Microencapsulation of Fatty Acid as Phase Change Material for Latent Heat Storage
Publication: Journal of Energy Engineering
Volume 137, Issue 4
Abstract
Latent heat storage systems can improve the energy use efficiency and conserve limited energy resources. Microcapsules of lauric acid (LA) as the core and melamineformaldehyde (MF) resin as the shell were prepared as phase change material for latent heat thermal storage by in situ polymerization. The obtained microcapsules were characterized in their surface morphology, particle sizes, thermal properties, thermal cycling, and heat insulation test. Scanning electron microscope analysis suggests that the obtained microcapsules have a spherical shape and smooth surface, and the shell material presents a round shell layer associated with an inner porous structure. Differential scanning calorimeter measurement indicates that the fusion enthalpy of encapsulated LA is , which corresponds to 46.2% by weight of core content. The accelerated thermal cycling test proves that the melting temperature of encapsulated LA has little change after 70 thermal cycles. The heat insulation test indicates that LA microcapsules mixed with acrylic latex coating as a kind of smart coating can reduce the indoor temperature fluctuations. The preceding results showed that the MF/LA microcapsules possess good potential as a latent heat storage material.
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Acknowledgments
This work is supported as a project funded by the Priority Academic Program Development (PAPD) of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Energy Engineering
Volume 137 • Issue 4 • December 2011
Pages: 214 - 219
Copyright
© 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 24, 2010
Accepted: May 6, 2011
Published online: May 7, 2011
Published in print: Dec 1, 2011
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