Abstract

In this paper, thermal energy storage capacity and heat transfer performance improvements of Nanoencapsulated Phase Change Materials (NePCMs) in a commercial thermal oil were investigated. Nanofluids combining self-encapsulated metal nanoparticles (in this case tin nanoparticles of different sizes) together with Therminol 66 (TH66) were analysed. For the NePCM, the resistance of the oxide shell to thermal cycling and the phase change enthalpy of the metal core were experimentally measured. The contribution of the latent heat can increase the total thermal energy storage of the nanofluids. The heat transfer performance of the nanofluids with respect to the base fluid was also evaluated employing theoretical values for the thermophysical properties of the involved materials, obtaining also interesting increments.