKING
Connect with PCM experts and industry leaders on LinkedIn
More than 1,800 people have joined a LinkedIn group devoted to the discussion of phase change material and thermal energy storage. You are invited to join the Phase Change Matters group and connect with PCM and TES experts from around the world.
This month we welcome Albert Valentin, CEO and founder of Enhanced Efficiencies, Charlotte, North Carolina; Ruby-Jean Clark, senior research and development engineer at NETenergy, Chicago, Illinois; Dennis Poon, technical support and development manager at SIP – Speciality Oils and Fluids, London, England; József Kakas, CEO at Heatventors, Budapest, Hungary; Eelko Ronner, founder of Corbotics, Delft, Netherlands; Saliha Saher, Ph.D. student at Monash University, Clayton, Australia; and Laurent Zalewski, director of the faculty of applied sciences at the Université d’Artois, Arras, France.
NEWS TIPS
Does your company, agency or university have a job opening, new research, new product or other news you’d like to share? I would love to hear from you. Please contact newsletter editor Amy Phillips at phasechangematters@gmail.com.
A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR
This newsletter is made possible through the generous support of the RAL Quality Association PCM and the members listed below. To learn more about the association, including membership benefits, please contact Stefan Thomann, executive director, at pcm@kellencompany.com.
Axiotherm GmbH | B Medical Systems | Croda International Plc. | ISU Chemical Co. Ltd. | RuhrTech | Microtek Laboratories | PCM Technology | PLUSS Advanced Technologies | PureTemp LLC | Rubitherm Technologies GmbH | Sasol Germany GmbH | S.Lab Asia Inc. | Sunamp Ltd. | va-Q-tec AG