Stability evaluation of paraffin-nano Al2O3 as a phase change material with high thermal conductivity

Energy storage as latent heat in phase change materials (PCMs) such as paraffin is an attractive method for storing thermal energy, because these materials can store heat at constant temperature depending on their phase transition temperature. Although paraffin is suitable material for this purpose, it has low thermal conductivity. So in this research, thermal conductivity of paraffin were increased using nano aluminum oxide (nano-Al2O3). Ultrasonic vibration and sodium stearoyl lactilate (SSL) as surfactant were used to solve the problem of dispersion and stability of nanoparticles. These characteristics were evaluated using sedimentation observation. According to our results, used method could stabilized nano-Al2O3 in paraffin and consequently increased its thermal conductivity.

Keywords:

energy storage , phase change material , surfactant , stability , thermal conductivity , paraffin