Experimental study of supercooling and <i style="">p</i>H behaviour of a typical phase change material for thermal energy storage

Abstract

Thermal energy storage plays an important role in the storage of available energy and hence, improves its utilization during odd hours especially, in the presence of an intermittent heat source. Phase change materials (PCMs) also play very important role in thermal energy storage due to their qualities to store more heat in small volume. But there are some disadvantages in most of the inorganic PCMs, such as fluctuation in their normal freezing point, known as supercooling behaviour. There are certain additives that play an important role in minimizing and/or removing the supercooling behaviour of different PCMs. In the present study, the supercooling behaviour of a typical PCM and the effect of <i style="">p</i>H value have been studied. The results obtained through experimental study have been compared with those obtained through differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and found to be in good agreement with each other