Phase Change Heat Transfer Enhancement Using Copper Porous Foam

Siahpush, Ali; O’Brien, James E.; Crepeau, John

doi:10.1115/1.2928010

Cited by 172 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Several investigations have been carried out for heat transfer in metal foams, but most have been restricted to single-phase heat transfer problems [20][21][22][23][24]. For solid/liquid phase change heat transfer in metal foams, there are only a few publications giving experimental test data for the latent thermal energy storage [18,25]. Although the Ref.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A numerical investigation of heat transfer in phase change materials (PCMs) embedded in porous metals

YiShui

Zhao

2011

Energy

426

124

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The effects of metal foams on heat transfer enhancement in Phase Change Materials (PCMs) are investigated. The numerical investigation is based on the two-equation non-equilibrium heat transfer model, in which the coupled heat conduction and natural convection are considered at phase transition and liquid zones. The numerical results are validated by experimental data. The main findings of the investigation are that heat conduction rate is increased significantly by using metal foams, due to their high thermal conductivities, and that natural convection is suppressed owing to the large flow resistance in metal foams. In spite of this suppression caused by metal foams, the overall heat transfer performance is improved when metal foams are embedded into PCM; this implies that the enhancement of heat conduction offsets or exceeds the natural convection loss. The results indicate that for different metal foam samples, heat transfer rate can be further increased by using metal foams with smaller porosities and bigger pore densities. Keywords:Heat transfer enhancement; PCM; Metal foam; Thermal storage; Volume-averaged method; Non-thermal-equilibrium model.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A numerical investigation of heat transfer in phase change materials (PCMs) embedded in porous metals

YiShui

Zhao

2011

Energy

426

124

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“…Table 6 lists trends in research on PCM composites, together with the thermophysical properties and production methods of the proposed materials. 47,[93][94][95][96][97][98][99][100][101][102][103][104][105][106][107][108][109] The reported methods for the production of PCM composites can be classified into four types: (1) impregnation/infiltration (with/without vacuum process), (2) dispersion or kneading, (3) compression, and (4) electro-spinning.…”

Section: Pcm Compositesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This method can be used to easily produce LES mediums with large thermal conductivity and large density of heat storage by selecting porous materials with large thermal conductivity and large porosity, such as porous graphite materials 93,94) and various porous metals. [95][96][97] For applications in building materials and high-temperature processes, porous ceramics such as expanded perlite 98,99) and vermiculite 100) have also been reported.…”

Section: Pcm Compositesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Technology of Latent Heat Storage for High Temperature Application: A Review

2010

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Table 2. Thermophysical properties of proposed PCM candidates-sugar alcohol, molten salt, and metallicwith phase-changing point over 100°C.from steelworks 2) has more enthalpy at lower temperature but more exergy at a higher temperature over 100°C. Table 3 lists frequently selected keywords from the collected papers. Papers on LHS and PCM frequently used general keywords such as "phase-change material", "PCM", "thermal energy storage", and "latent heat". Apart from these, interestingly, "solar energy" was also frequently used; these papers dealt with PCMs that can store solar energy through melting for various utilities. Keywords such as "phase-change composites", "thermal conductivity", "shape-stabilized" should be noteworthy in that these are related to general problems encountered during the use of PCMs, that is, capsulation and low thermal conductivity. Recent Advancements in LHS Technology PCM CapsulesGenerally, because LHS mainly utilizes the phase change between solid and liquid, the encapsulation of the PCM is necessary to avoid the leakage of a liquid PCM. In addition, Regin et al. 70) noted the functions and requirements of PCM containment: (i) meeting the requirements of strength, flexibility, corrosion resistance, and thermal stability; (ii) acting as a barrier to protect the PCM from harmful interactions with the environment; (iii) providing a sufficient surface for heat transfer, and (iv) providing structural stability and easy handling. PCM capsules are classified into macroand microcapsules.Macrocapsules are the most conventional PCM capsules, and many papers have reported various shell materials such as metal and plastics, and various shapes such as spherical [71][72][73][74][75] and cylindrical. 72,[76][77][78] In contrast, micro-encapsulation of PCM has recently attracted considerable attention [79][80][81][82][83][84][85] because it reduces the reactivity of the PCMs with the outside environment, increases the heat transfer area of the PCMs, and enables the core material to withstand frequent changes in the volume of the storage material during phase change. Table 4 lists trends in manufacturing methods for PCM capsules. Many papers have reported the production of various microcapsules, and the manufacturing methods, core PCM materials, shell materials, thermophysical properties, and capsule sizes of the same have been studied. Micro-interfacial polymerization, 80) in-situ polycondensation, [81][82][83][84][85] and complex coacervation 79) are the most popular microen- ISIJ International, Vol. 50 (2010), No. 9 79,80) 1232© 2010 ISIJ proposed the encapsulation of spherical metal PCMs such as Cu and Pb with an electroplated Ni layer to recover industrial hightemperature waste heat such as combustion offgas. The PCM spherical capsule with Ni coverage provided hybrid functions of both heat storage and catalysis. Nickel worked well as a catalyst of the gas phase reaction CH 4 ϩH 2 Oϭ 3H 2 ϩCO at 1000°C.In summary, the encapsulation of low-temperature PCMs is a state-of-the-art technology; in p...

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“…The performance of copper foam applied to LTTES systems has been experimentally and analytically examined by several authors [16,[44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52]. Most studies test and/or compare CF with other materials and examine its potential to improve the performance of LTTES systems.…”

Section: Copper Foam Studies For Lttesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review of Thermal Materials for CSP Plants and LCOE Evaluation for Performance Improvement using Chilean Strategic Minerals: Lithium Salts and Copper Foams

et al. 2016

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Abstract:The improvement of solar thermal technologies in emerging economies like Chile is particularly attractive because the country is endowed with one of the most consistently high solar potentials, lithium and copper reserves. In recent years, growing interests for lithium based salts and copper foams in application of thermal technologies could change the landscape of Chile transforming its lithium reserves and copper availability into competitive energy produced in the region. This study reviews the technical advantages of using lithium based salts-applied as heat storage media and heat transfer fluid-and copper foam/Phase Change Materials (PCM) alternatives-applied as heat storage media-within tower and parabolic trough Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants, and presents a first systematic evaluation of the costs of these alternatives based on real plant data. The methodology applied is based on material data base compilation of price and technical properties, selection of CSP plant and estimation of amount of required material, and analysis of Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE). Results confirm that some lithium based salts are effective in reducing the amount of required material and costs for the Thermal Energy Storage (TES) systems for both plant cases, with savings of up to 68% and 4.14% in tons of salts and LCOE, respectively. Copper foam/PCM composites significantly increase thermal conductivity, decreasing the volume of the TES system, but costs of implementation are still higher than traditional options.

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Phase Change Heat Transfer Enhancement Using Copper Porous Foam

Cited by 172 publications

References 18 publications

A numerical investigation of heat transfer in phase change materials (PCMs) embedded in porous metals

A numerical investigation of heat transfer in phase change materials (PCMs) embedded in porous metals

Technology of Latent Heat Storage for High Temperature Application: A Review

Review of Thermal Materials for CSP Plants and LCOE Evaluation for Performance Improvement using Chilean Strategic Minerals: Lithium Salts and Copper Foams

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