Sugar Alcohol Heat Storage Stabilizer for Supercooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heat storage materials struggle to maintain a supercooled state at room temperature, leading to premature crystallization of sugar alcohols before heat is required, which reduces the effectiveness of thermal energy storage and retrieval.
Innovation Solution
A heat storage material composition containing a sugar alcohol and a stabilizer, such as a salt with high solubility or a polymer, that suppresses crystallization, allowing the composition to maintain a supercooled state at room temperature or near room temperature, and a heat storage device with electrodes containing silver or silver compounds to facilitate the release of the supercooled state.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If sugar alcohol is used as a heat storage material, then heat storage density is improved, but crystallization occurs at room temperature causing loss of stored heat
Solution Approach 1:
A stabilizer substance is introduced as an intermediary component to prevent direct crystallization of the sugar alcohol. The stabilizer interacts with the sugar alcohol molecules to suppress their tendency to crystallize at room temperature, allowing the supercooled liquid state to be maintained reliably. This mediator resolves the contradiction by enabling high heat storage density while preventing premature heat loss through crystallization.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat storage material is formulated as a composite system combining sugar alcohol with a stabilizer substance. This composite material leverages the high latent heat of fusion of sugar alcohol while the stabilizer component suppresses crystallization. The synergistic combination resolves the technical contradiction by maintaining both high heat storage density and reliable supercooled state stability at room temperature.
2Reliability
If stabilizer is added to suppress crystallization, then supercooling stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stabilizer modifies the physical-chemical parameters of the heat storage material system, specifically altering the crystallization behavior of sugar alcohol. By changing the compositional parameters (adding stabilizer at specific concentrations), the system achieves enhanced supercooling stability. This parameter change approach resolves the contradiction by improving reliability through controlled modification rather than complex device architecture.
3Speed
If electrodes are added to release supercooled state, then heat retrieval speed is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical or thermal methods of triggering crystallization with an electrical field-based approach. Electrodes generate an electric field that interacts with the polar sugar alcohol molecules, inducing rapid crystallization and heat release. This substitution resolves the contradiction by achieving fast heat retrieval through electrical means rather than complex mechanical agitation or thermal cycling systems.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The composition effectively stabilizes the supercooled state of sugar alcohols, enabling efficient thermal energy storage and retrieval by preventing premature crystallization and allowing for controlled heat release, thus enhancing the utilization of thermal energy.
Implementation Method 1
the heat storage material composition contains a sugar alcohol and a stabilizer that allows the sugar alcohol to maintain a liquid state and a supercooled state
Implementation Method 2
Incorporation of a polyether-modified silicone into a heat storage material composition prevents sugar alcohol molecules from bonding to each other and suppresses crystallization (solidification) of the sugar alcohol
Implementation Method 3
Latent heat storage materials are a type of heat storage materials that utilize phase changes such as melting of matters
Implementation Method 4
the latent heat storage materials are heated and enter a liquid state
Implementation Method 5
a heat storage device with electrodes containing silver or silver compounds to facilitate the release of the supercooled state
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~3(c)
AI summary
A heat storage material composition contains a sugar alcohol and a stabilizer that allows the sugar alcohol to maintain a liquid state and a supercooled state. The stabilizer is one selected from (i) a salt that has a solubility of 9 g or more in 100 mL of 20°C water and gives a monovalent anion, (ii) a polymer prepared by using the salt as a monomer, and (iii) a polymer having a molecular weight of 7,000 or more and 4,000,000 or less prepared by using, as a monomer, an alcohol having a solubility of 9 g or more in 100 mL of 20°C water.