Preparation and Thermal Properties of a Novel Modified Ammonium Alum/Expanded Graphite Composite Phase Change Material

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  • 1. School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
    2. Key Laboratory of Energy Saving and Emission Reduction, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China

Online published: 2023-11-26

Supported by

This work was supported by the National key research and development plan of China (No. 2022YFC3800401) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (FRF-BD-20-09A).

Copyright

Science Press, Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, CAS and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2023

Abstract

Thermal energy storage (TES) using phase change materials (PCMs) is a powerful solution to the improvement of energy efficiency. The application of Ammonium alum (A-alum, NH4Al(SO4)2·12H2O) in the latent thermal energy storage (LTES) systems is hampered due to its high supercooling and low thermal conductivity. In this work, modified A-alum (M-PCM) containing different nucleating agents was prepared and further adsorbed in expanded graphite (EG) to obtain composite phase change material (CPCM) to overcome the disadvantages of A-alum. Thermal properties, thermal cycle stability, microstructure and chemical compatibility of CPCM were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, thermal constant analysis, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The cold rewarming phenomenon of CPCM was established and explained. Results showed that the latent heat and melting point of CPCM were 187.22 J/g and 91.54°C, respectively. The supercooling of CPCM decreased by 9.61°C, and thermal conductivity increased by 27 times compared with pure A-alum. Heat storage and release tests indicated that 2 wt% calcium chloride dihydrate (CCD, CaCl2·2H2O) was the optimum nucleating agent for A-alum. The result of TG and 30 thermal cycles revealed that CPCM exhibited favorable thermal stability and reliability during the operating temperature. The prepared modified A-alum/EG CPCM has a promising application prospect for LTES.

Cite this article

YIN Shaowu, HAN Jiawei, ZHANG Chao, KANG Peng, TONG Lige, WANG Li . Preparation and Thermal Properties of a Novel Modified Ammonium Alum/Expanded Graphite Composite Phase Change Material[J]. Journal of Thermal Science, 2023 , 32(6) : 2093 -2103 . DOI: 10.1007/s11630-023-1825-8

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