Energy Conversion and Management, Vol.81, 306-311, 2014
Stearic-capric acid eutectic/activated-attapulgiate composite as form-stable phase change material for thermal energy storage
The aim of this research was to prepare a novel form-stable PCMs (FSPCM) for latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) in low temperature, by incorporating eutectic mixture of stearic-capric acid (S-C) into activated-attapulgite (a-ATP) which acted as supporting material in the composite. The a-ATP is open-ended tubular capillary with large specific surface area, which is beneficial for the adsorption of PCMs. The maximum mass fraction of stearic-capric binary fatty acid loaded in a-ATP is determined as high as 50 wt% without melted S-C seepage from the composite. The phase change temperatures and latent heats of FSPCM are measured to be 21.8 degrees C and 72.6 J/g for melting process, and 20.3 degrees C and 71.9 J/g for freezing process, respectively, indicating it has suitable phase change temperature and high latent heat storage capacity. Moreover, the S-C/a-ATP FSPCM shows good thermal and chemical reliability after 1000 times thermal cycling test, which is identified by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier transformation infrared (FTIR). Therefore, the S-C/a-ATP FSPCM is an effective LHTES building material to reduce energy consumption. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.