PhD Studentship: Composite Phase Change Materials for Off-Grid Thermal Energy Storage

Energy poverty remains a major challenge in rural regions of developing countries, where access to reliable grid electricity, heating and domestic hot water is limited. Thermal energy storage (TES) offers a promising approach for capturing waste heat and surplus thermal energy from off-grid solar, biomass sources, and processes. Phase change materials (PCMs) are central to this strategy due to their high energy density and isothermal transition. However, PCMs suffer from low thermal conductivity and phase separation during cycling, which limits their practical deployment. Recent developments in composite PCMs (CPCM), e.g. incorporation of conductive fillers, encapsulation, and form-stable matrices, have led to significant improvements in thermal performance and durability. These innovations open up new possibilities for designing TES systems tailored to off-grid rural applications like water heating, space heating, and cooking.

Aim

This project aims to design, develop, and evaluate CPCMs integrated into compact TES systems to deliver off-grid households heating and domestic hot water. A prototype unit will be conceptualised and optimised for off-grid rural applications.

Objectives

Formulate CPCM with enhanced thermal conductivity, shape stability, cyclability.

Evaluate CPCM thermal properties under real-life cycling.

Identify efficient manufacturing procedures for TES CPCM module.

Design, build and test a CPCM TES module.

The project will benefit from a possible co-tutelle with Dr Bennett (UTS Sydney), subject to institutional approval, and co-supervision with UEA Thermofluids research partners including HSLU CC Thermal Energy Storage and University of Birmingham.

CPCMs will be developed using PCM combined with shape-stabilisers and enhanced with thermally conductive additives. Materials will be characterised for melting point, latent heat, thermal conductivity, stability. A TES module will be modelled in ANSYS to simulate heat transfer under intermittent solar heating. A prototype system will be designed, fabricated and tested in a laboratory environment simulating charging and thermal demands typical of rural homes.

Entry requirements

The standard minimum entry requirement is 2:1 in Mechanical Engineering, Energy Engineering, Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Chemical Physics, Material Science.

Start date: 1 October 2027

Funding Details

This PhD project is in a competition for a Faculty of Science funded studentship. Funding is available to UK applicants and comprises ‘home’ tuition fees and an annual stipend for 3 years. The current UEA / institutional PhD stipend rate is £21,805 and will be subject to any agreed inflationary uplift for 2027/28.