Incorporating phase change materials in concrete pavement to melt snow and ice

This paper discusses the use of phase change materials (PCM) in concrete pavement as a method to store energy which can be used as a heat source during cooling events to melt ice/snow. The experimental program includes: (1) use of low-temperature differential scanning calorimetry to evaluate thermal properties of PCM, and (2) use of large-scale concrete slabs containing PCM to evaluate the ability of the PCM concrete to melt snow on the surface of the concrete pavement. The temperature in the concrete slabs and the snow melting rate were monitored as quantitative measurements of the efficiency of the PCM in the concrete. In addition, time-lapse images were taken. Two approaches were used to incorporate PCM in concrete: placing the PCM in lightweight aggregate (LWA) which was then mixed into the concrete, and placing the PCM in embedded metal pipes embedded in the slab during concrete casting. In this study, paraffin oil was use as a PCM that is effective in releasing heat near the freezing temperature of PCM when the PCM undergoes a phase transformation from liquid to solid. The heat released during the phase transformation can melt ice and snow on the concrete pavement surface. The results indicate that incorporating PCM in concrete pavement is not only feasible, but also practical.     

Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis of properties of phase change micro/nanoparticles for thermal protection during cryosurgery

Based on our previous study which tested the feasibility of protecting the healthy tissue around the cancerous tissue during cryosurgery by microencapsulated phase change materials (PCMs) with large latent heat and low thermal conductivity, uncertainties and sensitivities for thermal protection efficiency caused by the deviations of the PCM properties’ values, the PCMs concentration and the distance between the PCMs domain and the tumor domain were further investigated in this study. The preliminary results showed that the radius of the micro/nano PCM particle, the upper and lower phase transition temperatures of the PCM and the distance between the PCMs domain and the tumor domain should be accurately measured before performing thermal protection by PCMs during cryosurgery. Less than 20?% deviations of the heat capacities of solid and liquid PCM almost had no obvious influence on the thermal protection efficiency. The results obtained in this study will further help us to optimize the protection protocol by PCMs before performing cryosurgery.     

Novice riders and the predictors of riding without motorcycle protective clothing

Background

While helmet usage is often mandated, few motorcycle and scooter riders make full use of protection for the rest of the body. Little is known about the factors associated with riders’ usage or non-usage of protective clothing.

Methods

Novice riders were surveyed prior to their provisional licence test in NSW, Australia. Questions related to usage and beliefs about protective clothing, riding experience and exposure, risk taking and demographic details. Multivariable Poisson regression models were used to identify factors associated with two measures of usage, comparing those who sometimes vs rarely/never rode unprotected and who usually wore non-motorcycle pants vs motorcycle pants.

Results

Ninety-four percent of eligible riders participated and usable data was obtained from 66% (n = 776). Factors significantly associated with riding unprotected were: youth (17–25 years) (RR = 2.00, 95% CI: 1.50–2.65), not seeking protective clothing information (RR = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.07–1.56), non-usage in hot weather (RR = 3.01, 95% CI: 2.38–3.82), awareness of social pressure to wear more protection (RR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.12–1.95), scepticism about protective benefits (RR = 2.00, 95% CI: 1.22–3.28) and riding a scooter vs any type of motorcycle. A similar cluster of factors including youth (RR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.04–1.32), social pressure (RR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.16–1.50), hot weather (RR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.19–1.41) and scooter vs motorcycles were also associated with wearing non-motorcycle pants. There was no evidence of an association between use of protective clothing and other indicators of risk taking behaviour.

Conclusions

Factors strongly associated with non-use of protective clothing include not having sought information about protective clothing and not believing in its injury reduction value. Interventions to increase use may therefore need to focus on development of credible information sources about crash risk and the benefits of protective clothing. Further work is required to develop motorcycle protective clothing suitable for hot climates.     

相变材料用于可拆卸护臂热防护服的实验研究

针对传统降温服降温效果差、续航时间低、能耗高、噪声大等问题,本文通过应用相变恒温材料Na2SO4·10H2O在高温时发生相变吸收热量的特性,设计了一种应用于夏季高温环境的人体作业可拆卸护臂的热防护服,并在此基础上进行了热水模拟热源实验和真人实验。结果表明：在热水模拟实验中,防护服在30、41、45 ℃的工况下,前胸、侧腹、后背、腹部4测点温度在60 min升至最高,4测点平均温度最终能降至约26 ℃,其中在30 ℃工况下防护服降温性能较好,在45 ℃工况下降温性能较差。在真人实验中,防护服在37.1、39、41 ℃工况下,3 h内4测点平均温度最终能降至约26 ℃;在60 ℃高温极限工况下,3 h内4测点平均温度最终能降至约31 ℃,防护服护臂内外侧平均温度最终均能降至约32 ℃,低于人体的灼痛临界温度45 ℃。因此该防护服有良好的降温效果,能满足夏季户外工作者的热舒适性要求。     

基于复合相变材料的梯级组合蓄热特性研究

针对潜热蓄热装置内部相变材料(PCM)导热系数偏小,蓄热速率过低的问题,对基于复合相变材料的两级串联式梯级蓄热装置的相变过程进行了数值研究。通过对不同热物性PCM工况的对比与分析,得到了装置在不同工况下的蓄热特性。结果表明:PCM存在最佳的热扩散系数使固定熔点的PCM实现"均匀等速相变"。同时,增大PCM的热扩散系数可以有效降低加热面温度,但随着热扩散系数的增大,加热面温度降低幅度减小。通过分析Stefan数,得到了装置最佳的参数,使工况蓄热效果最佳。最后通过Stefan数为2. 88时的实验工况验证了相关规律的正确性。     

相变储能材料及其应用研究进展

人类在面临化石能源枯竭的同时,对能量的利用率依然还停留在较低的水平。因此,在大力发展新能源的同时,着力研发节能环保新材料新技术具有十分重要的意义。相变材料(phase-change materials,PCM)是一种节能环保的储能材料,它在蓄热与温控等领域具有大规模商业应用的潜力。本文首先对相变储能材料的基本特征、工作原理以及分类等方面作了简要的介绍;并就相变储能材料在温控与蓄热等领域的应用与发展情况进行了具体的分析,指出了PCM的性能是制约其深入广泛应用的主要技术障碍。在此基础上,详细评述了PCM存在的主要问题以及针对这些问题开展的相关研究工作和最新发展动态,指出通过功能复合等新技术优化材料性能、设计新材料体系、拓展新的应用领域将是相变储能材料未来的主要发展方向。     

热辐射对消防服热防护性能及耐久性的影响

为探讨低热辐射对消防服用织物热防护性能及物理机械性能的影响,选用两种常用消防服用外层织物,利用远红外石英灯管辐射仪,以不同的辐射强度(6.5kw/m2和9.7kw/m2)对织物分别进行5、10、20、30min的辐射,利用NI虚拟仪器记录辐射时织物表面温度,并测试其各项物理机械性能及TPP值变化。结果表明:当织物表面温度低于织物纤维玻璃化温度时,织物在半小时内能保持其68.9%～84.6%的撕破强力,且TPP值增大,即热防护性能变好;而当织物表面温度达到纤维玻璃化温度时,织物断裂强力及撕破强力随辐射时间增加显著下降,但其TPP值仍增大。     

石蜡/改性硅藻土复合相变储能材料的制备及性能研究

以石蜡为相变储能材料,改性硅藻土为载体,无水乙醇为溶剂采用溶液插层法制备了石蜡/改性硅藻土复合相变储能材料,利用综合热分析仪(TG-DSC)测定了复合材料的相变温度、相变潜热及复合材料的热稳定性,通过扫描电镜(SEM)、FT-IR分别对复合材料的微观结构及兼容性进行了表征,结果表明:复合相变储能材料中石蜡的适宜含量为65%,此时相变温度为53.7℃,相变潜热为147.93J/g,复合材料具有良好的热稳定性和兼容性。     

Method for the Thermal Characterization of PCM Systems in the Volume Range from 100 ml to 1000 ml

The storage of latent heat in phase change materials (PCM) is of great interest in many applications, for example in building applications. However, there is no standard method for the determination of the thermophysical properties of application-sized PCM specimens, i.e., specimens with sizes around 100 ml to 1000 ml. In order to close this metrological gap, a commercially available heat flow meter was modified to perform enthalpy measurements. The feasibility of this method was proven by performing comparative measurements on a stainless steel specimen using both the standard method DSC and the modified heat flow meter. Furthermore, measurements on a gypsum board with microencapsulated PCM were performed with the heat flow meter in order to determine the enthalpy. The coincidence with literature values is within ±4% which demonstrates that this method is a good choice for performing measurements on application-sized PCM specimens.     

相变储能材料的腐蚀性与封装材料研究进展

相变储能材料通过相变过程释放热能。通过利用相变材料的相变潜热来实现能量的储存和利用,提高能效和开发可再生能源,是当今能源科学和材料科学领域中一个十分活跃的前沿研究方向。技术人员选择包装材料对相变储能材料进行封装,以便相变材料释放的热能应用于实际生活中。封装材料和封装技术的有效选择往往决定实际应用效果。综述了目前国内外在相变材料对存储材料的腐蚀性及相变储能材料的封装技术方面的研究成果,并展望了今后的研究重点。     

Radiation and chemical degradation of UVR protection characteristics of fabrics

Clothing can provide substantial protection against solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and quantifying the amount of protection can have useful applications to recreational, occupational and medical situations. However, exposure of fabrics to sunlight and sea water can alter their physical and chemical properties, resulting in a change of UVR attenuation characteristics. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the effects of environmental degradation of fabrics on their UVR protection characteristics. The methodologies applied in this study can be used also for the assessment of protective clothing against occupational exposure.     

Phase change material for the thermal protection of ice cream during storage and transportation

Ice cream is a very temperature sensitive product and temperature variations during the storage and distribution steps may result in a reduction of quality. It is possible to improve the ice cream storage and transportation conditions by using an additional packaging with a low thermal diffusivity. This paper studies a phase change material (PCM) packaging and compares its performance to a polystyrene packaging configuration. The impact on temperature fluctuations and ice crystal size distribution was characterized experimentally during long term storage and temperature abuse. The results show that the use of an additional PCM packaging has a significant impact on the final quality of the product by keeping ice cream temperature stable and close to the phase change temperature of the PCM material. These results were compared with the insulation material results and discussed, showing that a material with a buffering heat capacity can be more efficient to reduce temperature fluctuations than a low conductivity material, and that the same results can be usually obtained with a much thinner layer of material.     

Preparation,properties and thermal control applications of silica aerogel infiltrated with solid–liquid phase change materials

In this study, silica aerogel saturated with erythritol as phase change materials (PCMs) was prepared by melt infiltration. The properties of the composite were determined by scanning electronic microscope (SEM), Fourier transformation-infrared spectroscope (FT-IR) and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). In the novel composite, erythritol with high latent heat of fusion was used as PCM for thermal control, whereas nanoporous silica aerogel was prepared as the phase change matrix to provide structural strength and prevent leakage of the melted erythritol. Nitrogen gas adsorption curves and SEM analysis indicate that the pore structure of silica aerogel was porous and connected with each other. FT-IR analysis showed that the composite formation of silica aerogel and erythritol were physical, whereas DSC analysis showed that the melting point and heat storage capacity of the composite were 123.8°C and 289.92?kJ/kg, respectively. The thermal protection properties of phase change composites were designed under laboratory conditions using a thermal measurement setup of a simulated thermal environment of an aircraft. The phase change composite produced by the study can be used for thermal protection applications. Compared with the paraffin–silica aerogel composite, the erythritol–silica aerogel composite could rapidly control the rising temperature by absorbing heat under high thermal environments.     

Use of PCM Boards for Solar Cell Cooling

This contribution explains the use of fractal theory to describe thermal properties of materials. The basic idea is rooted in the theory of fractal fields defined in E-dimensional Euclidian space. Generic equations describing heat distribution are then specialized to describe the changes in heat transfer as a response to step-wise increases in the amount of heat added to the system. This model was then applied to the study of properties of a systems consisting of solar cells attached on a phase-change material (PCM) back sheet board. The aim of this study is to evaluate the ability of PCM boards to decrease the working temperature of solar cells and thus to increase the efficiency of the cells. Regression of experimental data was used to obtain model parameters. The parameters obtained this way were the thermal diffusivity, thermal conductivity, and specific heat, as well as parameters of the heat source and parameters related to the heat losses of the system. The method was then verified against parameters of the system based on poly-methyl-methacrylate and then applied to a PCM with a phase-change temperature of 25 °C. The values of the thermal parameters were determined at temperatures where both components of the PCM composite (Micronal^® and gypsum wall) were solid and below the phase-change temperature and then again at temperatures where one of the components (gypsum) was still solid, while the other one was already liquid (wax). The attempt to determine the parameters during the phase change was not made due the physicochemical processes taking place which would alter the measured data.     

相变蓄热水箱分层特性的实验研究

本文基于三水合醋酸钠,搭建了一套相变蓄热水箱实验系统,在初始水温为80℃、进水温度为5℃的工况下,测试得到了水箱的热力学特性,并采用填充效率分析法以及火用效率分析法,在进水体积流量分别为1、3、5、7、9 L/min时,分析了相变蓄热水箱的热分层特性。结果表明,当水箱温度为80℃时,普通水箱、相变蓄热球PCM48水箱、相变蓄热球PCM58水箱的热能分别为18. 81、19. 34、19. 07 MJ。进口体积流量相同时,相变蓄热球越靠近水箱进口,水箱的热分层效果越好。随着进水体积流量的增大,分层效果下降。不同水箱的理查森数Ri在t^*=0. 5达到最大值,Ri随相变蓄热球位置的降低而减小,PCM48和PCM58在第4层时的Ri分别为7. 569和7. 781,而在第1层时的Ri分别减小为7. 03和7. 145,表明水箱热分层的程度随着相变蓄热球位置的升高而降低。     

A methodological concept for phase change material selection based on multiple criteria decision analysis with and without fuzzy environment

Selection of proper phase change material (PCM) plays an important role towards the development of a latent heat thermal energy storage system. Selection of the phase change material is a difficult and restrained task due to the immense number of different available materials having different characteristics. One has to select such PCM which will give the desired thermal performance at minimum cost. This study deals with two Multiple Attribute Decision-Making (MADM) methods to solve PCM selection problem. These two methods are technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) method and fuzzy TOPSIS method that uses linguistic variable presentation and fuzzy operation. Both the methods use an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method to determine weights of the criteria. TOPSIS and fuzzy TOPSIS methods are used to obtain final ranking. A problem to evaluate the best choice of PCM used in solar domestic hot water system is considered here to demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed model. Empirical results showed that the proposed methods are viable approaches in solving PCM selection problem. TOPSIS is suitable for the use of precise performance ratings while the fuzzy TOPSIS is a preferred technique when the performance ratings are vague and inaccurate.     

Mechanical properties of concrete containing phase-change material

This study aimed to investigate the mechanical properties of concrete containing solid–liquid phase-change material (PCM) and focused on two key factors. First, a systematic study on the mechanical performance of PCM-modified concretes was conducted, including compressive, elastic modulus, and shrinkage tests. Second, because PCM provides high latent heat during the solid–liquid phase change, the effects of the solid phase and liquid phase on the mechanical properties of concrete were also explored. Results of this study showed that the solid–liquid phase of PCM affected the mechanical properties of concrete. For example, the compressive strength of 10% PCM concrete in solid phase (23 °C) and liquid phase (40 °C) at 28 days was 29.30 and 19.57 MPa, respectively. In addition, with increasing PCM content, the mechanical properties were degraded. For example, 10, 20, and 30% of PCM content lowered the compressive strength by 35.4, 58.4, and 74.3%, respectively. Therefore, concrete with PCM may not be suitable for structural elements. However, PCM is an important solution for optimizing energy consumption in modern buildings. It can absorb or emit large amounts of heat to store or release thermal energy. These properties can be used to control building temperatures resulting in energy saving and carbon reduction.     

Increasing the thermal storage capacity of a phase change material by encapsulation: preparation and application in natural rubber

Existing encapsulated organic phase change materials (PCM) usually contain a shell material that possesses a poor heat storage capacity and so results in a lowered latent heat storage density of the encapsulated PCM compared to unencapsulated PCM. Here, we demonstrate the use of a novel microencapsulation process to encapsulate n-eicosane (C20) into a 2:1 (w/w) ratio blend of ethyl cellulose (EC):methyl cellulose (MC) to give C20-loaded EC/MC microspheres with an increased heat storage capacity compared to the unencapsulated C20. Up to a 29 and 24% increase in the absolute enthalpy value during crystallization and melting were observed for the encap-C20/EC/MC microparticles with a 9% (w/w) EC/MC polymer content. The mechanism that leads to the increased latent heat storage capacity is discussed. The blending of the water-dispersible C20-loaded EC/MC microspheres into natural rubber latex showed excellent compatibility, and the obtained rubber composite showed not only an obvious thermoregulation property but also an improved mechanical property.     

泡沫石墨/石蜡复合相变储热材料的调温隔热性能

采用多次真空灌注方法将石蜡吸附到多孔的泡沫石墨中,制备出了泡沫石墨/石蜡复合相变储热材料。利用Hot Disk热常数分析仪和差示扫描量热分析(DSC)对该复合材料的热性能进行了测试,结果表明,石蜡充分吸附到泡沫石墨的蜂窝状微孔中,泡沫石墨的填充极大地强化了相变材料的导热能力。研究了将该复合材料用作墙体围护结构时的隔热和调温性能,并与普通轻质墙体材料作围护结构进行了对比,结果表明,复合相变储热材料能够有效地利用昼夜温差进行储热放热,有效地阻止了热量进入室内,可明显降低室内温度波动和最大值,提高人体舒适度,具有较好的调温隔热效果。     

小型蓄冷空调系统研究

本文阐述小型蓄冷空调系统的工作原理和循环系统，并通过实验分析了相变蓄冷材料的凝固点、融解点、融解热等热学性能。在热性能分析中，用示差扫描量热仪(DSC)来测定蓄冷材料的融解热，用温度测量仪器来测定蓄冷材料的凝固点和融解点，通过热性能分析找到了一种新型蓄冷材料，该蓄冷材料可被应用于小型蓄冷空调系统中。