Preparation and thermal properties of fatty acid/diatomite form-stable composite phase change material for thermal energy storage

Phase change materials can be incorporated with building materials to make kinds of composite material, which can be applied in building systems due to their excellent thermal energy storage properties. In this study, a novel form-stable composite PCM CA-LA/Diatomite was prepared using vacuum impreg...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Solar energy 2018-05, Vol.178, p.273-279
Main Authors:	Wen, Ruilong, Zhang, Xiaoguang, Huang, Zhaohui, Fang, Minghao, Liu, Yangai, Wu, Xiaowen, Min, Xin, Gao, Wei, Huang, Saifang
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Building materials Buildings CA-LA eutectic Calorimetry Composite materials Construction materials Diatomaceous earth Diatomite Differential scanning calorimetry Durability Energy storage Eutectics Fatty acids Heat conductivity Heat transfer Latent heat Lauric acid Organic chemistry PCM Phase change materials Reliability Solar energy Thermal conductivity Thermal cycling Thermal cycling tests Thermal energy Thermal properties Thermodynamic properties Vacuum
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Summary:	Phase change materials can be incorporated with building materials to make kinds of composite material, which can be applied in building systems due to their excellent thermal energy storage properties. In this study, a novel form-stable composite PCM CA-LA/Diatomite was prepared using vacuum impregnation method by combining a eutectic mixture of capric-lauric acid (CA-LA) as phase change material (PCM) and diatomite as supporting material. The composite products were characterized by using XRD, FT-IR and SEM analyzing methods. The thermal properties of the composite were measured by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). The results showed that the composite material melted at 23.61 °C with a latent heat of 87.33 J/g and solidified at 22.50 °C with the latent heat of 86.93 J/g. TGA investigation revealed that the composite had excellent thermal durability above their working temperature ranges. The thermal cycling test showed the composite has a good thermal reliability after 200 thermal cycles. What's more, the expanded graphite was added into the composite in order to increase the heat transfer performance. The results showed that the thermal conductivity of the composite increased gradually by 39.7%, 61.6%, 77.6% and 114.2% for the EG fractions of 3%, 5%, 7%, and 10%, respectively. As a result, the CA-LA/Diatomite/EG composite material of has a potential to be applied in modern buildings and solar energy systems due to its excellent thermal properties, good chemical and thermal reliability and high thermal conductivity. •The form-stable CA-LA/Diatomite composite phase change material was prepared.•The CA-LA/Diatomite melted at 23.61 °C with latent heat of 87.33 J/g.•The thermal conductivity of the CA-LA/Diatomite/EG increased linearly with the increasing addition of EG.
ISSN:	0927-0248 0038-092X 1879-3398 1471-1257