Abstract: The present paper presents a numerical study to investigate and assess the heat transfer behavior of a copper and salt composite. A mixture of nitrates, KNO3-NaNO3, within a deformable spherical shell coating of copper will be used as an encapsulated phase change material, E-PCM. In the context of a thermo-mechanical analysis of this E-PCM, a simulation is proposed to determine its storage capacity and properties The melting, or solidification of the encapsulated PCM particles do not provoke cracking of the deformable shell. (C) 2014 The Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.