The growing demand for efficient waste heat utilization and thermal energy management poses a major challenge for the modern energy sector. Mobile Thermal Energy Storage (M-TES) systems are emerging as promising solutions for transporting heat and cold across regions. This paper aims to provide a systematic review of M-TES technologies, integrating insights from modelling approaches, experimental studies, and full-scale prototypes. The review examines various container geometries, storage materials, and heat exchange configurations, while also presenting interregional comparisons of economic case studies for both heat and cold transport. Special attention is given to the systematic review of cold energy storage applications, which remain underexplored in the literature. The findings indicate that M-TES can be economically viable over short distances, with profitability strongly dependent on environmental and technical factors. Experimental studies reveal operational challenges such as flow blockage and channel formation in phase change materials, as well as the limited number of large-scale implementations. Despite these challenges, M-TES demonstrates strong potential for integration with waste heat recovery systems and represents a promising pathway toward sustainable and flexible energy transport solution
A comprehensive review of containers for mobilized heat and cold energy storage
Bevilacqua, Piero;
2026-01-01
Abstract
The growing demand for efficient waste heat utilization and thermal energy management poses a major challenge for the modern energy sector. Mobile Thermal Energy Storage (M-TES) systems are emerging as promising solutions for transporting heat and cold across regions. This paper aims to provide a systematic review of M-TES technologies, integrating insights from modelling approaches, experimental studies, and full-scale prototypes. The review examines various container geometries, storage materials, and heat exchange configurations, while also presenting interregional comparisons of economic case studies for both heat and cold transport. Special attention is given to the systematic review of cold energy storage applications, which remain underexplored in the literature. The findings indicate that M-TES can be economically viable over short distances, with profitability strongly dependent on environmental and technical factors. Experimental studies reveal operational challenges such as flow blockage and channel formation in phase change materials, as well as the limited number of large-scale implementations. Despite these challenges, M-TES demonstrates strong potential for integration with waste heat recovery systems and represents a promising pathway toward sustainable and flexible energy transport solutionI documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
