Investigations on phase change materials for enhancement of thermal conductivity

Experimental work has been undertaken to improve the thermal conductivity of the phase change material (PCM), paraffin wax (PW) by adding Al2O3 and Cu particles in increased mass fractions to elevate thermal energy storage efficiency. Composite PCM of PW-Al2O3 and PW-Cu with 5%, 10%, and 15% mass fractions were prepared by sonication. Morphology of microstructures of PW and composite PCM were examined using SEM. Thermophysical properties were measured using standard testing methods. Latent heat and specific heat were recorded with differential scanning calorimeter. Thermal conductivity was tested using two slab guarded hot plate apparatus. The results showed an improvement in thermal conductivity and latent heat of the composite PCM. The enhancement ratio of thermal conductivity was 10% and 80% for PW-Al2O3 and PW-Cu composite PCM respectively at 15 wt.%.