Evaluation of Energy Density in Hexadecane Phase Change Emulsions in Comparison to Water

Fabrizia Giordano, Stefan Gschwander

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The development of energy-dense, thermomechanically stable, and low-viscous phase change emulsions (PCMEs) is proposed as an alternative thermal energy storage solution for building air conditioning. A set of oil-in-water (O/W) nanoemulsions with hexadecane concentration varied between 10, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 wt. % is prepared and characterized with respect to their physical, thermal, and rheological properties. The storage characteristics are evaluated in terms of storage density, phase transition behaviour, supercooling, and dynamic viscosity. A systematic comparison in terms of energy density between the PCMEs and water is carried out at different temperature conditions. For this purpose, the storage break-even temperature TBE  is proposed as a novel parameter to determine suitable operating temperature ranges and cycling conditions. The cycle stability is evaluated by rheological measurements, applying thermomechanical loads to the samples for a high number of cycles. According to the results, the energy density of the PCMEs is always higher than that of water, when the minimum temperature used for the cycling is below the storage break-even temperature. The emulsion with 30 wt. % hexadecane fraction is considered particularly promising, thanks to its high stability when exposed to thermomechanical stress, relatively low viscosity between 10 and 22 mPa s (0–30°C), and a storage density of 98 MJ/m3 within a cycling temperature range of 12 K.
Original languageEnglish
Article number4021812
Number of pages18
JournalInternational Journal of Energy Research
Volume2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 13 May 2024

Research Field

  • Efficient Buildings and HVAC Technologies

Keywords

  • PCM emulsion
  • Thermal Energy Storage
  • Energy density
  • DSC
  • Viscosity
  • Supercooling
  • Temperature
  • Stability
  • Pcm emulsions
  • Nanoemulsions
  • Flow
  • Fabrication
  • Change slurry
  • Heat-transfer
  • Performance

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