Category: Transient Plane Source
Author(s): Liwu Fan
Keywords: Copper, density, Fillers, Latent Heat of Fusion, nanocomposites, Nanoparticle Suspensions, Nanoparticles, pcms, phase change materials, TEM, Thermal Conductivity, TPS Technique, Transient Plane Source, Transient plane source (TPS) method
Abstract: 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 for the nePCMs, and it was found to increase with increasing filler content, but it decreased with increasing temperature. In the solid phase, the thermal conductivity was found to increase with temperature, as well as with filler content. It was also determined that the incorporation of nanoparticles into the PCMs expedited the freezing process.
Reference: Master's Thesis, Auburn University, 2011
DOI: N/A