Effect of different micelles on charging and discharging behavior of phase change material

Abstract

Phase change material (PCM) offers high-density thermal energy storage, making it attractive for thermal management applications of electronic circuitry and thermal energy storage. However, PCM, like paraffin wax, ideal for such low-temperature applications, has very low thermal conductivity. The present study focused on the improvement of the thermal conductivity of paraffin wax using surfactants. The surfactants used as thermal conductivity enhancers (TCE) are cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB), Dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (known as AOT) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The surfactant self-aggregation called a micelle, acts as conducting medium inside the paraffin wax, providing better thermal conductivity. The highest heat transfer rate with a peak temperature of 71 °C was observed in the case of AOT micelle paraffin wax. Adding SDS, CTAB, and AOT surfactants increased the highest temperatures by 4%, 8.4%, and 18.33% compared to pure PCM.