The capric and lauric acid mixture with chemical additives as latent heat storage materials for cooling application

The mixture of capric acid and lauric acid (C-L acid), with the respective mole composition of 65% and 35%, is a potential phase change material (PCM). Its melting point of 18.0degreesC, however, is considered high for cooling application of thermal energy storage. The thermophysical and heat transfer characteristics of the C-L acid with some organic additives are investigated. Compatibility of C-L acid combinations with additives in different proportions and their melting characteristics are analyzed using the differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). Among the chemical additives, methyl salicylate, eugenol, and cineole presented the relevant melting characteristics. The individual heat transfer behavior and thermal storage performance of 0.1 mole fraction of these additives in the C-L acid mixture are evaluated. The radial and axial temperature distribution during charging and discharging at different concentrations of selected PCM combinations are experimentally determined employing a vertical cylindrical shell and tube heat exchanger. The methyl salicylate in theC-L acid provided the most effective additive in the C-L acid. It demonstrated the least melting band width aimed at lowering the melting point of the C-L acid with the highest heat of fusion value with relatively comparable rate of heat transfer. Furthermore, the thermal performance based on the total amount of transferred energy and their rates, established the PCM's latent heat storage capability. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.