Phase Change Materials Development for Building Application | Original Article

ABSTRACT:

The use of a latent heat storage system using phase change materials (PCMs) is an effective way of storing thermal energy and has the advantages of high-energy storage density and the isothermal nature of the storage process. PCMs have been widely used in latent heat thermal-storage systems for heat pumps, solar engineering, and spacecraft thermal control applications. The uses of PCMs for heating and cooling applications for buildings have been investigated within the past decade. There are large numbers of PCMs that melt and solidify at a wide range of temperatures, making them attractive in a number of applications. The present study includes the energy storage materials R & D efforts at NCEL, RGIPT through commercial grade fatty acids used as potential PCMs. The selected fatty acids were capric, stearic, palmitic, myristic and lauric acid with melting temperatures between 25–70°C and industrial-grade with 95–99% purity. Latent heat storage capacity and phase transition temperature of the PCMs were determined by Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) technique and showed that all developed materials at NCEL, have a low melting point which is very much essential for low temperature thermal application as well as with a good amount of latent heat of fusion which is also quite suitable and the most desired parameter to implement any kind of PCMs for the designing the system.