Thermal enhancement of paraffin as a phase change material with nanomagnetite.

Abstract: Paraffin is a common phase-change-material (PCM) exploited in many thermal and solar energy storage applications. Its relatively large latent heat with a stable phase change, nontoxicity and noncorrosivity are the main reasons. Paraffin׳s low thermal conductivity may become a drawback for high power applications. In this study, the effect of adding nanomaterials to enhance paraffin׳s thermal performance is investigated. Nanomagnetite (Fe3O4) particles were prepared by sol–gel method for this investigation. Once characterization of nanomagnetite was done, it was added at 1%, 5%, 10%, and 15% ratios to paraffin (melting range: 46–48°C) to obtain a paraffin nanocomposite. Thermal characterization with Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) shows that the latent heat storage capacity of paraffin has been increased for 10% nanomagnetite composite, while the melting temperature range remained the same. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]