PCM-Based for Heat Storage in Solar-Thermal Converter

Abstract

Solar thermal energy is one of the promising renewable and sustainable energy that have gain research interest. However, the nature of intermittent solar irradiation limits the usage of this energy. Phase change material (PCM) are substance that has the property of absorbing and releasing thermal energy through phase transformation. Combination of graphene foam/PCM composite will be able to absorb heat from solar thermal energy and sustain energy release to thermoelectric generator (TEG) for electrical conversion. Two different PCM material were tested which are petroleum-based paraffin wax and bio-based PCM beeswax. Thermal properties of both materials were measured using DSC and heat absorption were tested under real solar irradiation. This solar-thermal converter showed that graphene/paraffin/beeswax composite is more effective than the paraffin wax or beeswax alone. The recorded results also showed that combination of these petroleum based and bio-based PCM with added graphene foam could retain longer heat than graphene/paraffin wax and individual PCM. The longer heat can be stored in solar-thermal converter device may sustain electricity generation even with absence of solar energy.