Consistent DSC and TGA Methodology as Basis for the Measurement and Comparison of Thermo-Physical Properties of Phase Change Materials

• Main Authors: Lukas Müller, Gabriel Rubio-Pérez, Andreas Bach, Natalia Muñoz-Rujas, Fernando Aguilar, Jörg Worlitschek
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-10-01
• Series: Materials
• Subjects: phase change material; latent heat storage; thermal energy storage; differential scanning calorimetry; thermogravimetric analysis; energy
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/13/20/4486

Measuring thermo-physical properties of phase change materials (PCM) in a consistent and reliable manner is essential for system layout of thermal energy storages and correspondingly material selection. Only if basic properties are assessed in a comparable way a selection process leads to the top candidate for any given application and thus enhances market penetration of renewable energy sources coupled with thermal energy storage. In this study, we focus on differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) as basic assessment techniques and develop consistent measurement procedures to create a database with comparable results. We show consistency of the measured results through analysis of coefficient of variation (CV), being in the mean 1.69%, 0.05%, 0.06% and 4.00% for enthalpy, melting onset, melting peak and maximum operating temperature, respectively. Overall, 23 PCM have been measured with the presented methodology, which was mainly possible due to the reduced measurement and preparation time per PCM compared to standard techniques, while achieving similar accuracy and precision.