Performance enhancement of nano embedded phase change materials for thermal energy storage applications

Abstract

The concern for energy efficient schemes is considerably increasing due to the increase in energy demand. The demand for space heating increases by 4 percent every year since the last three decades. Buildings are one of the growing energy consuming sectors, resulting in higher CO2 emissions. It is obvious that the energy policies of several countries focused on increasing renewable energy and reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and nonrenewable energy technologies. In future years, Non-OPEC countries are expected to be more dependable on renewable energy technologies. Among various renewable energy techniques, thermal energy storage technologies using phase change materials (PCMs) seen as a potential alternative due to its ability to store high energy over a short time. PCMs were used in solar water heating, space heating and cooling, also in various thermal energy storage applications. Latterly, the application of PCMs as building fabric materials for absorbing solar thermal energy has gained a lot of attention. PCMs have widened scope of application as the energy from the difference in isotherm is stored in PCMs and utilized during peak load conditions. Despite these features, commercialization and effective utilization of Latent thermal energy storage systems (LTES) was limited owing to the lower thermal conductivity and slower heat transfer rate of the PCM. Numerous methods like embedding aluminium fins, metal screens, and metallic structures have been reported to overcome the limitations and improve thermal properties of PCMs. With the advancements in nanotechnology, nanofluids were produced by dispersing nanoparticles (NPs) into water and its mixtures. NPs have been incorporated into organic PCMs for persistent enhancement in thermal properties. newline