LATENT HEAT STORAGE AND METHOD FOR TEMPERATURE CONTROL OF AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

A latent heat storage for an internal combustion engine is described having a crystallizable storage medium for storing heat while utilizing the enthalpy of a melting procedure. The storage medium has a state of supercooled molten mass at ambient temperature. Furthermore, the latent heat storage includes a crystallization nucleus provider for providing a crystallization nucleus in the storage medium, in order to trigger a crystallization of the storage medium to release stored heat in the state of supercooled molten mass. Additionally, an internal combustion engine is provided having such a latent heat storage and a method for temperature control of an internal combustion engine. In a first step of the method, a crystallized storage medium is melted in order to store heat while utilizing the enthalpy of the melting procedure. The storage medium then cools down at most to the ambient temperature and forms a supercooled molten mass in the process. A crystallization nucleus in the storage medium is provided in order to trigger a crystallization of the storage medium to release stored heat in a defined way.