Journal of South China University of Technology(Natural Science Edition) ›› 2025, Vol. 53 ›› Issue (3): 116-126.doi: 10.12141/j.issn.1000-565X.240256

• Materials Science & Technology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Preparation and Thermal Property Regulation of Nitrates Based Phase Change Material for Low and Medium Temperature Thermal Energy Storage

AN Zhoujian(), LI Lu, MAO Shuai, LIU Ligong, DU Xiaoze, ZHANG Dong   

  1. School of Energy and Power Engineering,Lanzhou University of Technology,Lanzhou 730050,Gansu,China
  • Received:2024-05-27 Online:2025-03-10 Published:2024-08-23
  • Supported by:
    the National Natural Science Foundation of China(52206087);the Key R & D Program of Gansu Province(23YFGA0066);the Industrial Support Plan Project of Gansu Provincial Education;Department(2022CYZC-21)

Abstract:

The recovery, storage and reuse of low-temperature waste heat in industry by using phase change materials for heat storage is an important method to achieve the gradual utilisation of energy and improve the efficiency of energy utilisation. The physical properties of phase change materials are the key factors determining the performance of heat storage systems.Therefore, the development of phase change materials with an appropriate phase transition temperature and good thermal cycling stability is of great significance for achieving efficient waste heat recovery. Based on this, a new phase change material, NaNO3-KNO3-NaNO2-LiNO3, was synthesized using the static melting method. A series of characterizations were conducted to evaluate its thermal properties, including melting point, latent heat, specific heat capacity, and cyclic stability, using differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The optimal composition was identified as m(NaNO3)∶m(KNO3)∶m(NaNO2)∶m(LiNO3)=6.32∶47.83∶36.10∶9.75 which was selected as the final preferred salt. The experimental results demonstrate that the preferred salt has significant performance advantages, with a low melting point of 79.02 ℃ and a latent heat of phase transition of 176.71 J/g; the average specific heat capacities of the solid and liquid phases are 1.96 and 2.09 J/(g·℃), respectively; the decomposition temperature reaches more than 600 ℃, which demonstrates its wide applicability in terms of temperature; after 100 high and low temperature cycling tests, the preferred salt still exhibited good thermal cycling stability. This study provides a new type of phase change energy storage material for low and medium temperature waste heat recovery and heat storage system, which is of great significance for energy optimisation and energy saving and emission reduction in related fields.

Key words: heat storage, mixed nitrate, thermophysical properties, thermal stability, phase change

CLC Number: