Abstract

Phase Change Materials (PCMs) are increasingly being used in the area of energy sustainability. Thermal characterization is a prerequisite for any reliable utilization of these materials. Current characterization methods including the well-known T-history method depend on accurate temperature measurements. This paper investigates the impact of different thermistor linearization techniques on the temperature uncertainty in the T-history characterization of PCMs. Thermistor sensors and two linearization techniques were evaluated in terms of achievable temperature accuracy through consideration of both, non-linearity and self-heating errors. T-history measurements of RT21 (RUBITHERM ® GmbH) PCM were performed. Temperature measurement results on the RT21 sample suggest that the Serial-Parallel Resistor (SPR) 1 linearization technique gives better uncertainty (less than ±0.1°C) in comparison with the Wheatstone Bridge (WB) 1 technique (up to ±1.5°C). These results may considerably influence the usability of latent heat storage density of PCMs in the certain temperature range. They could also provide a solid base for the development of a T-history measuring device. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2012 Elsevier. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Publisher Keywords:	Thermistor; Linearization technique; PCM; T-history method; Temperature accuracy; Heat density
Subjects:	T Technology > TA Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General)
Departments:	School of Science & Technology School of Science & Technology > Engineering

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