Study of Energy Storage Using Phase Change Material (PCM) and Its Performance on Solar Water Heating After Sunset

• Main Author: Wong, Jun Xian
• Format: Final Year Project / Dissertation / Thesis
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery
• Online Access: http://eprints.utar.edu.my/3471/1/ME%2D2019%2D1401928%2D1.pdf; http://eprints.utar.edu.my/3471/

The conventional solar still is unable to provide sufficient volume of fresh water as the water productivity of device is highly dependent on the solar irradiation. Thus, aim of this study is to maximize the water productivity of conventional solar still by using thermal energy storage. Phase change material is used as the storage material because it is capable to absorb and release heat energy when it undergoes heating, cooling and phase transition process. Paraffin based phase change materials (paraffin wax and petroleum jelly) were selected to be used as the storage material in this study because they are able to fulfil most of the criterion to be used as thermal energy storage. However, they possess low thermal conductivity characteristic which leads to poor performance in energy charging and discharging process. In this study, aluminium scrap from machining process was mixed into pure paraffin based phase change material and acts as additive to improve its thermal conductivity. Different types of phase change material were tested in experiment and the water productivity of solar still integrated with thermal energy storage using different phase change material was compared and discussed. In the end, the water productivity of solar still was improved due to thermal energy storage using phase change material. Petroleum jelly mixed with aluminium scrap was found to have the best performance among the phase change materials used in this study due to its enhanced thermal conductivity characteristic.