Thermal properties of shape-stabilized paraffin used for wallboard

In this paper, four kinds of shape-stabilized phase-change materials (PCMs), consisting of paraffin and high-density polyethylene (HDP), were prepared and studied. The paraffin used in the experiment are mixtures of liquid paraffin and 46# paraffin, liquid paraffin and 48# paraffin, liquid paraffin and n-octadecane, and n-heptadecane and 48# paraffin, respectively. The phase-change temperatures of these mixtures are between 21°C and 28°C, and they have a high phase-change latent heat. HDP was mixed in proportions of 50–90% with paraffin mixtures. The phase-change temperatures, the phase-change latent heats, and the uniformity and stability of the shape-stabilized PCMs were studied experimentally using a differential scanning calorimeter. The results showed that prepared shape-stabilized PCMs are the ideal thermal storage materials to be use in wallboard. The results in this paper can provide references and a basis for the application and development of a phase-change material wall.