PCM CoolStore

PCM Cooling & Storage for Building Applications in Developing Countries

This project aims to develop, optimize, and manufacture a novel effective energy storage system, 'PCM-CoolStore' based on the integration of PCM (Phase Change Material) storage cells with a solar PV-driven vapour-compression cooling.

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* Innovate UK Project 105917




PCM CooleStore
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Summary

Project Summary

This project

Access to clean, modern energy services is an enormous challenge facing African and all developing countries as energy supplies are fundamental for socioeconomic development and poverty eradication. Future economic growth crucially depends on the long-term availability of energy from affordable, accessible, and environmentally friendly sources.

Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa and the seventh in the world. Nigeria has a savanna climate with high temperatures and significant rainfall with average temperatures in coastal areas of 32.2 °C and in the northernmost regions reaching 40.6 °C.

The solar energy rich country of Nigeria's sunny period lasts 3.9 months, with an average daily incident energy of more than 5.5 kWh per square meter.

Even in the darker period of the year (4.2 months), the average daily solar irradiation is around 4.5 kWh. In order to make better use of abundant solar energy resources and alleviate issues of living in high temperatures, a new concept 'PCM-CoolStore' based on the integration of PCM (Phase Change Material) storage cells with a solar PV-driven vapour-compression cooling system will be investigated.

The PCM-CoolStore can play an essential role in synchronising end use energy demand and supply on a short to long term basis. The PCM-CoolStore is a promising technology in addressing the "cooling on demand" energy issue in buildings in Africa. The technology developed as part of this project would be more efficient and reliable than conventional cooling technologies that use solar panels. A variable speed DC compressor will be employed which will eliminate the need for the inverter and battery storage.

The variable speed compressor differs from conventional compressors as its rotational speed can be adjusted to meet the demand and thus maximise efficiency of the PCM Cool Store system.

The variable speed of the compressor will be achieved using an electronic controller driven by the solar PV panels. The controller constantly monitors the temperature variations of the system and automatically adjusts the compressor compression rate, making the system operation much more efficient.

When the temperatures of the PCM cells reach the desired levels, the compression rate of the compressor is reduced. Yet when the internal temperatures of the PCM cells are high, the compression rate increases to reduce these temperatures as quickly as possible.

Cooling energy will be stored in PCM cells and would be released as the building interior temperature exceeds the design temperature, greatly improving liveability in hot climates such as Africa.

work_packages

Work Packages

24 Month Project

Overall project to be led by P.A.K Engineering Ltd with tasks spread amongst 5 work packages over 2 years.
  • 1 - 24 Months WP1:

    Project Management

    General project management duties, including maintain project plan, arrange monthly internal project review meetings, quarterly reviews with Monitoring Officer and any necessary technical or other meetings.

    Ensure regular and effective interaction between appointed Project Managers, project steering committee, WP leaders, team members and Innovate UK via the Monitoring Officer and review each stage of the project and take action.

  • Month 1 to Month 6 WP2:

    PCM material selection and PCM cell testing

    EPS (UK) and UoN (UK) will investigate various PCM cooling materials and supply the information to RSNL (Nigeria) for further investigation. The PCM with the optimal characteristics will be determined to use in the PCM-CoolStore system.

    Both industrial partners will be collaborating and work together to resolve any technical issues that present themselves.

  • Month 6 to Month 11 WP3:

    Modelling/simulation & optimization of the components of the PCM-CoolStore system.

    UoN (UK) and SERC (Nigeria) will be assisted by partners to model and size the system components of PCM-CoolStore system for Nigeria.

    UoN (UK) and SERC (Nigeria) will simulate the heat and mass transfer process of PCM-CoolStore system components using MATLAB or similar programs such as EES to predict the thermal storage performance of the PCM-CoolStore.

    UoN (UK) and SERC (Nigeria) will perform Building Energy Flow simulation for the candidate building in the Nigeria over a 1year period. The heat transfer process in both charging and discharging phases of the PCM will be simulated in MATLAB and detailed for the whole building

    UoN (UK) with support and assistance from SERC (Nigeria)
    Design and sizing of the PCM-CoolStore system components.
    Mathematical modelling of each component of the PCM-ç to form the basis for a computer simulation.

    Modelling and sizing of solar PV panel, various speed compression cooling system, heat pump units for optimum working conditions will be conducted at Nigeria.

  • Month 10 to Month 15 WP4:

    Manufacturing and construction of the PCM-CoolStore system unit.

    PAK will lead this work package and develop, test and evaluate of the variable speed vapour compression system.

    PAK will complete the system components integration with assistance from SRL, EPS and RSNL, which also includes testing and performance evaluation of the integrated solar powered PCM-CoolStore system components/validation of numerical results achieved in WP3

    SRL will be responsible for the development of an optimized control and management strategy including employing advanced ICT tools and sizing/integration of the PV system

    EPS will design and construct the selected PCM panels using the selected PCM materials. EPS will test the constructed panel and the results from the testing will be shared with the project consortium via Deliverable.

    RSNL (Nigeria)
    RSNL will investigate the performance of the PCM-CoolStore system, when each of the PCM cell designs is integrated with solar PV and vapour compression cooling system.

  • Month 10 to Month 21 WP5:

    Demonstration and field-testing of the prototype in a real building in Nigeria.

    Design and installation of the PCM-CoolStore system in a building in Nigeria and evaluate the performance of the system under real climatic conditions.

    RSNL and SERC
    Lead by RSNL and SERC, supported by all partners will develop a plan to install the manufactured prototype unit in WP4 at a building in Nigeria.
    Provide interim reports every two months providing an update on testing.

    All UK partners
    UK partners will assist with the installation of the PCM-CoolStore in Nigeria.

  • Month 14 to Month 24 WP6:

    Economic/environmental analyses and dissemination/exploitation.

    PAK (UK) & RSNL (Nigeria)
    Undertake certification of the pre-commercial prototype involving the economic, social and environmental impact of the system locally and its impact if the system were adopted on a large scale

    All partners

    Project outcomes will be disseminated via:
    (a) publishing the results in technical documents and memoranda (b) submitting project reports to Innovate UK
    (c) distributing project leaflets through websites, workshops, conferences, exhibitions/open days
    (d) Broadcasting scientific publications targeting professionals.

benefits

Project Benefits

Benifits to the Concortium

The consortium will benefit initially through their respective established markets including: heat exchangers manufacturing (P.A.K Engineering Ltd, Project Leader), PCM supply and cooling systems designing & manufacturing (EPS Ltd), PV cells and fabrication of control units for the system (SRL and RSNL), prototype testing, collaboration with the governmental entities to deliver training programmes on the use and benefits of adopting the developed new sustainable cooling storage system to the general public (Sokoto Energy Research Centre) and design and supply of photovoltaic power sources and back-up systems and integrate of the solar components of the PCM-CoolStore system. PAK, EPS, SRL and RSNL will initiate the primary route to market.

The companies intend to market/promote the application of the new system in households, schools and small-commercial buildings in Africa and other developing countries. As part of marketing/commercialisation strategy, the consortium will approach third parties for certification/accreditation of the technology to assist with regulations and Government approvals. RSNL will work with the partners to establish focus groups to stimulate market uptake and penetration of the technology in Nigeria.

A focus group for each of the two main markets (households and enterprises) will be established to raise awareness amongst construction companies and manufacturers. Meetings/workshops will be held to engage manufacturers to determine desired operational characteristics and parameters in the early stage of project. The feedback will ensure PCMCoolStore is suited to the markets and suited for commercialisation. UoN will also explore their extensive industry links and existing collaborations.

ODA

ODA

Official Development Assistance / Gender Equality

The proposed project meets the ODA eligibility guidelines as,

a) aims to encourage the development of products and services (energy efficient solar powered cooling/storage system) that help countries in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia or both regions;

b) designed to address a development/energy security need; and

c) focuses on addressing the climate change problemsfacing developing countries.

The co-operation between the UK and Nigeria will bring major economic, environmental and social benefits to both countries. The results of this project could lead to new commercial cooling products which will benefit the people, public services and local enterprises who are unable to afford or access existing solutions, or who lack the time or expertise to successfully apply those solutions in Africa and other developing countries.

Project implementation will generate a wealth of knowledge, both technical and non-technical, that will create an enabling framework for the advancement of sustainable energy technologies such as solar-powered storage cooling systems.

Consequently, the proposed research and development will support the delivery of the UN 2030 Agenda by supporting strategies to enable energy access to all in the DAC listed African nations by 2030.

The solar powered PCM-CoolStore system will also address, at low cost, both "the energy trilemma" and "Transforming Energy Access" as well as contribute to the social welfare of poor households by introducing a new sustainable solution of cooling of buildings

For further information on ODA click here.....

Gender Equality

Gender is a crosscutting issue that is deeply relevant to the key development challenge addressed by the PCM-CoolStore technology -- the provision of access to modern energy services for all . The purposes of such results are aimed at covering the need of the whole population, regardless of gender or age. Hence, no direct output of the project affects directly women or men.

On the other hand, the enhancement of the sustainable energy workforce skills, shifting from blue-collar profiles towards technical and engineering workers, will reduce the preponderance of physical skills, increasing the importance of intellectual skills. This will help to tackle the stigma associated with skilled trades and the misconception that there are fewer career opportunities in engineering, due to the fact that is perceived as a "men sector".

Additionally, and considering this traditionally gender-based character of the engineering industry, the project's consortium will make every effort to ensure gender balance whenever possible and to promote participation of women in the different tasks of the project

partners

Project Partners

UK Partners

P.A.K Engineering Ltd

Project Lead

UK Partner

P.A.K Engineering Ltd (PAK) was formed in 2001 and has become one of the UK’s leading heat exchanger manufacturers. As a company we have developed from just producing external finned tube to Turbulators and Oil/Air-coolers for heat exchange applications. Development within the company has also seen the manufacture of finned coils with minimum destruction of the fins.

We have also developed many special products and prototypes for our customers. P.A.K Engineering’s philosophy is to build a close relationship with our customers, to deliver our products on time and to ISO 2015 quality standards. P.A.K Engineering Ltd has a global customer base of over seventy companies, supplying them with a wide variety of heat exchanger products.

The company has been working on several research and development projects including a project funded by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).

The company has state-of-the-art facilities for manufacturing and testing heat exchangers.

EPS Ltd
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EPS Ltd

UK Partner

Environmental Process Systems Ltd (EPS) is actively involved many projectsin phase change materials (PCMs), cooling systems, HVAC system design and application consultancy.

The company has excellent research facilities for testing PCMs. EPS will be responsible for design, fabrication and integration of the PCM cells and providing assistance to the African partners in integration and commissioning of the PCM components of the PCM-CoolStore system.

University of Nottingham
UK Partner

University Of Nottingham (UoN), Buildings, Energy and Environment Research Group has a long standing, world renowned research track records of industrial collaboration in sustainable energy technologies. UoN has been working on energy storage devices, solar/PV systems and cooling technologies.

The projects, which are funded by the UK Research Councils and InnovateUK, have received several awards (e.g., Rushlight and Energy Globe Awards). UoN's responsibility will include system modelling/design, lab testing of components and dissemination activities as well as assisting the African partners with the field trials of the proposed system.

Solar Ready Ltd
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Web Site
Solar Ready Ltd

UK Partner

Solar Ready Ltd (SRL) has been working on a wide range of projects on energy storage, cooling systems, solar collectors/PV cells with supermarkets such as Sainsbury. Core to their solutions is the ground-breaking Power Storage Router (PSR) storing electrical energy harvested from renewable sources and commercialisation of new technology. SRL responsibility is to fabricate the control unit for the proposed system, as well as the sizing and integration of the PV panels with the vapour compression cooling system.

Nigerian Partners

Rubitec Ltd
Nigerian Partner

Rubitec Solar Nigeria Ltd (RSNL) is specialised in solar energy systems including the design and supply of photovoltaic power sources and back-up systems for a wide range of applications.

Their products are used in mini grid, off grid applications for rural communities, street lighting, solar powered water pumping and remote medical and health care applications.

RSNL will be responsible for the integration of the PV panels and other components of the PCM-CoolStore system and also assist SERC with the training programs and dissemination activities in Nigeria.

Sokoto Energy Research Centre
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Nigerian Partner

Sokoto Energy Research Centre (SERC) was established in 1982 by Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto, Nigeria. SERC is a multi and interdisciplinary R&D and innovation outfit focusing on renewable energy resources and technologies development.

SERC will assist with integration of the proposed system for use in field trials with assistance of the UoN and carry out some laboratory testing. SERC will collaborate with the governmental entities, to deliver training programmes on the use and benefits of adopting the developed new sustainable cooling system to the general public in Nigeria.

Web Site
Sokoto Energy Research Centre

News

Project News

New Project Information:

Rushlight Show… 2021 London
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Thursday 31 January 2021 Church House Westminster, Deans Yard, Westminster, London, SW1P 3NZ

The Rushlight Show incorporates:

an Exhibition of innovative clean technology solutions, including the Innovate UK Infrastructure Systems Showcase Cleantech Conference, incorporating the Cleantech Innovation Showcase Sustainable Solutions Market Panel (SSMP) of heads of sustainability and procurement of major corporates Resourceful Conference, in association with LCRN and the Circular Economy Club

UK Energy Breakfast & Seminar

The agenda for the day is as follows: 7.45 to 10.00 UK Energy Breakfast & Seminar 9.00 to 16.00 Exhibition 10.30 to 13.00 Cleantech Conference, SSMP and Resourceful Conference 13.00 to 14.15 Lunch, Exhibition, Investor Tour and Networking 14.15 to 17.15 Cleantech Conference and Resourceful Conference 17.15 Show ends and registration for the Rushlight Awards Party begins

This event is for:

organisations that are developing and deploying clean innovations and technologies sustainability practitioners, heads of procurement, business owners and others looking to adopt clean technologies and manage their organisation’s environmental footprint proactively investors and financiers in clean technologies, renewables energy and resource projects and companies firms advising cleantech developers and deployers social entrepreneurs and local community project participants local authorities and government departments analysts, media and other participants of the sector

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More News about the project will follow....

We will post news and documents as soon as we can for this Project.

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Acknowledgement

The consortium would like to acknowledge the financial support and contributions from Innovate UK( project code: 102332)

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