Preparation and thermal characteristics of eutectic fatty acids/Shorea javanica composite for thermal energy storage

In this study, two types of fatty acid based composite phase change material (CPCM) have been prepared by mixing-impregnation method. Myristic acid/palmitic acid/sodium palmitate (MA/PA/SP) and myristic acid/palmitic acid/sodium stearate (MA/PA/SS) were used as base eutectic PCMs and Shorea javanica (SJ) was used as a porous material to improve the thermal conductivity and thermal performance of CPCM. Thermal properties, thermal conductivity, and thermal stability of prepared CPCMs were measured using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) thermal analysis, thermal conductivity analysis, and simultaneous thermal analyzer (STA). Furthermore, a chemical compatibility analysis has been done using Fourier transform infra-red spectrophotometer (FT-IR) and a fabricated test rig was used to determine thermal performance. It was seen that CPCMs with addition of 3 wt.% SJ presented a good improvement on thermal conductivity without any significant effect on thermal properties. No chemical reaction between initial eutectic fatty acids and SJ occurred as evidenced by FT-IR and CPCMs show a good thermal stability as well. Therefore, it is concluded that addition of Shorea javanica (SJ) into fatty acid eutectic CPCMs is appropriate to improve the thermal performance of CPCM and it can be acceptable for use as porous material for other PCMs. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.