Abstract

The objective of this study is to develop a storage technology for thermal energy utilizing
phase change material (PCM),paraffin wax without encapsulation. Thermal power storage
plants can help in overcoming the intermittency of the solar resource and also reduce the
levelized cost of energy by utilizing the power block for extended periods of time. In general,
heat can be stored in the form of sensible heat, latent heat and thermo-chemical reactions. This
paper describes the development of a cost effective latent heat storage .Latent heat storage is
one of the most efficient ways of storing thermal energy. Unlike the sensible heat storage
method, the latent heat storage method provides much higher storage density, with a smaller
temperature difference between storing and releasing heat. This paper reviews on latent heat
storage and provides an insight to recent efforts to develop new classes of phase change
materials (PCMs) for use in energy storage. Three aspects have been the focus of this review:
PCM materials with encapsulation ,PCM material without encapsulation and applications. This
report belongs to thermal power storage system by using the phase changing material as
paraffin wax without encapsulation .There are large numbers of phase change materials that
melt and solidify at a wide range of temperatures, making them attractive in a number of
applications. Paraffin waxes are cheap and have moderate thermal energy storage density but
low thermal conductivity and, hence, require large surface area. Latent heat storage systems
have higher energy density compared to sensible heat storage systems. However, most phase
change materials (PCMs) have low thermal conductivity that leads to slow charging and
discharging rates. The effective thermal conductivity of PCMs can be improved by forming
small macro capsules of PCM and enhancing convective heat transfer by submerging them in
a liquid. When incorporated in a TES system, these PCMs can reduce the system costs to much
lower rates than currently used system.
Content:
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background
1.2. Objective of Present study
1.3. Importance of study

CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE SURVEY

2.1. Thermal Energy Storage
2.2. Forms of Thermal Energy Storage
2.3. Sensible Heat Storage
2.4. Latent Heat Storage
2.5. Phase Change Materials

CHAPTER 3. Experimental Set-up

3.1.Digamatic representation
3.2 Materials used
3.3 Methodology
3.4.Observtions
3.5.Findings
3.6.Applications

CHAPTER 4. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

4.1. Discussion
4.2. Conclusion
4.2. Recommendations

REFERENCES
 CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION

1.1.Backround:
The magnitude and importance of solar energy are well known. Solar energy is free
environmentally clean, and therefore is recognized as one of the most promising
alternative energy recourses options. Its total available value is seasonal and is
dependent on the meteorological conditions of the location. However, being an
intermittent energy source, the utilization of solar energy can be more attractive and
reliable if associated with a heat storage systems. The scientists all over the world are
in search of new and renewable energy sources. One of the options is to develop energy
storage devices, which are as important as developing new sources of energy. The
storage of energy in suitable forms, which can conventionally be converted into the
required form, is at present day challenge to the technologists. Since the solar energy
supply is variable in daytime and zero at night, considerable amount of solar energy
should be stored during the daytime to meet the demands at night. Energy storage is,
therefore, essential to any system that depends largely on solar energy. It adjusts
temporal mismatches between the load and the intermittent or variable energy source,
thereby improving the system operability and utility. Solar radiation can not be stored
as such, so first of all an energy conversion has to be brought about and, depending on
this conversion, a storage device is needed. For this purpose, latent heat of fusion of
Phase Change Material (PCM) is of great interest on account of high storage density
and its isothermal nature of the storage process. Solar energy can be stored by thermal,
electrical, chemical, and mechanical methods. Due to the nature of solar energy, two
components are required to have a functional solar energy system. These two
components are a collector and a storage unit. The collector simply collects the
radiation that falls on it and converts a fraction of it to other forms of. The storage unit
is required because of the non-constant nature of solar energy; at certain times only a
very small amount of radiation or no radiation will be received. The storage of thermal
energy as latent heat of fusion has attractive features over the sensible heat due to its
high storage density and isothermal nature of storage process at melting temperature.
The phase change from solid to liquid or vice-versa is preferred because the operating
pressure is lower than liquid to gas or solid to gas phase change.

1.2. Objective of Present Work:

The objective of this study is to develop a storage of thermal energy as latent heat of
fusion by using the paraffin wax as phase change material.
 1.3.Importance of work:
The storage of energy in suitable forms, which can conventionally be
converted into the required form.
To overcome the time mismatch between solar availability and demand.
Storing maximum amount of solar energy in the form of latent heat
Fulfilment of hot water demands of a residential building.

CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE SURVEY

A solar thermal energy storage system using phase change material (Paraffin Wax)
has been proposed that can overcome the time mismatch between solar availability
and demand. The proposed system is a combi-system, which is able to make a
contribution to the space heating load and hot water demands of a residential building.
The system consists of a flat-plate collector which delivers hot water to a storage tank
and a number of Paraffin wax filled panels. The panels are manufactured from
aluminium sheet, and have a 15mm coiled copper tubing running through them. The
panels are connected together using push fit connectors for easy assembly.
During operation hot water is circulated through the panels, which melts the Paraffin
Wax in the panels thus storing this thermal energy as both latent and sensible heat.
When the heat is drawn from the panels by forced convection of air over the panels,
the Paraffin Wax will begin to solidify thus releasing its stored sensible and latent
energy which provides space heating.
The space heating load for a room with 5mx4mx3m dimensions on the basis of total
heat losses from the room found to be 5000W. The internal heat gains are 500W.
Therefore the space heating load estimated to be 4500W. Each panel has a heat
storage capacity of 750W. Obviously six such panels are required to meet the space
heating load. When air with forced convection is passed over the panels, the air gets
heated and is then supplied to the space to be heated. Though no experimental data on
the system is yet available, the theoretical research on a similar system has indicated
that it has the potential to reduce energy use upto 18-32% , and hence CO2 emissions
on an all-year round basis.
Key words: phase change material, paraffin wax, thermal energy storage, water
heating, space heating applications

2.1. Thermal Energy Storage

In arid and semi-arid areas, when the solar irradiance is maximum the energy demand
peaks up due to air-conditioning. One disadvantage with solar power production is
intermittent nature, due to cloud cover and weather variations. Thermal power storage
technology has an advantage over other technologies since the thermal energy produced can be
stored and utilized to smooth out the variable energy production. Thermal energy storage has
gained a lot of importance for its immense potential for efficient and low cost energy storage
capability, which can bridge the gap between energy production and demand in the solar power
utility sector.
2.2. Forms of Thermal Energy Storage
The various forms in which thermal energy can be stored are sensible heat, latent heat,
thermochemical or combinations of these . The following sections discuss each of these forms
in detail.
2.3. Sensible Heat Storage
Sensible heat is stored by raising the temperature of a solid or liquid media. Some of the
solid mediums used are metals, rock, concrete and liquid medium are oil-based liquids,
water, and molten salts.
2.4. Latent Heat Storage
The advantages of latent heat storage over sensible heat storage are their smaller tank
size, lower cost and more efficiency. The phase change from solid to liquid is more
efficient than that of liquid to gas, due to the lower volume change. Latent heat storage
systems are also more energy efficient as they operate at a much smaller temperature
difference during the charge-discharge process which ultimately increases the plant
efficiency and possesses higher energy density.
2.5. Phase Change Materials
Phase change material is a name for a substance when it is capable of transformation from
a phase or a state (i.e., solid, liquid, gas) to another phase (i.e., solid, liquid, gas) at a
specific temperature and pressure. Phase change is common in nature, and used to describe
the transitions between solid, liquid and gaseous states as shown below.
A phase of a thermodynamic system has uniform physical properties. During a phase
change, the bonding energy between the particles changes, and as a result, certain
properties of the materials change. Latent heat is defined as the enthalpy change (usually
noted as H) of a thermodynamic system when it changes from one phase to another. For
example, when ice (solid) melts to water (liquid) at 0 C, 1 atm, the enthalpy change is 334
kJ per unit mass of the ice 2, which is also known as the heat of fusion. Because of the
significant enthalpy changes during the phase transitions, phase change materials are
commonly used in many technologies in regard to their thermal energy, in which the
thermal energy is stored and retracted at a targeted temperature by phase change of storage
media, called as latent energy storage.

2.5.1. Thermo-physical Properties

PCMs could be selected with melting temperature in the required temperature
range of operation.
Comparatively higher latent heat per unit volume.
High specific heat for additional heat storage through sensible heat.
High thermal conductivity in solid as well as liquid phases to accelerate the
charging and discharging time of energy storage systems.
Small vapor pressure at operating temperatures to reduce the problem of
encapsulation.
2.5.2. Kinetic Properties
Nucleation rate is high which is beneficial for avoiding super cooling of the
liquid phase.
Crystal growth rate is high, which assists the system to meet demands of heat
recovery from the storage system
.
2.5.3. Chemical Properties
Chemical stability.
Complete reversible freeze / melt cycle.
Almost no degradation after a large number of freeze / melt cycles
*Advantages and disadvantages of PCMs

Organic (Paraffins) Inorganic (Salt Hydrates)

Advantages Disadvantages

-non-corrosive -corrosive;

-chemically and thermally -phase segregation, lack of thermal stability;

stable; -cycling stability.

-high melting enthalpy;

-high density. -lower density;

-no or little sub-cooling -sub-cooling

-low thermal conductivity;

-flammable.
-phase separation;
List of some phase change substances and their properties
S.No. Substance Melting Point 0C Heat of Fusion
kJ/kg
1 H20 0 335
2 Na2S04 . 10H20 + 13-18 ----
Nacl
3 Na2S04 . 10H20 + 13-18 ----
Kcl
4 CaCl2 . 6H20 30 168
5 Na2S04 . 10H20 32 241
6 Paraffin wax 46 209

7 Na NO3 310 173

8 NaOH 320 159
9 LiF 845 845

The three processes in a general TES system

CHAPTER 3. Experimental Set-up:
 3.1. Diagramatic Representation:

3.2. Materials Used:

Phase change material (PCM) , viz. paraffin wax
Steel Container
Heating device
Thermocouple
Insulating material (insulating sheet, glass wool)

3.3. Methodology:
 Firstly a steel container containing 5kg of paraffin wax was taken.
Then it was insulated by glass wool (Insulating materials made from fibre of glass
boded loosely in a way to trap air) and insulating sheet successively by using a binder.
Then it was heated with a heating device.
Thereafter, the time when the PCM started to melt and the time when it completely
melted were recorded by using the thermocouple. The total duration taken for this
phase change from solid to liquid was 45 minutes.
Then the container was removed from the heating device.
Thereafter, the container was made to undergo the process of freezing in the room
temperature. The temperature drop in the paraffin wax in the solidification process was
recorded every 30 minutes as shown in the graph below.
At the end of the 8.5hrssolidification process, a temperature vs. time graph was plotted,
to study the time-temperature relationship here as recorded earlier.

3.3.Observations:
SL no.
time Temperature(c)
1 0 94.8
2 30 80.5
3 60 62.7
4 90 60
5 120 59.4
6 150 59.2
7 180 58.2
8 210 57.7
9 240 56.7
10 270 55.5
11 300 55.2
12 330 54.9
13 360 51.4
14 390 49.2
15 420 47.4
16 450 42.7
17 480 33

It was observed that the drop in temperature of the PCM in the freezing process was slower
at the initial stages(day time) but faster in the late hours (evening time) affected by the room
temperature .
3.4.Findings:
From the experiment it is found that the heat absorbed by the paraffin wax during 45
mins melting was retained by it for 8.5hrs as revealed from the solidification process.
As PCM (paraffin wax) has a high storage density, high latent heat and is isothermal in
nature, the amount of energy absorbed during melting lasted for 8-10 hrs. So the paraffin
wax has such properties that it can retain and radiate heat for a very longer period of time.

3.5.Aplications:
Phase change thermal storage for shifting the peak heating load
At residential building in room temperature(space heating)
satellite power testing
floor heating systems with the goal of reducing energy consumption

CHAPTER 4.RECOMENDATION & SUGGESSTION

Conclusion

REFERENCE: