Forced Convection Heat Transfer of a Phase Change Material (PCM) Nanoemulsion

Phase Change Materials (PCM) are suitable for use in Thermal Energy Storage (TES) systems as they can store and release both sensible heat and latent heat during phase change. This investigation examines the thermophysical properties and heat transfer properties of a beeswax nanoemulsion during forced convection in a circular tube. First, the beeswax nanoemulsion was synthesized using surfactants and water, which possesses a relatively low viscosity to enhance pumpability, as well as a high beeswax percentage by mass for greater latent heat storage capacity. The test section was a circular stainless steel tube, 11.3 mm in diameter and heated uniformly using an Ohmic heating method. To determine the heat transfer coefficient, the inlet and exit nanoemulsion temperatures and tube wall temperatures were measured at several axial locations. The forced convection heat transfer coefficient results were first compared to water in order to verify the setup accuracy as well as the degree of success of the PCM in heat storage ability. The experimental results indicate suitable heat transfer coefficients for a stable beeswax nanoemulsion, making it a potential candidate for charging and discharging thermal energy in thermal storage applications.