Variation of thermophysical parameters of PCM CaCl₂.6H₂O with dopant from T-history data analysis

T-history is a powerful method for deriving the thermophysical parameters of a phase change material (PCM), which consists of solid and liquid specific heats as well as latent heat enthalpy. The performance of a PCM for thermal energy storage could be altered by chemical dopants added directly to the PCM in order to form a stable suspension. We described in this paper the role of chemical dopants in the variation of thermophysical parameters for CaCl 2 · 6H 2 O inorganic PCM with 1 wt% and 2 wt% dopant concentration and BaSO 4 (1 wt%) as a nucleator using the T-history method. The dopant consists graphite and CuO nanoparticles. The data analysis follows the original method proposed by (Zhang et al 1999 Meas. Sci. Technol. 10 201–205) and its modification by (Hong et al 2004 Int. J. Refrig. 27 360–366). In addition, the enthalpy-temperature curve is obtained by adopting a method proposed by (Marín et al 2003 Meas. Sci. Technol. 14 184–189). We found that the solid specific heat tends to increase non-linearly with increased dopant concentration for all dopants. The increased liquid specific heat, however, indicates the optimum value for 1 wt% graphite dopant. In contrast, the CuO dopant shows a smaller increase in dopant concentration. The specific heat data are analyzed based on the interacting mesolayer model for a nanofluid. The heat of fusion show strong variation with dopant type, in agreement with other experimental data for various PCMs and dopant particles.