Abstract
Heat storage properties of phase change materials (PCMs) are essential characteristics that perform a key role in thermal heat energy storage systems. The thermal properties of PCMs can be improved by developing metal foam/PCM composites. The addition of metal foam in PCMs has a significant effect on the thermal characteristics of PCMs. In this paper, the heat storage properties of two different metal foam/PCM composites were experimentally examined. The behavior of paraffin in metal foam (copper and iron-nickel)/paraffin composites concerning pure paraffin at a constant heat flux of 1000 W/m2 in three directions simultaneously (x, y, and z) was studied. Paraffin was infiltrated into copper and iron-nickel foams to develop composite materials which resulted in enhancing the thermal conductivity of the paraffin. A comparative analysis is made on the heat storage properties of paraffin in copper and iron-nickel foams/paraffin composites. Inner temperature distribution during the phase transition process is experimentally evaluated. This comparison indicates that temperature uniformity in copper foam/paraffin composite is better than in iron-nickel foam/paraffin composite and pure paraffin at the same heat flux. Experimental results show that at heat flux of 1000 W/m2, the heat storage time for copper foam/paraffin composite is 20.63% of that of iron-nickel foam/paraffin composite.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Liu L., Su D., Tang Y., Fang G., Thermal conductivity enhancement of phase change materials for thermal energy storage: A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2016, 62: 305–317.
Rehman T.U., Ali H.M., Janjua M.M., Sajjad U., Yan W.M., A critical review on heat transfer augmentation of phase change materials embedded with porous materials/foams. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 2019, 135: 649–673.
Rehman T.U., Ali H.M., Experimental study on the thermal behavior of RT-35HC paraffin within copper and Iron-Nickel open cell foams: Energy storage for thermal management of electronics. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 2020, 146: 118852.
Wang Z., Zhang Z., Jia L., Yang L., Paraffin and paraffin/aluminum foam composite phase change material heat storage experimental study based on thermal management of Li-ion battery. Applied Thermal Engineering, 2015, 78: 428–436.
Hussain A., Abidi I.H., Tso C.Y., Chan K.C., Luo Z., Chao C.Y.H., Thermal management of lithium ion batteries using graphene coated nickel foam saturated with phase change materials. International Journal of Thermal Sciences, 2018, 124: 23–35.
Sodhi G.S., Jaiswal A.K., Vigneshwaran K., Muthukumar P., Investigation of charging and discharging characteristics of a horizontal conical shell and tube latent thermal energy storage device. Energy Conversion and Management, 2019, 188: 381–397.
Sahan N., Fois M., Paksoy H., Improving thermal conductivity phase change materials—A study of paraffin nanomagnetite composites. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 2015, 137: 61–67.
Kováčik J., Closed cell aluminium foams with phase change material. Metallic Foams, 2017, 1: 42–48.
Rehman T.U., Ali H.M., Saeed A., Pao W., Ali M., Copper foam/PCMs based heat sinks: An experimental study for electronic cooling systems. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 2018, 127: 381–393.
Rehman T.U., Ali H.M., Experimental investigation on paraffin wax integrated with copper foam based heat sinks for electronic components thermal cooling. International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer, 2018, 98: 155–162.
Sodhi G.S., Botting C., Lau E., Palanisamy M., Rouhani M., Bahrami M., Hybrid heat sinks for thermal management of passively cooled battery chargers. International Journal of Energy Research, 2021, 45: 6333–6349.
Cui H.T., Experimental investigation on the heat charging process by paraffin filled with high porosity copper foam. Applied Thermal Engineering, 2012, 39: 26–28.
Babapoor A., Karimi G., Thermal properties measurement and heat storage analysis of paraffin nanoparticles composites phase change material: Comparison and optimization. Applied Thermal Engineering, 2015, 90: 945–951.
Lin Y., Jia Y., Alva G., Fang G., Review on thermal conductivity enhancement, thermal properties and applications of phase change materials in thermal energy storage. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2018, 82: 2730–2742.
Baby R., Balaji C., Experimental investigations on thermal performance enhancement and effect of orientation on porous matrix filled PCM based heat sink. International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer, 2013, 46: 27–30.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Ethics declarations
On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ahmed, W., Hussain, A., Shahid, H. et al. Experimental Study on Heat Storage Properties Comparison of Paraffin/Metal Foams Phase Change Material Composites. J. Therm. Sci. 33, 469–478 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11630-023-1828-5
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11630-023-1828-5