Thermo-physical studies and corrosion analysis of caprylic acid–cetyl alcohol binary mixture as novel phase change material for refrigeration systems

This study aims to prepare a stable caprylic acid (CA) and cetyl alcohol (CAL) organic binary mixture as a solid–liquid phase change material (PCM) with a phase transition temperature in the range for exotic chilled refrigeration. A detailed study was carried out on the thermo-physical properties, thermal reliability and corrosion analysis of the prepared binary mixture. The result showed that the binary mixture of caprylic acid–cetyl alcohol (CA–CAL) with a eutectic point at 85:15 molar mass ratio is suitable for medium-range refrigeration application. The determined onset melting/freezing temperature with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was 10 °C/8.9 ± 0.1 °C with a phase transition enthalpy of 154.1/153.3 ± 1% J/g. The binary mixture thermal conductivity measured in the solid phase (at 0 °C) and liquid phase (at 20 °C) was (0.288 ± 0.028) and (0.156 ± 0.007) W/(m⋅K), respectively. Moreover, the thermal reliability test result of the prepared binary mixture under accelerated thermal cycling for 500 melting/freezing cycles showed a maximum of 10.1% deviation in thermal properties, which was in the acceptable range for organic binary PCM. The prepared PCM was found to be compatible with stainless steel and aluminum over an extended period of time, based on corrosion tests conducted on aluminum, copper and stainless steel over a period of 84 days. According to this study, the binary combination CA–CAL as PCM is a potential candidate for cold chain food transportation, supermarket cold cabinets, and other refrigeration applications.