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Constrained melting of graphene-based phase change nanocomposites inside a sphere

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Abstract

In the present work, the melting behavior of a fatty acid-based phase change material (PCM) with the addition of functionalized graphene nanoplatelets in a spherical capsule was experimentally studied. The fatty acid-based PCM (OM 08) has been selected for the air-conditioning application with a phase change temperature of 8 °C. The PCM-based nanocomposite samples were prepared by covalent functionalization method. The volume percentage of the functionalized graphene nanoplatelets varied from 0.1 to 0.5% with an increment of 0.1%. The thermal conductivity and rheological properties of the PCM nanocomposites were measured experimentally by transient hot wire method and rheometer, respectively. The maximum enhancement in thermal conductivity for 0.5 vol% of graphene nanoplatelets was found to be ~ 102%. The rheological test found that the addition of graphene nanoplatelets in the PCM resulted in the transition of Newtonian behavior to non-Newtonian behavior at lower shear rates. The viscosity of the PCM nanocomposites increases with volume fraction. Initially the pure PCM and PCM nanocomposites were solidified individually in a spherical capsule at different bath temperatures of 2 °C and − 10 °C. Then the solidified samples were kept in a constant temperature bath at 31 °C, and the melting characteristics were studied. The melting time of the PCM nanocomposite was reduced significantly with the addition of 0.5 vol% of graphene nanoplatelets by ~ 26% and ~21% for the PCM initial temperature of − 10 °C and 2 °C, respectively.

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Abbreviations

CNH:

Carbon nanohorns

CNT:

Carbon nanotubes

GnP:

Graphene nanoplatelet

GNS:

Graphene nanosheet

HTF:

Heat transfer fluid

HVAC:

Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning

MAC:

Mobile air-conditioning

PCM:

Phase change material

RTD:

Resistance temperature detector

TES:

Thermal energy storage

C :

Consistency index

c p :

Specific heat (kJ kg−1 K−1)

E :

Experiment

h :

Latent heat of fusion (kJ kg−1)

k :

Thermal conductivity (W m−1 K−1)

m :

Mass of the PCM in a sphere (mL)

m :

Flow behavior index

t :

Time (min)

T :

Temperature (°C)

ρ :

Density (kg m−3)

μ :

Dynamic viscosity (Pa s)

γ :

Shear rate (s−1)

1, 2, 3, 4 and 5:

Temperature measuring locations

b :

Bath

l :

Liquid

p :

PCM

s :

Solid

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the Centre for Research, Anna University, for providing Anna Centenary Research Fellowship (ACRF) (Ref. No. CFR/ACRF/2015/4, Dated 21.01.2015) toward this doctoral-level research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Division, Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering Guindy, Anna University, Chennai, 600025, India

    Rajendran Prabakaran, J. Prasanna Naveen Kumar & Dhasan Mohan Lal

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Chennai, 603 203, India

    C. Selvam

  3. International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research (WPI - I²CNER), Kyushu University, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, Japan

    Sivasankaran Harish

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  1. Rajendran Prabakaran
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  2. J. Prasanna Naveen Kumar
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  3. Dhasan Mohan Lal
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  5. Sivasankaran Harish
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Correspondence to Dhasan Mohan Lal.

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Prabakaran, R., Prasanna Naveen Kumar, J., Mohan Lal, D. et al. Constrained melting of graphene-based phase change nanocomposites inside a sphere. J Therm Anal Calorim 139, 941–952 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-019-08458-4

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