The Influence of Nanoparticle Type on the Viscosity of Nanoenhanced Energy Storage Materials

Author(s):  
Kieran Hess ◽  
Amy S. Fleischer

The use of nanoparticles to improve the thermal properties of low thermal conductivity phase change materials is of significant interest. However, the addition of nanoparticles to a base fluid is known to result in an increase in viscosity. An increase in viscosity can suppress convective currents, reducing overall heat transfer thus it necessary to quantify the impact of nanoparticle addition on the viscosity of a PCM. In this work nanoparticle enhanced phase change mateirals are synthesized using paraffin and three different types of nanoparticles: exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets (xGNP), multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and herringbone graphite nanofibers (HGNF). The particles are loaded at rates between 0.0024wt% to 0.1wt%. The viscosity is analyzed at temperatures between 60 and 100°C. The influence of temperature, nanoparticle type and nanoparticle loading level on viscosity are presented and discussed. The results show that for xGNP and HGNF within the operating condition studied here that there is no impact of the nanoparticle addition on the viscosity of the base material. However, the addition of MWCNT is found to increase the viscosity of the base fluid with the impact increasing with loading level.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar Siddiqui

The applicability of utilizing a variety of thermal mass including phase change materials with commonly used building materials is investigated through the use of simulations and physical testing. The thermal performance and occupant comfort potential of a novel solid-solid phase change material, known as Dal HSM, is compared and contrasted to commonly available forms of thermal mass. Detailed experimentation is conducted to successfully integrate Dal HSM with gypsum and concrete. The measurement of physical characteristics such as compressive strength and modulus of rupture is conducted to ensure that the PCM-composite compound retains the structural integrity to be utilized in a typical building. The use of thermal mass in the Toronto Net Zero house was found to contribute to energy savings of 10-15% when different types of thermal mass were used. The comfort level of the indoor occupants was also found to increase. The performance of Dal HSM was found to be comparable to a commercially available PCM known as Micronal in the heating mode. The cooling mode revealed that Dal HSM provided slightly lower energy savings when compared to Micronal due to a lower phase transition temperature and latent heat. The performance of physical test revealed a decrease in the compressive strength as the concentration of Dal HSM was increased in the PCM-gypsum specimens. Tests were also performed to analyze the impact of increasing the PCM concentration on the flexural strength of PCM-gypsum composite.


Author(s):  
Tyler J. E. O’Neil ◽  
Celine S. L. Lim ◽  
Sarvenaz Sobhansarbandi

Abstract Phase change materials (PCMs) are commonly used as energy storage mediums in solar thermal systems. This paper investigates the mixture of PCM doped with nanoparticles to be used as HTFs directly integrated in a U-pipe ETC to be applied in solar thermal collectors. The selected type of PCM-HTF in this study is erythritol (C4H10O4), with high specific heat capacity in liquid form, as well as its unique sub-cooling behavior. In order to overcome the low thermal conductivity of erythritol and further enhance specific heat capacity, a weight concentration of 1% multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) is added. Additionally, to insure even distribution of MWCNT and consistent properties of the HTF, triethanolamine (TEA) is proposed to be incorporated as a dispersant. The samples were each tested in a Thermogravimetric Analyzer (TGA) and Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) to analyze their thermal properties. The results from the DSC tests show 12.4% enhancement of specific heat capacity of the proposed HTF mixture as well as nearly 5° C depression of freezing onset temperature. This study allows for the optimization of the operating temperature range of the collector when integrated with these materials, where direct heat gain can be obtained in the collector.


2015 ◽  
Vol 830-831 ◽  
pp. 505-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Sudheer ◽  
K. Narayan Prabhu

In recent years phase change materials have emerged to be ideal energy storage materials for their higher energy density over sensible heat storing materials. Use of phase change materials (PCM) have been successfully implemented at lower temperature applications with various organic compounds. On the other hand, high temperature applications have been solely dominated by various salts, their eutectics and mixtures as phase change materials. This work discusses the suitability of metals and alloys for thermal energy storage applications as the phase change material. Metals offer superior thermal conductivities with considerable energy density compared to salts. Here, two alloys namely, Sn-0.3Ag-0.7Cu (SAC) solidifying over 212-224°C and ZA8 (Zn-8%Al) solidifying over 378-405°C have been studied. Thermal analysis of PCMs using Computer Aided Cooling Curve Analysis (CA-CCA) and DSC technique were performed to predict the solidification path. In addition to this, Newtonian technique was employed to estimate the latent heat of fusion for these phase change materials. Cooling rate curves and Fraction Solid curves offered a better insight into their ability to receive and discharge heat over the concerned temperature range.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadezhda S. Bondareva ◽  
Nikita S. Gibanov ◽  
Mikhail A. Sheremet

The cooling of electronic elements is one of the most important problems in the development of architecture in electronic technology. One promising developing cooling method is heat sinks based on the phase change materials (PCMs) enhanced by nano-sized solid particles. In this paper, the influence of the PCM’s physical properties and the concentration of nanoparticles on heat and mass transfer inside a closed radiator with fins, in the presence of a source of constant volumetric heat generation, is analyzed. The conjugate problem of nano-enhanced phase change materials (NePCMs) melting is considered, taking into account natural convection in the melt under the impact of the external convective cooling. A two-dimensional problem is formulated in the non-primitive variables, such as stream function and vorticity. A single-phase nano-liquid model is employed to describe the transport within NePCMs.


Author(s):  
Levi J. Elston

The ever-increasing power throughput and ever-decreasing size of modern electronics, specifically power electronics, requires more advanced packaging techniques and materials to maintain thermal limits and sustain mechanical life. Specific applications with known operating conditions for these components can realize added benefits through a tailored thermal-mechanical-electrical optimized assembly, potentially utilizing niche material classes. Without losing any expected functionality, solid-liquid phase change materials could be incorporated into the device structure to reduce peak temperature and/or suppress high-cycle fatigue problems commonly found at die-attachment interfaces. The purpose of this study was to investigate, through model-based design and analysis, the impact of using organic phase-change materials (PCMs) at two strategic locations in the standard device stack. The results suggest noteworthy life improvement (40%) is possible when optimizing for a given melt point material. Additionally, further improvements were predicted through future material enhancements, namely thermal conductivity and latent heat.


2011 ◽  
Vol 250-253 ◽  
pp. 3541-3544
Author(s):  
Gang Chen ◽  
Li Xia Wan

The types and characteristics of phase change energy storage materials were introduced ,and the current research of thermal storage with PCMS is summarized in the paper. Meanwhile the influence of stability, corrosion, phase segregation, sub-cooling, and encapsulation of phase change materials on heat storage were presented also. The applications and prospects of PCMS used in many fields were summarized in the end of the paper.


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