Preparation, Characterization and Thermal Cycling Analyses of Nanocomposite Phase Change Materials for Thermal Energy Storage Applications.

Experimental work is carried out to study the performance of nanoparticle enhanced phase change materials (NEPCMs) when applied to the Egyptian weather for indoor thermal comfort. Nanoparticle alumina and copper-oxide are used as the additive material into the PCMs 7, 11, 24, 26 and 29. The enhanced PCMs are characterized and tested for thermal performance during solidification and melting cycles. Observations are then made to conclude that, compared to the base fluid, PCM11 has the optimum performance for the Egyptian winter weather and PCM26 is the best for the summer conditions. PCM11 with a favorable phase change range ∼ 1 1 –13°C for Egyptian winter conditions, shows a reduction of melting time by over 10% when 5 wt.% CuO nanoparticles (NPs) are added. Similarly, further to thermal stability and reduced corrosive action, PCM26 enhanced with 5 wt.% CuO NPs has over 14% faster melting compared to the base fluid and does not undergo supercooling when tested for summer application. Preparation, characterization, and thermal cycling analyses of composite phase change materials (PCM) sp24, sp26 and sp29 with Al2O3 and CuO nanoparticles is presented experimentally. The product samples are characterized and tested during melting and solidification cycles. The impact of mixing the nanoparticles with the PCM on XRD and FTIR composites analyses sedimentation, color change, density, phase change range, pH, viscosity, and solidification and melting during thermal cycles is presented and analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]