Influence on the thermophysical properties of organic mixture-based nano-enhanced phase change materials for passive cooling in marine ships

This experimental research work explores the effect of adding carbon–graphene nanoplatelets (CNP) and multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) materials to organic PCM mixtures OM18 and OM21 aimed at improving heat transfer for passive cooling applications onboard marine ships. Nano-enhanced phase change materials (NEPCMs) offer a perfect solution to tackle the primary challenge of inadequate thermal conductivity and heat storage capacity. This advancement enables the efficient utilization of PCMs in marine applications. NEPCMs are prepared by blending of nanomaterials CNP and MWCNT at mass concentrations of 0.2%, 0.4%, and 0.6% into the base PCM organic mixtures OM18 and OM21. The thermal conductivity and phase change enthalpy of NEPCMs are measured experimentally using transient hot wire method and DSC 214 polyma, respectively. The prepared NEPCM samples are stable and the particles have high repulsive forces between them which is confirmed by zeta potential distribution analysis (− 35 mV to − 42 mV). The NEPCM sample OM18 with 0.6 mass% of CNP has shown 47% (0.248 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹) increase in thermal conductivity. This improvement in thermophysical characteristics of the organic blend will reduce energy usage during charging. Implementing cool thermal energy storage (TES) systems on ships can play a vital role in reaching this goal. By decreasing the demand for power generation in HVAC systems, these passive cooling systems can curtail fuel consumption and markedly diminish CO₂ emissions.