Paraffin as Phase Change Material

Nowadays, numerous problems, including the environmental problem caused by fossil fuels, have led to greater attention to the optimal use of energy and the development of renewable energy. One of the most important parts of using energy efficiently is storing it. Among the many ways introduced for energy storage, thermal energy storage, including latent heat, is among the most interesting. This storage is done with materials called phase change materials (PCMs). These materials store the energy in the form of latent heat at constant temperature during the phase transition, discussed in this chapter, and release the same stored energy in the crystallization process. These materials are mainly classified into three catego-ries: organic, inorganic, and eutectics. Today, these materials are widely used with different properties in a variety of fields. Paraffin is one of the most important organic PCMs due to its numerous advantages that will be discussed in the following sections. From the methods of using paraffinic PCMs, two main methods, encapsulation and shape-stable PCMs, are discussed in detail. On the whole, this chapter of the book attempts to briefly discuss paraffins and their unique role in thermal energy storage systems as phase change materials.