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

Xiaokuan You, Xiangxin Sun, Jie Huang, Zilong Wang () and Hua Zhang
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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

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 4, 1-15

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.

Keywords: phase change materials; copper foam; Rayleigh numbers; metal foam partially filled; enhanced heat transfer (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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