HVAC systems have become very popular, but require a lot of thermal storage. One way to provide this storage is through phase change materials (PCM). This report investigates using expanded graphite to improve the thermal conductivity of a capric, lauric and oleic acid mixture PCM. It was found that with the increase in mass fraction of expanded graphite the thermal conductivity of the PCM also increases....
Preventing steel from losing its strength during fires is crucial for safe evacuation and effective fire fighting. One of the most common protective coatings applied to steel and other construction materials today is intumescent paint. In this study, researchers created a potential new protective coating using a curable silicone base and varying volume amounts of expandable graphite between 5-25%. The key characteristic of these coatings is that they swell to ...
This study investigates the effect changing the PH of a copper nanofluid and sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS) surfactant concentration has on the thermal conductivity of the nanofluid. The thermal conductivity was determined through the Hot Disk Transient Plane (TPS) method. As the PH is increased the thermal conductivity also increases because higher PH means more surface charges which increase conductivity. As the SDBS concentration is increased the thermal conductivity slightly increases ...
This study was conducted to determine if highly expanded open cell polycarbonate foams (PC) could be used as thermal insulation among other characteristics of the foam. This was accomplished through testing the PC foam with the Transient Plane Source (TPS) method. Multiple relative densities of foam were tested, and it was found that the higher the relative density the higher the thermal conductivity, and vice versa. The lower the relative ...
This paper investigates the effect sulphate exposure has on the thermal conductivity and mechanical strength of low density cement based foams, with and without microfiber reinforcement. This was done by exposing these cement foams to sulfphate over 90 days. The compressive strength and flexural toughness displayed a cyclic rise and fall for the plain sample, and the opposite for the reinforced sample. The thermal conductivity showed an initial rise, but then ...
