Development and real-time energy management of a phase change material thermal energy storage system for space heating applications

Phase change materials (PCMs) provide significant potential for peak shaving and cost saving in space heating applications, yet their practical application with intelligent control strategies remains underexplored. This study presents a comprehensive experimental investigation of a PCM-based heating system, including system characterization, flow rate optimization, and real-time energy management. The impact of flow rates on charging and discharging performance was systematically investigated and optimal flow rates of 1100 L/h for charging and 500 L/h for discharging were identified. A digital energy management system (EMS) platform was developed for implementing different control strategies and the economic and energy performance of EMS and conventional rule-based control (RBC) were compared for the PCM heating system. The results showed that the cost-driven EMS mode reduces grid electricity consumption by 11% and achieves 18.9% cost savings compared to the RBC. The room temperature fell below the comfort threshold for only 10% of the operating time, with a maximum deviation of 2.6%. This indicates that both control strategies maintain occupant comfort for most of the operating period. These findings show the practical feasibility and economic viability of PCM heating systems. Furthermore, this study delivers a real-time EMS platform capable of implementing various control strategies for practical deployment.