The authors are part of a European project known as DISTOR which seeks to investigate new systems for storage of thermal energy in phase change materials (PCMs). Reported in the article is a detailed model of heat transfer and fluid flow for the prediction of those values for promising PCMs. Some assumptions are made in order to prepare a simplified model. A machine is used to measure the thermal conductivity ...
Microencapsulated phase change materials (MPCMs) are excellent materials for the storage of thermal energy, and through their dispersal into a carrier fluid, microencapsulated phase change slurries (MPCS) can be prepared. These slurries exhibit both excellent thermal energy storage and heat transfer properties. A series of MPCS were prepared for this research and subsequently tested for thermal conductivity and specific heat. Other methods of quantification include DSC, TGA, rheometry, and infrared ...
Two different sets of phase change materials were made by adding either graphene or exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets (xGnP) to paraffin in hot toluene. The thermal and stability properties of these newly synthesized composites were then studied using the TPS method. The addition of xGnP led to a higher thermal conductivity while the addition of graphene led to a higher electrical conductivity. Graphene was found to be better at stabilizing the ...
This article looks at the thermal properties of titanium oxide (TiO2) based nanofluids and their applications as thermal vectors. The nanoparticle size was studied by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and the stability was measured by Zeta potential. The concentrations of TiO2 used ranged from 1 to 35% by mass in the water-based nanofluid. Thermal conductivity was measured and the effects of concentration of TiO2 and temperature on the thermal conductivity were studied. ...
This study looks at the effects of pH on heat transfer, among other things, of nanofluids. Over 20% enhancement of thermal conductivity was noted with nanofluids containing 3wt% zirconium dioxide and titanium dioxide. Also noted, was the influence of pH on the stability of the nanofluids. The Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek theory states that nanoparticles become unstable, form clusters and precipitate, when their pH is near the isoelectric point. This leads to large clusters ...
