Abstract
This paper presents an experimental investigation on solidification and melting characteristics of a newly prepared nanofluid as PCM containing myristic acid and SiO2 nanoparticles (NPs). SiO2 NPs with mass fractions of 0.2, 0.5, 0.8 and 1.0 wt% were dispersed in the base PCM (myristic acid) separately, in order to determine the maximum enhancement of thermal conductivity. The size and morphology of the as synthesized SiO2 NPs were studied by FESEM. Phase change temperatures and latent heats of composite PCMs were evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses. Thermal conductivity enhancement of composite PCMs was measured by laser flash analyzer (LFA). The test results clearly indicate that time required for complete melting and solidification processes of composite PCMs were less as compared to base PCM. Thus, the newly prepared PCM could be considered to be a potential candidate to harvest the solar energy for drier application.
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