Experimental investigations of thermal properties of icy lunar regolith and their influence on phase change interface movement

Microencapsulation of sodium nitrate (NaNO3) as phase change material for high temperature thermal energy storage aims to reduce costs related to metal corrosion in storage tanks. The goal of this work was to test in a prototype thermal energy storage tank (16.7 L internal volume) the thermal properties of NaNO3 microencapsulated in zinc oxide shells, and estimate the potential of NaNO3–ZnO microcapsules for thermal storage applications. A fast and scalable microencapsulation procedure was developed, a flow calorimetry method was adapted, and a template document created to perform tank thermal transfer simulation by the finite element method (FEM) was set in Microsoft Excel. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and transient plane source (TPS) methods were used to measure, in small samples, the temperature dependency of melting/solidification heat, specific heat, and thermal conductivity of the NaNO3–ZnO microcapsules. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and chemical analysis demonstrated the stability of microcapsules over multiple tank charge–discharge cycles. The energy stored as latent heat is available for a temperature interval from 303 to 285 °C, corresponding to onset–offset for NaNO3 solidification. Charge–self-discharge experiments on the pilot tank showed that the amount of thermal energy stored in this interval largely corresponds to the NaNO3 content of the microcapsules; the high temperature energy density of microcapsules is estimated in the range from 145 to 179 MJ/m3. Comparison between real tank experiments and FEM simulations demonstrated that DSC and TPS laboratory measurements on microcapsule thermal properties may reliably be used to design applications for thermal energy storage.

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Testing a Gypsum Composite Based on Raw Gypsum with a Direct Admixture of Paraffin and Polymer to Improve Thermal Properties

Materials ◽

10.3390/ma14123241 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (12) ◽

pp. 3241

Author(s):

Krzysztof Powała ◽

Andrzej Obraniak ◽

Dariusz Heim

Keyword(s):

Thermal Conductivity ◽

Heat Capacity ◽

Thermal Properties ◽

Phase Change ◽

Large Scale ◽

Building Materials ◽

Residential Buildings ◽

Energy Performance ◽

Polymer Content ◽

Volumetric Heat Capacity

The implemented new legal regulations regarding thermal comfort, the energy performance of residential buildings, and proecological requirements require the design of new building materials, the use of which will improve the thermal efficiency of newly built and renovated buildings. Therefore, many companies producing building materials strive to improve the properties of their products by reducing the weight of the materials, increasing their mechanical properties, and improving their insulating properties. Currently, there are solutions in phase-change materials (PCM) production technology, such as microencapsulation, but its application on a large scale is extremely costly. This paper presents a solution to the abovementioned problem through the creation and testing of a composite, i.e., a new mixture of gypsum, paraffin, and polymer, which can be used in the production of plasterboard. The presented solution uses a material (PCM) which improves the thermal properties of the composite by taking advantage of the phase-change phenomenon. The study analyzes the influence of polymer content in the total mass of a composite in relation to its thermal conductivity, volumetric heat capacity, and diffusivity. Based on the results contained in this article, the best solution appears to be a mixture with 0.1% polymer content. It is definitely visible in the tests which use drying, hardening time, and paraffin absorption. It differs slightly from the best result in the thermal conductivity test, while it is comparable in terms of volumetric heat capacity and differs slightly from the best result in the thermal diffusivity test.

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