scholarly journals A Rapid Method for Low Temperature Microencapsulation of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) Using a Coiled Tube Ultraviolet Reactor

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (23) ◽  
pp. 7867
Author(s):  
Jawaad A. Ansari ◽  
Refat Al-Shannaq ◽  
Jamal Kurdi ◽  
Shaheen A. Al-Muhtaseb ◽  
Charles A. Ikutegbe ◽  
...  

Microencapsulation of phase change materials (PCMs) remain a suitable option within building materials, as they contribute to the thermal mass and provide an energy buffer, an added benefit. This paper presents a novel method for the rapid fabrication of microencapsulated phase change materials (PCMs) at ambient conditions in a perfluoroalkoxy (PFA) coiled tube ultraviolet (UV) reactor. The objective of this study was to optimize key parameters such as the product yield and quality of the as-prepared microcapsules. Rubitherm® RT-21™ PCM was microencapsulated within shells of poly-methyl-methacrylate (PMMA) through a suspension emulsion polymerization approach, where the crosslinking of polymers was driven by UV radiations with an appropriate photoinitiator. The characteristics of the resulting PCM microcapsules were found to be affected by the volumetric flow rate of the emulsion inside the coiled tube reactor. Higher volumetric flow rates led to higher PCM contents and higher microencapsulation efficiency, resulting in an average particle size of 6.5 µm. Furthermore, the effect of curing time on the PCM microcapsule properties was investigated. The optimum encapsulation yield, conversion, efficiency and PCM content were observed after 10 min of polymerization time. The thermal analysis indicated that the developed process had an efficiency of 85.8%, and the capsules were characterized with excellent thermal properties. Compared to the conventional thermal microencapsulation processes, the use of a coiled tube UV reactor with an appropriate photoinitiator enables the encapsulation of heat-sensitive PCMs at ambient conditions, and reduces the microencapsulation time dramatically. As a result, this novel microencapsulation approach can lead to a wider scope of PCM encapsulation and enable rapid, continuous and potentially large-scale industrial production of PCM microcapsules with low energy consumption.

2014 ◽  
Vol 900 ◽  
pp. 233-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wu Sheng Luo ◽  
Sheng Fei Yu ◽  
Jie Min Zhou

In this paper, Microencapsulated paraffin/polyurea (PU) phase change materials were prepared through an interfacial polymerization method using composite paraffin with solid/liquid mass ratio 3:7 as core materials, 2,4 toluene diisocyanate and ethylenediamine as monomers, NP-10 as an emulsifier. It was investigated the effects of emulsion speed, the amount of emulsifier and polymerization temperature on the particle size and coating efficiency and storage-energy performance of microencapsulated paraffin / PU phase change materials. The results showed when the emulsion speed is 2000r/min and the amount of emulsifier to core material is 6% and the polymerization temperature is 70°C, Microencapsulated paraffin / PU phase change materials have better performance: the melting point of 28.1°C, the enthalpy of 58.4KJ/Kg, coating efficiency of 87.5%, the average particle size of 3~4μm, and the uniform particle size distribution.


2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 518-528 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppina Ciulla ◽  
Valerio Lo Brano ◽  
Antonio Messineo ◽  
Giorgia Peri

The use of novel building materials that contain active thermal components would be a major advancement in achieving significant heating and cooling energy savings. In the last 40 years, Phase Change Materials or PCMs have been tested as thermal mass components in buildings, and most studies have found that PCMs enhance the building energy performance. The use of PCMs as an energy storage device is due to their relatively high fusion latent heat; during the melting and/or solidification phase, a PCM is capable of storing or releasing a large amount of energy. PCMs in a wall layer store solar energy during the warmer hours of the day and release it during the night, thereby decreasing and shifting forward in time the peak wall temperature. In this paper, an algorithm is presented based on the general Fourier differential equations that solve the heat transfer problem in multi-layer wall structures, such as sandwich panels, that includes a layer that can change phase. In detail, the equations are proposed and transformed into formulas useful in the FDM approach (finite difference method), which solves the system simultaneously for the temperature at each node. The equation set proposed is accurate, fast and easy to integrate into most building simulation tools in any programming language. The numerical solution was validated using a comparison with the Voller and Cross analytical test problem.


Materials ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 335
Author(s):  
Raju Sharma ◽  
Jeong-Gook Jang ◽  
Jong-Wan Hu

The use of phase-change materials (PCM) in concrete has revealed promising results in terms of clean energy storage. However, the negative impact of the interaction between PCM and concrete on the mechanical and durability properties limits field applications, leading to a shift of the research to incorporate PCM into concrete using different techniques to overcome these issues. The storage of clean energy via PCM significantly supports the UN SDG 7 target of affordable and clean energy. Therefore, the present study focuses on three aspects: PCM type, the effect of PCM on concrete properties, and connecting the outcome of PCM concrete composite to the United Nations sustainable development goals (UN SDGs). The compensation of reduction in strength of PCM-contained concrete is possible up to some extent with the use of nanomaterials and supplementary cementitious materials. As PCM-incorporated concrete is categorized a type of building material, the large-scale use of this material will affect the different stages associated with building lifetimes. Therefore, in the present study, the possible amendments of the different associated stages of building lifetimes after the use of PCM-incorporated concrete are discussed and mapped in consideration of the UN SDGs 7, 11, and 12. The current challenges in the widespread use of PCM are lower thermal conductivity, the trade-off between concrete strength and PCM, and absence of the link between the outcome of PCM-concrete composite and UN SDGs. The global prospects of PCM-incorporated concrete as part of the effort to attain the UN SDGs as studied here will motivate architects, designers, practicing engineers, and researchers to accelerate their efforts to promote the consideration of PCM-containing concrete ultimately to attain net zero carbon emissions from building infrastructure for a sustainable future.


2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 61-65
Author(s):  
Catherine M. Hunt ◽  
Mark Q. Benedict ◽  
C. Matilda Collins ◽  
Ellen M. Dotson

ABSTRACT Shipments of living mosquitoes and other arthropods require temperatures that are within a range that is compatible with their health and survival. In addition to express shipping and insulated containers, shipments often include materials that either store heat (i.e., have thermal mass) or otherwise stabilize the temperature. In this paper, we present the results of comparisons of thermal mass and phase change materials to stabilize the temperature under various conditions. We compared a rigid foam refrigerant and a number of phase change materials to bubble wrap for their capacity to moderate temperature change by measuring the temperatures in standard uninsulated shipping containers during exposure to high (37°C), cold (4°C), and freezing (−20°C) temperatures. We make recommendations for shipments depending on the ambient conditions that are expected to be experienced en route.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 3241
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Powała ◽  
Andrzej Obraniak ◽  
Dariusz Heim

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.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Changming Wu ◽  
Heshan Yu ◽  
Seokhyeong Lee ◽  
Ruoming Peng ◽  
Ichiro Takeuchi ◽  
...  

AbstractNeuromorphic photonics has recently emerged as a promising hardware accelerator, with significant potential speed and energy advantages over digital electronics for machine learning algorithms, such as neural networks of various types. Integrated photonic networks are particularly powerful in performing analog computing of matrix-vector multiplication (MVM) as they afford unparalleled speed and bandwidth density for data transmission. Incorporating nonvolatile phase-change materials in integrated photonic devices enables indispensable programming and in-memory computing capabilities for on-chip optical computing. Here, we demonstrate a multimode photonic computing core consisting of an array of programable mode converters based on on-waveguide metasurfaces made of phase-change materials. The programmable converters utilize the refractive index change of the phase-change material Ge2Sb2Te5 during phase transition to control the waveguide spatial modes with a very high precision of up to 64 levels in modal contrast. This contrast is used to represent the matrix elements, with 6-bit resolution and both positive and negative values, to perform MVM computation in neural network algorithms. We demonstrate a prototypical optical convolutional neural network that can perform image processing and recognition tasks with high accuracy. With a broad operation bandwidth and a compact device footprint, the demonstrated multimode photonic core is promising toward large-scale photonic neural networks with ultrahigh computation throughputs.


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.


2013 ◽  
Vol 683 ◽  
pp. 106-109
Author(s):  
Xiao Gang Zhao ◽  
Ying Pan

Phase change materials, abbreviated as PCM, due to the excellent heat storage performance, have been used as building materials and got more and more attention in recent years. The article introduce the building application of phase change material, and discuss its contribution to the building energy saving.


Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (12) ◽  
pp. 2951 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed M.A. Soliman ◽  
Andreia F. Peixoto ◽  
Ana P.C. Ribeiro ◽  
Maximilian N. Kopylovich ◽  
Elisabete C.B.A. Alegria ◽  
...  

Pd(II) and Pt(II) composites with activated carbon (AC), graphene oxide, and multiwalled carbon nanotubes were prepared by ball milling and used as catalysts for the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction, under several energy inputs (mechanical grinding, conventional heating, and microwave irradiation). The catalytic composites were characterized by ICP-MS, BET, XPS analyses, TEM, and SEM. The average particle size of the prepared composites was estimated to be in the range of 6–30 nm, while the loadings of Pd and Pt did not significantly affect the surface area of the AC support due to the tendency to agglomerate as observed by the TEM analysis. The Pd/AC composites exhibit high mechanochemical catalytic activity in cross-coupling of bromobenzene and phenylboronic acid with molar yields up to 80% with TON and TOF of 222 and 444 h−1, respectively, achieved with Pd(4.7 wt%)-AC catalyst under the liquid assisted grinding for 0.5 h at ambient conditions, using cyclohexene as an additive.


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