Porous silica matrices infiltrated with PCM for thermal protection purposes

In this work, numerical and experimental studies are proposed to predict and investigate the thermal absorption characteristics of porous silica infiltrated with phase change materials (PCM) for thermal protection applications. Several types of different solid–liquid phase change composites were introduced into a cylindrical enclosure while it was heated on the left of the enclosure. The numerical simulation was performed using a volume-averaging technique, and a finite volume modelling (FVM) was used to discretise the heat diffusion equation. The phase change process was modelled using the enthalpy–porosity method. The results are portrayed in terms of the temperature distribution and liquid fraction, and the numerical and experimental results showed good agreement. The results indicated that a higher latent heat storage capacity meant a more stable thermal performance of the phase change composite.