Ultra-High Temperature Energy Storage and Conversion: A Review of the AMADEUS Project Results

Starting in January 2017, AMADEUS (www.amadeus-projecteu) is the first project funded by the European Commission to research on a new generation of materials and solid-state devices for ultra-high temperature energy storage and conversion. By exploring storage temperatures well beyond 1000 degrees C, one of the main objectives of the project is to create new PCMs (phase change materials) with latent heat in the range of 1000-2000 kWh/m(3), an order of magnitude greater than that of typical salt-based PCMs used in concentrated solar power (CSP), along with developing advanced thermal insulation, PCM casing designs, and novel solid-state thermal-to-electric energy conversion devices able to operate at temperatures in the range of 1000-2000 degrees C. In particular, the project is investigating silicon-boron based alloys as PCMs and hybrid thermionic-photovoltaic (TIPV) devices for energy conversion. This paper describes the main project R&D activities and the results that have been attained during the first two years of the project. This includes the thermophysical characterization of Si-B alloys, the wettability and solubility analysis of said alloys with solid refractory materials, the numerical simulation of phase-change and heat losses through thermal insulation cover, as well as the realization of the two main proof-of-concept experiments: the TIPV converter, and the full latent heat energy storage system.