Assessment of low-cost organic phase change materials for improving infrastructure thermal performance

Recent studies in the literature have investigated the use of different phase change material (PCM) types and their incorporation techniques into cement-based materials (CBMs). The outcomes of such analysis have demonstrated similar negative and positive impacts on the overall performance of CBMs. So, it is challenging for the researchers to select one specific PCM type or incorporate a technique over the other. But, if appropriate PCMs and means of integration are employed, the undesirable properties of PCMs on the CBMs can be minimized. This study investigates the application of mixtures of 50 wt% ratios of coconut oil and soybean oil (COSO) and paraffin wax and soybean oil (PWSO) as blended organic-organic PCMs. These PCMs and paraffin wax (PW) were vacuum impregnated into expanded clay lightweight aggregate (LWA) to produce thermal energy storage ag-gregates (TESA). The results from differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis of the as-received PW or prepared PWSO, and COSO or after multiple thermal cycles, showed high latent heat of fusions necessary to store a large quantity of heat. A wide range of melting points could be suitable for different degrees of phase tran-sitions. Vacuum-impregnated TESA showed PCMs absorption capacity of 30.20% for PW, 28.00% for PWSO, and 27.42% for COSO. Moreover, to prevent leakage, the TESA was coated with latex. The application of low-cost/ widely available PCMs/TESA, developed in this study, can be beneficial for improving the thermal infrastructure performance in developed/developing countries in different weather conditions.