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The Plymouth Student Scientist

Cameron Edwards

Document Type

Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Article

Abstract

Heating costs and pressure to reduce carbon emissions are rapidly increasing. A possible solution is the implementation of efficient energy storage systems for UK residential buildings. Paraffin wax-based thermal energy storage offers a promising solution due to its low-cost, high-energy density, and long-term stability. However, its low thermal conductivity significantly reduces its practicality. Multiple upgrades, such as implementing highly conductive particles and nanotubes, have been previously studied but lack the inclusion of cost-effectiveness and real-world feasibility. This paper reviews current research and develops a numerical model using the Enthalpy method and a 2D finite difference approach, utilised in Python. It was calculated that 293 kg of paraffin wax is required to store a full day’s heating demand for an average residential building. A validation study was conducted by comparing simulation results to real-world experimental data. However, natural convection was not fully captured in the model, causing a possible slower melting process. The results showed that it would take 1,106 hours for the energy to fully disperse through the paraffin wax, causing it to melt completely. For the enhancements, finned-tubed heat exchanger (£3.65/% melting time improvement) and expanded graphite (£6.85/% melting time improvement) were the most cost-effective. While aluminium foam saw the greatest improvement (reducing the melting time to 63 hours), it came with an unrealistic additional cost of £175,000. From these results it was deemed unreasonable to use paraffin wax to store enough heat for a day. Instead, a smaller system to eliminate boiler short cycling and to assist in smoothing out the heating demand is a more reasonable design. This could save the UK £1 billion and 3 million tons of carbon emissions a year.

Publication Date

2025-12

Publication Title

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Volume

18

Issue

2

ISSN

1754-2383

Deposit Date

2025-12

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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