Scientists make breakthrough discovery that could have major impact on factories worldwide: 'This finding provides a new approach'

Industrial processes are wasting a lot of energy in the form of heat, but new research offers a promising solution to storing and transporting this valuable resource. 

Researchers from Shinshu University in Japan have developed predictive equations to map out the deformation and flow properties of erythritol slurry in hopes of improving energy efficiency across a variety of applications, as a report shared by TechXplore explained.

Reports estimate that 20-50% of industrial energy input is lost as waste heat. Capturing and repurposing that thermal energy in operations or converting it into other useful forms, such as for residential heating, would improve that figure. This, however, requires ways to store that heat and transport it to where it's needed. 

Phase change material slurries have been a point of interest in the past few decades, as the report shared, since they exchange a lot of heat when they undergo a phase transition. This makes them a viable way to manage waste heat with minimal loss. 

The team, led by project assistant professor Shunsuke Abe, has focused its research on erythritol slurry, a sugar-alcohol-based mixture. It measured how the viscosity changed in different flow conditions and discovered key correlations to better understand the material's potential.

"This finding provides a new approach for predicting the transport properties of this and other PCM slurries, which would be essential in the design of energy-efficient thermal transport systems," Abe said. 

The most effective way to reduce planet-warming emissions is to get the most out of every unit of energy produced and consumed, the report explained, and low-temperature waste heat (around 446 degrees Fahrenheit) is particularly underutilized. The erythritol slurry could be an effective medium for capturing and transporting this waste heat as thermal energy.

This could also have implications for hot water and HVAC systems in commercial and residential buildings.

"Thermal storage systems utilizing PCM slurries can store heat during off-peak hours and release it when needed, effectively balancing energy loads, improving efficiency, and reducing peak power demand — a critical factor in grid stability," Abe explained.

Combined heat and power systems, which provide electricity or mechanical power and useful thermal energy from the same source, could also leverage PCM slurries, according to Abe. 

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Traditional systems that provide these services separately are only 50% efficient, while CHP

applications are 75% efficient. The use of a PCM for optimizing waste-heat utilization could make them even more cost-effective.

By harnessing resources that are already available, industries and consumers could benefit from lower energy costs. Plus, we could cut down on planet-warming pollution by strengthening this circular energy economy.

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