Applications of coupling thermosyphons with phase change materials: A review

As energy demands and environmental contaminants are facing significant challenges, advanced techniques and high-efficient thermal systems are extensively explored to protect the environment and save energy. Thermosyphons (TSs) are widely conducted as outstanding passive thermal transport devices, which can have high effective thermal conductivities. Nowadays, thermosyphons have been recognized in conjunction with phase change materials (PCMs) to improve the performance of the latent heat thermal energy storage systems. The primary purpose of the integration is to embed the high-efficient thermal conductor into the thermal storage unit to transfer and reserve a significant value of heat efficiently. This review documents applications of coupling TSs and PCMs, general design procedures, and numerical analysis of heat transfer for the systems based on the thermal network approach. Various applications are sorted and compared to reveal the potential advantages of the integration of TSs with PCMs. Moreover, this review also discusses the opportunities and challenges based on a comprehensive framework for the benefit of designers and engineers to implement the combination of TSs and PCMs. © 2020 Elsevier B.V.