Experimental investigations on the phase change and thermal properties of nano enhanced binary eutectic phase change material of palmitic acid-stearic acid/CuO nanoparticles for thermal energy storage

A novel nano enhanced binary eutectic phase change material (PCM) of Palmitic acid (64 wt%) and stearic acid (36 wt%) as base PCM and copper oxide nanomaterial in varying mass fractions (0.3%, 0.8%, 1.5% and 3%) as thermal conductive enhancer was prepared using two step method and its heat transfer properties were investigated. Thermal characteristics using DSC technique shows the significant stability with the inclusion of nano particles. The melting latent heat of nano embedded eutectic PCM decreases between 21.6% and 0.74% while no significant change is observed in phase transition temperature. The FTIR and XRD analysis confirm that no chemical reaction occurs but only physical interaction takes place between the eutectic PCM and nanoparticles. The TGA analysis shows that the CuO NPs in the nano enhanced PCM act as supporting material and reveals excellent thermal stability. Thermal conductivity of PA-SA eutectic PCM increases gradually by 19%, 34.23%, 55.24%, and 118.87% for the nano particle mass fraction of 0.3%, 0.8%, 1.5% and 3% respectively. The thermal cycling test after 1000 cycles reveals that the nano enhanced PA-SA eutectic mixture perceives excellent thermal and chemical stability. The findings of experimental study concluded that the prepared nano enhanced PA-SA mixture finds to be the suitable material for moderate temperature energy storage applications.

Automated summary

A novel nano-enhanced binary eutectic phase change material was prepared using a two-step method, with palmitic acid and stearic acid as base PCM and copper oxide nanomaterial as a thermal conductive enhancer in varying mass fractions. The inclusion of nanoparticles improved the thermal stability and conductivity of the PCM, making it suitable for moderate temperature energy storage applications. The findings from experiments showed that the nano-enhanced PCM had excellent thermal and chemical stability, with increased thermal conductivity at higher mass fractions of nanoparticles.