Middle term immersion corrosion tests on metal-salt hydrate pairs used for latent heat storage in the 32 to 36 °C temperature range

Thermal energy storage is required in order to utilize alternative energy sources, which often are available at times when energy is not needed. The main applications of phase change materials (PCMs) in thermal energy storage are when space restrictions limit larger thermal storage units. To ensure long term stability of recipients and containers in energy storage facilities, corrosion must be avoided. In the present work, we studied corrosion stability of different common metals (aluminum, brass, copper, steel, and stainless steel) and tested their corrosion resistance in contact with salt hydrates that are used as PCMs (zinc nitrate hexahydrate, sodium phosphate dodecahydrate, calcium chloride hexahydrate) using the immersion corrosion test method. In a former paper, short term tests were presented. As a consequence of the results from those experiments several combinations of construction material and PCM could be ruled out. In this paper, middle term tests were performed in different conditions, such as the accessibility to oxygen in the sample and contact with graphite. These experiments allowed us to choose the best metal to be used with each salt hydrate, and combinations that should be definitely avoided.