Accuracy improvement of T-history method for measuring heat of fusion of various materials

T-history method, developed for measuring heat-of-fusion of phase change material (PCM) in sealed tubes, has the advantages of a simple experimental device and convenience with no sampling process. However, some improper assumptions in the original method, such as using a degree of supercooling as the end of latent heat period and neglecting sensible heat during phase change, can cause significant errors in determining the heat of fusion. This problem has been improved in order to predict better results by us. The present study shows that the modified T-history method is successfully applied to a variety of PCMs such as paraffin and lauric acid having no or a low degree of supercooling. Also it turned out that selected periods for sensible and latent heat do not significantly affect the accuracy of heat-of-fusion. As a result, the method can provide an appropriate means to assess a newly developed PCM by a cycle test even if a very accurate value cannot be obtained. (C) 2004 Published by Elsevier Ltd and IIR.