Thermal energy storage characteristics of myristic and stearic acids eutectic mixture for low temperature heating applications

Stearic acid (67.83°C) and myristic acid (52.32°C) have high melting temperatures that can limit their use as phase change material (PCM) in low temperature solar heating applications such as solar space and greenhouse heating in regard to climatic requirements. However, their melting temperatures can be adjusted to a suitable value by preparing a eutectic mixture of the myristic acid (MA) and the stearic acid (SA). In the present study, the thermal analysis based on differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) technique shows that the mixture of myristic acid (MA) and stearic acid (SA) in the respective composition (by mass) of 64% and 36% forms a eutectic mixture having melting temperature of 44.13°C and the latent heat of fusion of 182.4 J·g^-1. The thermal energy storage characteristics of the MA-SA eutectic mixture filled in the annulus of two concentric pipes were also experimentally established. The heat recovery rate and heat charging/discharging fractions were determined with respect to the change in the mass flow rate and the inlet temperature of heat transfer fluid. Based on the results obtained by DSC analysis and by the heat charging/discharging processes of the PCM, it can be concluded that the MA-SA eutectic mixture is a potential material for low temperature thermal energy storage applications in terms of its thermo-physical and thermal characteristics.