Thermal constant analysis of phase change nanocomposites and discussion on selection strategies with respect to economic constraints

• Published in: Sustainable energy technologies and assessments 2021-02, Vol.43, p.100957, Article 100957
• Main Authors: Jurčević, Mišo, Nižetić, Sandro, Arıcı, Müslüm, Hoang, Anh Tuan, Giama, Effrosyni, Papadopoulos, Agis
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Economic constraints; Experimental analysis; Nanocomposites; NEPCM; Selection strategies; Thermal properties
• ISSN: 2213-1388
• DOI: 10.1016/j.seta.2020.100957

•Experimental research of phase change nanocomposites (NEPCM).•Preparation procedure is discussed and elaborated.•Improvement in thermal constants is detected in range of −19% to 33%.•Significant degradation of thermal diffusivity is noted for Ag/RT26 and Graphene/RT26.•Selection strategies for nanomaterials are discussed with respect to economic aspect. This paper reports an experimental investigation focused on nano-enhanced phase change materials (NEPCM). Two different types of phase change materials (RT28 HC and RT26) with relatively low thermal conductivity and reasonable volumetric specific heat capacity were utilized as the base for NEPCMs with four types of nanoparticles (CuO, ZnO, Ag, and graphene). The novel four-phase preparation procedure was thoroughly presented together with a description of the measurement technology which was used for the examination of NEPCM thermal constants. The experimental results revealed that in most cases the thermal constants of samples were improved, such as thermal conductivity and volumetric specific heat capacity in a range of about 4% to 21% and 5% to 33%, respectively. In some cases, significant degradation of certain thermal constants was detected, such as in the case of the Graphene/RT26 nanocomposite. The possible nanomaterial selection strategies also discussed taking into account the economic aspects and experimental results related to the thermal constants. The results revealed that the selection of nanomaterials should be carefully considered with respect to the specific application since it is possible to manipulate the thermo-physical properties of the NEPCM as a unique combination of nanomaterial and PCM.