Preparation and characterization of phase change material emulsions and their applications in liquid cooling systems for wind turbines

Abstract

In order to improve the effect of liquid cooling system for wind turbine, this study used ultrasonic preparation method, stearic acid as phase change material, sorbitan trioleate and sodium lauryl sulfate as compound surfactants successfully prepared stearic acid phase change material emulsion as a cooling medium for investigation. The characterization, thermophysical properties, and fluidity of stearic acid phase change material emulsions at varying concentrations were examined through differential scanning calorimetry, thermal constant analysis, and viscometry. To investigate the cooling effects, a stator axial liquid cooling model was developed for both water and a 14 % stearic acid phase change material emulsion. Findings revealed that the 14 % stearic acid phase change material emulsion exhibited a latent heat of phase change of 22.5 J/g, reaching a peak melting temperature of 68.7 °C. Additionally, the latent heat of solidification was measured at 21.08 J/g, accompanied by a peak solidification temperature of 60.3 °C. The maximum thermal conductivity reached 0.5801 W/(m·K), and the specific heat capacity peaked at 5219.8 J/(K·mol), marking a notable improvement of 1.26 times. Under an inlet temperature of 30 °C and a flow rate of 1 L/min, stearic acid phase change material emulsion effectively lowered the temperatures of the windings, stator, rotor, and casing by 19.2 °C, 23.6 °C, 19.2 °C, and 9.6 °C, respectively. stearic acid phase change material emulsion demonstrates excellent temperature control effectiveness at 3600 r/min and a low flow rate of 1 L/min, showcasing efficient energy utilization efficiency.