Influence of Water Addition on the Latent Heat Degradation of Sodium Acetate Trihydrate

To promote the development of thermal energy storage (TES), the sodium acetate trihydrate (SAT) presents interesting thermal properties. However, this material may suffer from aging throughout thermal cycles. Various solutions were explored in the literature to limit this aging, mainly based on the use of additives such as water. In this study, two samples were prepared. The first one consisted of raw SAT material whereas 3 wt.% of supplementary water has been added to the second one. They were then poured into 350 cm(3) bricks, which were placed in an experimental test bench. After 35 cycles between 20 and 70 degrees C, a drop of about 10% of the latent heat was observed for the first sample. This behavior was like the literature data. For the second sample, the decrease of latent heat was more rapid (about 30%). Contrary to our expectations, the water addition seems not beneficial for the improvement of thermal stability. Interestingly, we noticed that the drop of the latent heat was fully reversible after sample stirring. This degradation might not be related to a thermal destructive mechanism but rather to a global segregation phenomenon. This segregation may be due to the breaking of hydrogen bonding between anhydrous sodium acetate and water, resulting in the separation of the two species.