Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

Electrical tomography for phase change monitoring

Project description

Monitoring phase change via electrical impedance tomography

Phase change materials (PCMs) absorb and release (latent) heat when they change phase: for example, water releases heat as it freezes and absorbs heat as it melts. Advanced PCMs are a key enabler of low-carbon heating and cooling. Their use requires smart monitoring and control, given the temporal mismatch between energy availability and heating/cooling demand. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the ET4PCM project will develop the first-of-its-kind, smart, non-invasive impedance sensor to monitor the liquid fraction of PCMs in real time. Development of in silico smart-control tools at a predictive analytics consulting company and deployment of the electrical impedance tomography technology in a real-world system will help ensure success.

Objective

Heating/cooling demands represent more than half of energy consumption in households and drive most of energy-related GHG emissions in the residential sector. To achieve decarbonisation goals heating/cooling demands must be supplied with heat pumps driven by renewable electricity. However, the mismatch between energy availability and heating/cooling demand needs to be reconciled with low-cost, efficient and flexible energy storage. Latent thermal energy storage (LTES) with phase change materials (PCMs) is becoming a key enabling technology for low-carbon heating/cooling. However, smart control of LTES systems require monitoring of the liquid fraction, which determines the total stored energy. The present research proposal, ET4PCM, aims to develop a first-of-a-kind, smart, non-invasive, versatile impedance sensor to evaluate in real-time the liquid fraction evolution of PCMs in LTES. The ET4PCM sensor will provide detailed information regarding phase distribution evolution during freezing/melting of PCMs in macrocapsules (spherical or cylindrical shells). The project planning contemplates four key tasks, which correspond to the sub-objectives: SO1) Characterization and enhancement of electrical properties of PCMs, SO2) design of the electrical sensing system, SO3) experimental implementation and validation of the proposed sensing system, and SO4) Validation of ET4PCM technology in a real LTES. The research approach involves experimental, numerical, and theoretical research activities. I, Dr. Carolina Mira-Hernández will develop the ET4PCM project under the supervision of Pr. Simone Mancin at University of Padua (UNIPD), who is renowned expert in LTES. In addition, I will spend 3 months during a secondment at the start-up COWA, where I will deploy the ET4PCM sensor in a real-world LTES, and I will have a non-academic placement at HEXXCELL, a consulting company on predictive analytics, where I will develop “in silico” smart control tools for LTES.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01

See all projects funded under this call

Coordinator

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PADOVA
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 215 937,60
Address
VIA 8 FEBBRAIO 2
35122 Padova
Italy

See on map

Region
Nord-Est Veneto Padova
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

No data

Partners (2)

My booklet 0 0