High Density Polyethylene/Paraffin Composites as Form-stable Phase Change Material for Thermal Energy Storage

Abstract

This article focuses on the preparation and thermo-physical properties of paraffin/high density polyethylene (HDPE) composites as form-stable solid-liquid phase change material (PCM) for thermal energy storage. In the paraffin/HDPE blend, the paraffin (P) dispersed into the HDPE serves as a latent heat storage material when the HDPE, as a supporting material, prevents the melted paraffin leakage thanks to its structural strength. Therefore, this type composite is form-stable and can be used as a PCM without encapsulation for thermal energy storage. In this study, two paraffins with melting temperatures of 48°C–50°C and 63°C–65°C were used. The mass percentages of paraffins in the composites could go high as 76% without any seepage of the paraffin in melted state. The dispersion of the paraffin into the network of the solid HDPE was investigated using scanning electronic microscope (SEM). The melting temperatures and latent heats of the form-stable P1/HDPE and P2/HDPE composite PCMs were determined as 44.32°C and 61.66°C, and 179.63 and 198.14 Jg^?1, by the technique of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), respectively. Furthermore, the thermal conductivity of the composite PCMs were improved as about 33.3% for the P1/HDPE and 52.3% for the P2/HDPE by introducing the expanded and exfoliated graphite to the samples in the ratio of 3 wt%. The results reveal that the prepared form-stable composite PCMs have great potential for thermal energy storage applications in terms of their satisfactory thermal properties, improved thermal conductivity and cost-efficiency because of no encapsulation for enhancing heat transfer in paraffin.     

Thermal Energy Storage and Phase Change Materials: An Overview

The storage of thermal energy in the form of sensible and latent heat has become an important aspect of energy management with the emphasis on efficient use and conservation of the waste heat and solar energy in industry and buildings. Latent heat storage is one of the most efficient ways of storing thermal energy. Solar energy is a renewable energy source that can generate electricity, provide hot water, heat and cool a house, and provide lighting for buildings. Paraffin waxes are cheap and have moderate thermal energy storage density but low thermal conductivity and, hence, require a large surface area. Hydrated salts have a larger energy storage density and a higher thermal conductivity. In response to increasing electrical energy costs and the desire for better lad management, thermal storage technology has recently been developed. The storage of thermal energy in the form of sensible and latent heat has become an important aspect of energy management with the emphasis on the efficient use and conservation of the waste heat and solar energy in the industry and buildings. Thermal storage has been characterized as a kind of thermal battery.     

Thermal Performance of a Phase Change Material‐Based Latent Heat Thermal Storage Unit

An experimental analysis is presented to establish the thermal performance of a latent heat thermal storage (LHTS) unit. Paraffin is used as the phase change material (PCM) on the shell side of the shell and tube‐type LHTS unit while water is used as the heat transfer fluid (HTF) flowing through the inner tube. The fluid inlet temperature and the mass flow rate of HTF are varied and the temperature distribution of paraffin in the shell side is measured along the radial and axial direction during melting and solidification process. The total melting time is established for different mass flow rates and fluid inlet temperature of HTF. The motion of the solid–liquid interface of the PCM with time along axial and radial direction of the test unit is critically evaluated. The experimental results indicate that the melting front moves from top to bottom along the axial direction while the solidification front moves only in the radial direction. The total melting time of PCM increases as the mass flow rate and inlet temperature of HTF decreases. A correlation is proposed for the dimensionless melting time in terms of Reynolds number and Stefan number of HTF. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/htj ). DOI 10.1002/htj.21120     

太阳能复合相变蓄能炕的设计及热性能研究

为解决我国北方农村冬季采暖过程中能源浪费及环境污染的问题,设计了一种以太阳能为热源,石蜡为相变蓄能材料的蜂窝活性炭-石蜡复合相变蓄能炕采暖系统。在供水温度为40 ℃的条件下,通过对比试验,分析了纯石蜡蓄能炕、蜂窝活性炭孔密度分别为20,30以及40 PPI的复合蓄能炕的热性能。实验结果表明：新型蓄能炕可以满足人体对于夜间睡眠的热舒适性需求。蜂窝活性炭孔密度为20 PPI的复合蓄能炕升温及降温速度最快,分别为0.35和0.39 ℃;炕面层温度标准差最低,为0.39 ℃,比30 PPI的低18.75%,比40 PPI的低23.53%,比纯石蜡的低41.79%;睡眠层平均温度以及炕面热流密度最高,分别为28.10 ℃和11.88 W/m2。可见蜂窝活性炭的加入有助于提高蓄能炕的热性能,且蜂窝活性炭的孔密度越小,复合蓄能炕的热性能就越好。与传统火炕相比,纯石蜡蓄能炕在经济性方面也占优势。     

Research on the Phase Change Solar Energy Fresh Air Thermal Storage System

In this article, a new kind of solar fresh air system is designed in order to realize the improvement of thermal efficiency by the integrated application of the PCMs and heat pipe technology. Under the adequate sunshine condition, the fresh air is directly delivered into the indoor environment after being heated by the solar collector. When the sun radiation is reduced, the heated air temperature can not satisfy the need of supply of air temperature.The main heat source is changed to phase change heat storage equipment instead of solar energy. The system adopt heat pipe for a high-efficiency and isothermal heat transfer which recover the shortcomings of PCMs such as： low coefficient of thermal conductivity and poor thermal efficiency. This article establishes the physical model of phase change solar energy fresh air thermal storage system and creates the mathematical model of its unsteady heat transfer to simulate and analyse the operation process by using Fluent software. The results of the study show that, compared to normal fresh air system, the phase change solar energy fresh air thermal storage system has a significant improvement in energy saving and indoor comfort level and will play an important role in the energy sustainable development.     

基于相变材料的动力电池热管理研究进展

相变材料（PCM）由于具有相变潜热大、相变时体积变化小的优点,成为电池热管理研究的主要方向之一。本文介绍了相变材料的蓄热原理,综述了主要相变材料石蜡以及针对其导热系数不高而进行的强化换热研究成果,介绍了相变材料耦合其他多种冷却方式在动力电池热管理上的应用,并展望了未来PCM的研究方向。     

乳液相变储冷材料的基本特性与应用前景

介绍了一种全新的储冷介质－多元相变乳液。将它与现有储冷介质的技术特点和经济性做了全面比较,并对它的技术优势和潜在的应用前景做了展望和分析。     

有机相变储能材料的研究进展

有机相变储能材料（PCMs）具有储能密度高、腐蚀性小、性能稳定、毒性小、不易出现相分离和过冷现象等优点,成为目前蓄能技术领域主流应用材料之一。本文主要综述了各类有机PCMs的材料特性,针对其导热系数普遍较低的共性问题,介绍了通过添加高热导率材料和封装PCMs两种强化传热途径的最新研究成果,并浅谈了有机PCMs在建筑节能、太阳能利用及冷却电子设备等中低温储能技术中的实际应用情况。最后,总结了有机PCMs目前存在的一些瓶颈问题及未来研究的重点方向。     

静电纺丝用于制备有机相变储热纤维的研究进展

相变储热材料是指由于材料相转变吸热或放热过程而本身温度不变,从而实现储能的一类功能材料。有机相变材料如石蜡类、多元醇类及硬脂酸类因无腐蚀、无毒、无过冷等优点已成为重要的低温相变储热材料。这类材料通过固-液相变调节微环境温度,可用于服装、建筑及军事等方面,市场前景广阔。但相变过程易泄漏及热导率低等限制其了实际应用。静电纺丝是有效解决该问题的方法之一,高分子在高压静电作用下形成纤维,相变材料被高分子作为支撑材料所固定,很好地解决了泄漏问题。此外,通过加入高热导率材料可提高相变材料的吸放热速率,改善有机相变材料热导率低的问题。本文总结了近年来静电纺丝用于制备相变调温纤维的研究报道,分析了目前该类材料的研究现状,并讨论未来研究方向。为储热相变材料的进一步研究提供参考。     

太阳能相变蓄热应用于吸收式制冷的分析

介绍了一种将太阳能相变蓄热技术应用于两级吸收式制冷的新型空调系统,简要分析了该系统的装置结构、工作原理和使用优点。对相变蓄热装置放热过程中放热盘管出水温度随放热时间的变化关系进行了实验测量,并对两级吸收式制冷系统效率进行了分析。通过研究可知,该太阳能空调系统有效解决了以往系统不稳定性和间断性问题;太阳能相变蓄热装置具有体积小、蓄热量大、放热速率大、连续放热温度均匀、便于控制热源加热温度等特点,适合储存太阳能并为吸收式制冷系统提供加热热源。综合考虑系统设备简单,加工要求低的制造特点,所以吸收式制冷以太阳能等低品位热源驱动有着良好的发展前景。     

方腔内合金相变材料的熔化过程

本文利用CFD软件对方腔内合金相变材料在温差作用下的熔化过程进行了数值模拟研究。通过与试验结果的比较,验证了本文采用的模型和算法的正确性。同时,详细研究了熔化过程中合金相变材料的固−液界面、温度及环流速度的变化规律。结果表明,为了减小传热热阻,加快合金的熔化速度,从方腔的侧面和底面加热相变材料时熔化效果最好。     

Impact of the Relationship between Phase Change Temperature and Boundary Temperature on the Thermal Performance of a PCM Wall and the Presentation of PCM Thermal Performance Indexes

In the composite phase change material (PCM) building envelope, the matching relationship between the phase change temperature of the PCM and the wall's boundary temperature significantly affects the energy storage performance of the PCM building envelope. In this paper, a type of concrete hollow block with a typical structure and a common PCM were adopted to produce multiform composite PCM hollow blocks, and the temperature changing hot chamber method was performed to test the thermal performance of the hollow block walls under different temperature conditions. New indexes were proposed for the thermal performance evaluation of the PCM wall. Meanwhile, combined with experimental data, the effective heat capacity model and the enthalpy model were used to analyze the effect of correlations concerning how the relationship between phase change temperature and wall's boundary temperature influenced the thermal performance of PCM wall. Three main impact factors related to temperature were obtained through the analysis. In addition, approaches for improving the thermal performance of a composite PCM wall were put forward. This paper provides the theoretical basis, data reference and practical instruction for the proper use of a PCM wall and ways for improving the thermal performance of a composite PCM wall.     

陶土基高温相变蓄热复合材料的制备

高级陶瓷基高温相变蓄热复合材料具有蓄热密度较高、基体耐腐蚀强等优点,但也存在制作成本高的缺点。本研究采用粉末烧结工艺将陶土分别同性能优良的高温熔融盐复合,成功地制备出蓄热密度高、耐腐蚀性好且成本低廉的相变蓄热复合材料。并对相变蓄热复合材料制备过程的工艺参数进行初步研究。     

壳管式梯级相变蓄热装置内部结构参数的优化研究

梯级相变蓄热技术具有蓄放热平稳、储能密度大、易于控制、能有效克服相变材料导热系数低等优点,是最具应用前景的蓄热技术。壳管式蓄热装置是常用的蓄热装置,需要对其结构参数进行研究优化。采用焓法对壳管式梯级相变蓄热装置的相变过程进行了数值模拟,分析了梯级装置内管径和分管长对装置储热性能的影响。并以提高蓄热效率为优化目标,对参数进行了优化。对壳管式梯级相变蓄热装置的结构参数选择具有借鉴意义。     

太阳能相变蓄热水箱性能实验研究

利用相变材料蓄热是提高太阳能系统效率的重要途径之一。为对比分析含相变材料蓄热水箱的性能,选用三水合乙酸钠,搭建了一套蓄热水箱实验系统,在初始水温为80℃、进水温度为20℃的工况下,对比分析不同进口流量下(2、6和10 L/min)相变蓄热水箱的热特性。实验结果表明:相变蓄热水箱的蓄热量较普通水箱增加了1.4%;随着流量的增加,水箱的混合数先减小后增大,火用效率逐渐降低,相变蓄热水箱的填充效率先增大后减小,且在6 L/min时达到最大值0.905。     

Thermal Conductivity and Viscosity of Nanofluids Having Nanoencapsulated Phase Change Material

In this study, the thermal conductivity and viscosity of nanofluids, composed of a base fluid and nanoencapsulated phase change material (NEPCM), were investigated experimentally. The NEPCM was prepared by the encapsulation of n-nonadecane as phase change material with diethylenetriamine and toluene-2,4-diisocyanate using interfacial polymerization method. The NEPCM was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses. In the preparation of the nanofluids containing NEPCM, two different base fluids, water and ethylene glycol (EG), were used. The concentration of NEPCM and the working temperature were selected as the main parameters. It was found that the viscosity of the nanofluids decreases with increasing temperature and increases with increasing solid concentration. The viscosity was also expressed as a function of the solid concentration and temperature. The thermal conductivity of the nanofluids was found to increase with increasing temperature. Thermal conductivity exhibited an increasing tendency with increasing solid concentration, but the changes in thermal conductivity according to base fluid are in the range of uncertainty of the measurement for both nanofluids with a solid volumetric fraction lower than 1.68%.     

Lauric and myristic acids eutectic mixture as phase change material for low‐temperature heating applications

Lauric acid (m.p.: 42.6°C) and myristic acid (m.p.: 52.2°C) are phase change materials (PCM) having quite high melting points which can limit their use in low‐temperature solar applications such as solar space heating and greenhouse heating. However, their melting temperatures can be tailored to appropriate value by preparing a eutectic mixture of lauric acid (LA) and myristic acid (MA). In the present study, the thermal analysis based on differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) technique shows that the mixture of 66.0 wt% LA forms a eutectic mixture having melting temperature of 34.2°C and the latent heat of fusion of 166.8 J g^?1. This study also considers the experimental establishment of thermal characteristics of the eutectic PCM in a vertical concentric pipe‐in‐pipe heat storage system. Thermal performance of the PCM was evaluated with respect to the effect of inlet temperature and mass flow rate of the heat transfer fluid on those characteristics during the heat charging and discharging processes. The DSC thermal analysis and the experimental results indicate that the LA–MA eutectic PCM can be potential material for low‐temperature solar energy storage applications in terms of its thermo‐physical and thermal characteristics. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

多孔基无机玻璃-熔盐复合相变材料蓄热性能的实验研究

基于熔融浸渗法和黏结封装法,以多孔基作为基体材料,分别采用无机玻璃粉与熔盐作为相变材料开展实验,探究储热样本的最佳制备工艺流程。考察了复合相变蓄热体的显微结构及物相组成特征,分析了复合相变蓄热材料的质量损失率,并对蓄热体进行蓄热性能分析及高温抗压强度测试。实验结果表明,采用黏结封装法,以氯化钠作为相变材料,加盖圆柱形三角孔蜂窝陶瓷基体作为载体,设定6.5℃/min的升温速率,烧结温度至800℃,保温30 min,可制备蓄热性能较为优异的复合相变蓄热材料。复合相变蓄热材料的蓄热密度为445.5 kJ/kg,该蓄热体在800℃条件下高温抗压强度达到75.9 MPa,具有良好的蓄热性能和力学性能。     

Thermal Characteristics of Paraffin Wax for Solar Energy Storage

A thermal energy storage medium must meet the requirements of a stable storage material with high heat capacity. Heat storage based on the sensible heating of media such as water, rock, and earth represents the first generation of solar energy storage subsystems and technology for their utilization is well developed. However, recently the heat storage based on the latent heat associated with a change in phase of a material offers many advantages over sensible heat storage. The most important characteristic of such a subsystem is its sufficient storage capacity. The PCM (phase change material) behavior is visualized by constructing an idealized model thermal capacitor subjected to simulated solar system environmental conditions which include thermal cycling utilizing the latent heat of paraffin for heating and cooling. The proposed model of the capacitor is of a flat plate geometry consisting of two panel compartments forming the body of the capacitor containing the paraffin, leaving at their inner surfaces a thin passage allowing the water flow. The whole structure is assumed to be insulated to minimize heat loss. Analysis solution is used to generate data about the temperature distribution, the melt thickness, and the heat stored in the PCM under two conditions of: (a) constant mass flow rate tests for various water inlet temperatures, and (b) constant water inlet temperature for various mass flow rates. A FORTRAN computer program is constructed to perform the analysis. It is found that water outlet temperature increases with time until it becomes nearly equal to the inlet temperature. Increasing the mass flow rate for a given inlet temperature, decreases the time required for outlet temperature to reach a given value. Increasing inlet temperature for a given mass flow rate gives a very rapid decrease in the time required for the outlet water temperature to reach a given value. Instantaneous rate of heat storage is determined from the inlet-to-exit temperature differential and measured flow rate. This rate is then integrated numerically to determine the cumulative total energy stored as a function of time. It is found that the instantaneous rate of heat storage decreases till reaching a nearly constant value. The total or cumulative heat storage as a function of time, showed a nearly linear trend in the mid-range time, and it increased with increasing inlet temperature.     

Experimental Study on Hybrid Organic Phase Change Materials Used for Solar Energy Storage

The solar energy utilization in built environment has been limited due to its low heat flux, uneven distribution in time and space and temporal difference in day and night. The phase change materials have been used to collect the fluctuant solar energy to form a stable energy source for the terminal equipment of the buildings. In this study, the hybrid organic phase change materials was prepared for the capillary radiant heating system which formed a cascade utilization of solar energy. Firstly,...