Nanoparticle enhanced PCM for solar thermal energy storage

Presented research is concerned with the improvement of performance of a solar thermal storage system employing phase change material (PCM) with the addition of nano additives. The results showed that dispersion of 0.5 wt. % of mesoporous carbon in the PCM was able to enhance the heat transfer rate. A fourfold increase in the thermal conductivity of the nanocomposites was observed with the addition of nanoparticles. Charging and discharging rate of a solar thermal storage system could be increased by employing these nano enhanced PCM.