Experimental Study on the Performance of Phase Change Energy Storage-Based Airplane Pre-conditioning Air Unit

With the rapid expansion of the aviation industry, civil airports have evolved into crucial transportation hubs. However, the power load at these airports exhibits pronounced peak-to-valley fluctuations, particularly during summer when daytime electricity demand surges, imposing significant strain on the power grid. To mitigate this imbalance between daytime and nighttime power consumption, improve power system stability, and optimize the economic efficiency of air conditioning operations, this study introduces a phase change energy storage (PCES)-based airplane pre-conditioning air unit by integrating PCES technology with a cascade air conditioning system. A prototype has been developed, and its operational performance has been experimentally studied. The result demonstrate that during the cold storage phase under ambient conditions of 28 °C and 42% relative humidity (RH), the prototype maintained reliable operation with a total cold storage time of 264 min. Under the environmental conditions (35 °C, 63%RH) during combined cold release operation, the prototype operated stably for 192 min, with the outlet air temperature meeting the operational requirement of not exceeding 2 °C.