Characterization of different sugar alcohols as phase change materials for thermal energy storage applications

Abstract Sugar alcohols (SA) are attractive phase change materials (PCM) for thermal energy storage applications at low-to-medium temperatures (70–180 °C). Five pure sugar alcohols (xylitol, adonitol, L-arabitol, erythritol, D-mannitol) and three eutectic blends (eythritol/xylitol, L-arabitol/erythritol, L-arabitol/xylitol) are investigated in this paper. Experimental characterization of such materials as PCMs is provided. This encompasses the measurement of their melting point and latent heat of fusion, as well as the experimental determination of all key physical properties (specific heat, thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, density, viscosity) as a function of the temperature. The performances of the studied materials are compared to those of most currently used PCMs (paraffin waxes, salt hydrates etc.) in the field of thermal energy storage. The most significant applications, including solar seasonal energy storage, are also discussed.