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Influence of Copper Foam on the Thermal Characteristics of Phase Change Materials

Author

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  • Xiaokuan You

    (School of Energy and Power Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China)

  • Xiangxin Sun

    (School of Energy and Power Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China)

  • Jie Huang

    (School of Energy and Power Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China)

  • Zilong Wang

    (School of Energy and Power Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China)

  • Hua Zhang

    (School of Energy and Power Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China)

Abstract

The phase change material is a hot research topic in solar thermal storage systems. However, the thermal conductivity of pure phase change materials is usually low, which hinders its application in facilities. In this study, copper foam is used to increase the thermal characteristics of the paraffin. Simulations are conducted to compare the melting characteristics of the pure paraffin and the paraffin/copper foam composite phase change material. A visualized experimental device was designed and built, and the copper foam composite phase change material, with a volume fraction of 15%, was prepared by filling part of the copper foam in the phase change material. The simulation results agree well with the experimental results. The root mean square errors of the temperature for the pure paraffin and the composite phase change material are 0.0223 and 0.0179, respectively. The experimental results show that the copper foam can enhance thermal conductivity and decrease melting time. It takes 870 s for the composite phase change material to melt, which is 3.44% less than that of the pure paraffin. This study deepens the understanding of the composite phase change material and provides a reference for the design of thermal energy storage devices.

Suggested Citation

  • Xiaokuan You & Xiangxin Sun & Jie Huang & Zilong Wang & Hua Zhang, 2023. "Influence of Copper Foam on the Thermal Characteristics of Phase Change Materials," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-15, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:16:y:2023:i:4:p:1994-:d:1071818
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Morena Falcone & Danish Rehman & Matteo Dongellini & Claudia Naldi & Beatrice Pulvirenti & Gian Luca Morini, 2022. "Experimental Investigation on Latent Thermal Energy Storages (LTESs) Based on Pure and Copper-Foam-Loaded PCMs," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-13, July.
    2. Xiao, X. & Zhang, P. & Li, M., 2013. "Preparation and thermal characterization of paraffin/metal foam composite phase change material," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 1357-1366.
    3. Yang, Xiaohu & Bai, Qingsong & Guo, Zengxu & Niu, Zhaoyang & Yang, Chun & Jin, Liwen & Lu, Tian Jian & Yan, Jinyue, 2018. "Comparison of direct numerical simulation with volume-averaged method on composite phase change materials for thermal energy storage," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 229(C), pages 700-714.
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