Thermal Inertia and Heat Storage Behavior of Hazelnut Shell and Hazelnut Husk Bio-Composites
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This study experimentally investigated the transient thermal behavior of bio-based composites produced from hazelnut shell, hazelnut husk, and natural oil under constant heat-flux heating followed by natural cooling. Composite specimens with thicknesses of 2 cm and 3 cm, together with shell contents of 60%, 70%, and 75%, were prepared to evaluate the effects of specimen geometry and biomass composition on transient heat transfer. The specimens were heated under a constant heat flux for 10 min and subsequently cooled under natural convection for 15 min. Surface temperatures were continuously monitored using a Testo 830-T1 infrared thermometer. Reducing the specimen thickness significantly increased the maximum temperature, with the 2 cm shell and husk composites reaching 90.0 °C and 100.0 °C, respectively, compared with 71.5 °C and 81.0 °C for the corresponding 3 cm specimens. The cooling behavior was evaluated using the cooling constant (k) and the thermal time constant (τ). The calculated cooling constants ranged from 3.05 × 10⁻⁴ to 8.85 × 10⁻⁴ s⁻¹, while the corresponding thermal time constants varied between 1130 s and 3279 s. Among the investigated shell-content formulations, the 60% shell composite exhibited the lowest cooling constant and the highest thermal time constant, indicating the greatest thermal inertia. The results demonstrate that both specimen thickness and biomass composition significantly influence the transient thermal response of the developed composites. The proposed bio-based composites exhibit promising potential for use in building insulation materials, passive thermal regulation systems, and sensible heat storage applications, while also providing a sustainable utilization route for hazelnut processing residues.
Author: Birkut Güler
Institution: Giresun University
Language: Turkish
Subfield: Building and Construction
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7214972711