Evaluation of Lauric-Myristic Acid as Phase Change Material in Thermally Modified Wood for Thermal Energy Storage

Abstract

Thermally modified Scots pine samples were impregnated with lauric acid (LA) and myristic acid (MA) as phase change material (PCM) by vacuum process.  The LA-MA mixture was prepared at a eutectic ratio of 66 to 34 wt%. Some properties of the wood samples such as hygroscopicity, mechanical, thermal energy storage (TES), and lab-scale thermo-regulative performance were investigated. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) was utilized to analyze the physicochemical characteristics of wood samples that underwent thermal treatment. The thermal degradation stability, cycling chemical/thermal reliability, and TES properties of the samples were assessed through TG (thermogravimetric analysis) and DSC (differential scanning calorimetry) analyses. The DSC results of thermally modified wood (TMW)/LA-MA samples showed good energy storage or release capacity with appropriate phase. These analyses also indicated that TMW samples infused with PCM exhibited reduced residue compared to the control samples. The experimental evaluation conducted on a small scale demonstrated that the PCM integrated within the wood effectively retains excess heat within the surrounding environment, thereby restricting heat dissipation. Moreover, the presence of PCM visibly decreased water absorption and enhanced the dimensional stability in wood. The impregnation with LA-MA improved mechanical properties of thermally modified wood despite the thermal modification that normally decreases mechanical properties.