Improvement of the thermal capacity of paraffin by adding silica doped with graphite and carbon black nanoparticles

Abstract

This research work is related to the search for materials that can store a larger amount of heat, because they are necessary to develop accumulator systems that can store heat and use as heat sources required in various activities, since conventional energy sources are increasingly limited or are running out. The high rate of solar radiation in the high plateau region of South America is an advantage to implement heat storage systems, as well as the availability and low cost of the materials with which these systems can be developed, consisting of phase change materials and nanomaterials that have energy absorption properties, others with efficient heat conductivities, which constituted as a single substance, materials with better heat transfer and accumulation properties are achieved, such as paraffin with Silica Gel, Carbon Black and Graphite nanomaterials content. The results achieved by this research are attractive, because the samples of paraffin containing the mentioned nanomaterials can accumulate latent heat of fusion greater than between 20.04 and 31.35%, which can be stored by pure paraffin alone.