Development and thermal characteristics of a novel composite oleic acid for cold storage

This paper presents a novel composite material for cold storage. Oleic acid is selected as phase change material whereas carbon coated aluminum is adopted as additive. Thermal conductivities and viscosities of samples are investigated by light flash method and viscometer. Phase change temperature and latent heat are analyzed through DSC measurements. It is indicated that thermal conductivities of composite oleic acid using nanoparticles are remarkably improved when compared with pure sample. The highest thermal conductivity of composite oleic acid with 1 wt% mass ratio of Al@C could reach 0.42 W m(-1) K-1, which is 2 times higher than that of pure oleic acid. When testing temperature increases from 25 degrees C to 75 degrees C, dynamic viscosities decrease from 3.67 mPa s to 1.062 mPa s. Phase change temperature and latent heat are slightly shifted from that of pure oleic acid. This novel composite oleic acid reveals vast potentials to stabilize the performance of solar sorption cooling system. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd and IIR. All rights reserved.