The present work focused on the application of zirconium dioxide (ZrO2), a metal based nano material in a helical tube heat exchanger. A novel nano enhance phase change material (NEPCM) passes through a series of test to explore its energy storage capacity. The aim of the
study is to determine the effect of varying amounts of ZrO2 on the thermal performance of energy storage systems through experiments, and based on the results, to identify the optimal concentration. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results indicated that the ZrO2 physically bonded with paraffin wax without disturbing the chemical stability and structure
of the NEPCM samples. It was noticed that ZrO2 successfully stabilized surface temperature, solidification and melting of paraffin wax. Experiments with ZrO2 doped with paraffin wax also helped to establish the optimum value of charging and discharging time. The most significant enhancement in charging rate was observed with a mere 0.1–0.3% (vol.) increase, but this enhancement rapidly declined with increases beyond 0.3% in volume concentration. NEPCM with 0.3% concentration in volume was identified as ideal sample. When the mass flow rate increased from 1 to 5 LPM, the exergy efficiency dropped from 21.4% to 15.3%. Compared
to other PCM and NEPCM samples, ZrO2-doped PCM samples exhibited a more favorable thermal response.