Heat Transfer Phenomenon of Nano-Enhanced Phase Change Material (NEPCM) Incorporated in Refrigeration Test Rig
Abstract
Nano-enhanced phase change materials (NEPCMs) have a large latent heat storage capacity and better heat transport qualities, making NEPCMs a suitable solution for improving the thermal performance of refrigeration systems. The research aims to find out the thermal properties of NEPCM to improve its latent heat. PCM material used is eutectic mixture of potassium chloride (KCL) and sodium chloride (NaCl) with graphene, CuO, nanoparticles that has been integrated into a refrigeration test rig. Graphene (Grn) nanoparticles (70 nm) and Cupper oxide (CuO, 80 nm) along with a eutectic mixture of phase change materials like potassium chloride (KCL) and sodium chloride (NaCl), are used for experimentation. The present study revealed that nanoparticles can influence the nucleation and growth of the PCM during the phase transition. Graphene (Grn) nanoparticles shows more heat transfer rate in comparison with CuO nanoaprticles. This influence can impact the overall melting or freezing behavior, leading to changes in the latent heat storage capacity and thermal performance of the material. The experimental results show that using NPCM (Eutectic mixture+Grnp) combination as thermal energy storage in refrigeration test set up will maintain around 10 to 12 0C during power OFF mode. Also, it is observed that liquid fraction (f) rate during solidification and melting is better as compared with (Eutectic mixture+CuO) and other combinations. The implementation of NEPCM in evaporator section as thermal energy storage not only improves the system performance but also it will reduce electricity consumption up to 13-15% during power ON cycle. The proposed refrigeration test set up can have potential applications in low temperature applications like cold chain technology.