Characterisation of erythritol as a potential phase change material

ABSTRACTErythritol ((2 R,3S)-Butane-1,2,3,4-tetrol) is being considered as a phase change material (PCM) of interest owing to its potential applicability for solar thermal applications. But however, lack of inclusive material characterisation outcomes drives the need to bridge this research gap. In this study, erythritol was subjected to both chemical and thermal characterisation investigations. X-ray diffractometry (XRD) investigation estimated the degree of crystallinity to be 73.48% and the crystallite size to be 38.79 nm. The fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) investigation has identified -OH, -C-H and -CH2 to be the major functional groups. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) investigation visualised the crystalline architecture of the PCM. The energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDAX) investigation quantified the composition of C and O in the eclectic constituency. The UV-visible spectrophotometry investigations confirmed that erythritol could be utilised for direct solar thermal applications. The thermal characterisation investigations rendered the latent heat of the PCM to be 333.48 kJ kg−1 and its peak melting temperature to be 118.18°C. The thermal stability investigations estimated the latent heat loss per cycle to be 1.1451 kJ kg−1.KEYWORDS: Characterisationphase change materialsthermal energy storage Nomenclature β=Full width at half maximum (FWHM) (radians)λ=Wave-length of x-ray (Å)ρ=Bulk density of erythritol (kg m−3)ρxr=X-ray density of erythritol (kg m−3)θ=Peak location (radians)Ag=Avagadro’s constant (or) Avagadro’s number: 6.02214076 × 10 23Cpl=Liquid phase specific heat (kJ kg−1 K)Cps=Solid phase specific heat (kJ kg−1 K)hm=Latent heat of fusion (kJ kg−1)M=Molecular weight of erythritol (g mol−1)Qm=Heat energy required for melting alone (kJ)Qls=Heat energy stored during liquid sensible heating (kJ)Qss=Heat energy stored during solid sensible heating (kJ)Tamb=Ambient temperature (K)Tpm=Peak melting temperature (K)V=Volume of the unit cell (m3)A=Absorbance (%)D=crystallite size (nm)K=Scherrer equation constantm=Mass of erythritol used (kg)Q(t)=Instantaneous heat energy stored (kJ)R=Reflectance (%)T=Transmittance (%)AcknowledgementsThe authors thank the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India and the management of PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore for their financial support.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.Additional informationFundingThis work was supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India under Grant No.: DST/TMD/MES/2K16/20(G).Notes on contributorsPaul Gregory FelixPaul Gregory Felix holds a doctoral degree in Energy Engineering. He is currently affiliated with Sri Krishna College of Technology, Coimbatore as an Assistant Professor. He is a practising engineer and a consultant Chartered Mechanical Engineer licensed by The Institution of Engineers (India). His fields of expertise include phase change materials, energy storage systems, computational fluid dynamics, sustainable architecture and energy-efficient building design.Velavan RajagopalVelavan Rajagopal completed his doctorate in GHG mitigation in a Textile Industrial Cluster from Anna University and his research area is application of sustainable energy for industrial and domestic use.Kannan KumaresanKannan Kumaresan has 7½ years of industrial experience in Boilers and completed his doctorate in Flow analysis of Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers from Anna University, Chennai, and his area of research is Phase change materials, solar latent heat storage systems, and Computational Fluid Dynamics.