Thermal properties and stabilities of the eutectic mixture: 1,6-hexanediol/lauric acid as a phase change material for thermal energy storage

Thermal properties and stabilities of the eutectic mixture: 1,6-hexanediol (HE) and lauric acid (IA) as a new phase change material (PCM) for latent heat thermal energy storage (TES) were investigated. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results indicated that the aforementioned HE/LA mixture with eutectic composition (70/30 wt.%) was a suitable PCM in terms of melting point (T-peak = 36.92 +/- 0.71 degrees C) and latent heat of fusion (Delta H-m, = 177.11 +/- 7.93 J g(-1)). After 1000 thermal cycles, the change in melting point for the eutectic mixture was in the range of -0.49% to -1.19%, and the change in latent heat of fusion was in the range of -0.22% to -3.24%. The eutectic mixture was thermally and chemically stable according to results of thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), volatile test and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopic analysis. Therefore, the HE/LA eutectic mixture is an effective TES material to reduce energy consumption. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.