A paraffin-based composite phase change material (PCM) was prepared by the addition of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) nanosheets to melted paraffin wax followed by vigorous stirring. The nanosheets were added in quantities ranging from 1 to 10 wt. %. A reference sample of pure paraffin was also prepared. It was determined that the addition of h-BN nanosheets resulted in an increase in thermal conductivity and that the melting and solidification rates were also ...
Two organic phase change materials (PCMs) were investigated to determine their effects on the thermal management capabilities of electronics. The thermo-physical properties of n-eicosane and 1-hexadecanol were determined experimentally, and the two PCMs were then added to unfinned, and finned heat sinks. It was determined that a PCM with a high melting point is able to increase the time of protection from overheating; however, it was also determined that if ...
Nanoparticle suspensions were prepared in two PCMs to determine the effect of the addition of nanoparticles on thermal conductivity and expediting freezing. The base PCMs used were cyclohexane and eicosane, and copper oxide nanoparticles were suspended in these hydrocarbons to produce nano-enhanced PCMs (nePCMs). The enhancement of thermal conductivity and expedited freezing were investigated by analytic, experimental, and numerical methods. The thermal conductivity in the liquid phase was significantly enhanced ...
In this work, the authors tested five organic phase change materials for thermophysical properties (density, heat capacity, and thermal conductivity) in order to determine the best path to prediction (BPP) for the thermal diffusivity of organic PCMs in the liquid phase. Separate BPPs were determined for alkanes and unsaturated acids. The identified BPPs were then tested on a variety of materials and the estimated thermal diffusivity was within 15% for all ...
A nanoparticle-enhanced phase change material (NePCM) is prepared by the dispersal of carbon nanotubes in 1-dodecanol. The objective of this experiment was to determine if the addition of nanoparticles could increase the thermal conductivity of the base PCM while resulting in a NePCM that would still have the required properties of a functional PCM. It was found that the thermal conductivity was enhanced through the addition of the carbon nanotubes; ...
