Experimental charging/discharging studies of organic phase change materials for cold thermal energy storage application

This article presents the experimental charging and discharging characteristics of two organic phase change materials (PCMs) for the application of cold thermal energy storage. Lauryl alcohol and butyl stearate were encapsulated in rectangular encapsulation and the experimental study was carried out in vapor compression refrigeration system. The experiment also conducted for different masses of PCMs and the result showed that lauryl alcohol shows stable phase change with less temperature variation of 3.5 degrees C during the charging and discharging which is not evidenced in butyl stearate. Also, the discharging duration is more in lauryl alcohol than butyl stearate due to its high energy density. The discharge in lauryl alcohol occurs for more than two times of the discharge time of the butyl stearate. Both the PCMs produced cooling inside the chamber during the experiment but comparatively lauryl alcohol advances in the real-time performance and recommended for cold thermal energy storage applications.