| Popis: |
In South Africa, it is evident that electricity demand outweighs the supply, and it has caused powerfailure in recent years. When the electrical grid is overly strained, Eskom implementsloadshedding to prevent system failure. Food preservation is compromised during load-sheddingwhich results in food spoilage as refrigeration systems relies on electricity to power thecompressor. Alternative approaches to preserve food products is required and it can be achievedby utilising energy storage material such a latent heat phase change material (PCM). The use ofPCM in refrigeration is gaining industrial interest due to the load shifting potential offered bylatent heat PCM which assists in minimising the electricity bill. PCM application in refrigerationcan reduce the compressor’s cycling period while minimising energy consumption. Therefore,thermal characterisation of a eutectic PCM was done in a Differential Scanning Calorimeter(DSC). The latent heat and phase change temperature values were determined at different samplemass. A saltwater solution with a mass ratio of 20:80 was used as a PCM. The thermal propertieson the solution were evaluated with a DSC. The PCM has a latent heat and melting temperature of260 kJ/kg and -21 ᵒC respectively. This PCM has a high latent heat storage capacity and can beused to maintain the temperature of food products during power failure (loadshedding). |
