Nanoparticle-enhanced Phase Change Materials Research Articles

Outward melting of ice enhanced by Cu nanoparticles inside cylindrical horizontal annulus: Lattice Boltzmann approach

Heat transfer enhancement of water-(Ice) as a phase change material (PCM) through dispersion of Cu-nanoparticles is the centerpiece of this research study. The nanoparticle-enhanced phase change material (NEPCM) demonstrates increased thermal conductivity and decreased melting time in comparison with the conventional PCM. An enthalpy-based lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) with a double distribution function (DDF) model is implemented to trace phase change front in a cylindrical-horizontal annul. The subcooling case is neglected and Prandtl number, Stefan number and Rayleigh number are fixed to 6.2, 1 and 105, respectively. In addition, the effects of varying the position of heated cylinder and nanoparticle volume fractions on the transient isotherms and liquid fractions are discussed.

Numerical Simulation of the Effect of the Size of Suspensions on the Solidification Process of Nanoparticle-Enhanced Phase Change Materials

Nanostructure-enhanced phase change materials (NePCM) have been widely studied in recent years due to their enhanced thermal conductivity and improved charge/discharge in thermal energy storage applications. In this study, the effect of the size of the nanoparticles on the morphology of the solid–liquid interface and the evolving concentration field during solidification is reported. Combining a one-fluid-mixture approach with the single-domain enthalpy-porosity model for phase change and assuming a linear dependence of the liquidus and solidus temperatures of the mushy zone on the local concentration of the nanoparticles subject to a constant value of the segregation coefficient, thermal-solutal convection as well as the Brownian and thermophoretic effects are taken into account. A square cavity containing a suspension of copper nanoparticles (diameter of 5 and 2 nm) in water was the model NePCM considered. Subject to a 5 °C temperature difference between the hot (top) and cold (bottom) sides and with an initial loading of the nanoparticles equal to 10 wt. % (1.22 vol. %), the colloid was solidified from the bottom. The solid–liquid interface for the case of NePCM with 5 nm particle size was almost planar throughout the solidification process. However, for the case of the NePCM with particle size of 2 nm, the solid–liquid interface evolved from a stable planar shape to an unstable dendritic structure. This transition was attributed to the constitutional supercooling effect, whereby the rejected particles that are pushed away from the interface into the liquid zone form regions of high concentration thus leading to a lower solidus temperature. Moreover, for the smaller particle size of 2 nm, the ensuing solutal convection at the liquid–solid interface due to the concentration gradient is affected by the increased Brownian diffusivity. Due to size-dependent rejection of nanoparticles, the frozen layer that resulted from a dendritic growth contains regions of depleted concentration. Despite the higher thermal conductivity of the colloids, the amount of frozen phase during a fixed time period diminished as the particle size decreased.

A Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of Unidirectional Freezing of Nanoparticle-Enhanced Phase Change Materials

Highly-conductive nanostructures may be dispersed into phase change materials (PCM) to improve their effective thermal conductivity, thus leading to colloidal systems that are referred to as nanostructure-enhanced PCM (NePCM). Results of a theoretical and experimental investigation on freezing of NePCM in comparison to the base PCM are presented. A one-dimensional Stefan model was developed to study the unidirectional freezing of NePCM in a finite slab. Only the thermal energy equation was considered and the presence of static dispersed nanoparticles was modeled using effective media relations. A combination of analytical and integral methods was used to solve this moving boundary problem. The elapsed time to form a given thickness of frozen layer was therefore predicted numerically. A cooled-from-bottom unidirectional freezing experimental setup was designed, constructed, and tested. Thermocouple readings were recorded at several equally spaced locations along the freezing direction in order to monitor the progress of the freezing front. As an example, cyclohexane (C6H12) and copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles were chosen to prepare the NePCM samples. The effective thermophysical and transport properties of these samples for various particle loadings (0.5/3.8, 1/7.5, and 2/14.7 vol. %/wt. %) were determined using the mixture and Maxwell models. Due to utilization of the Maxwell model for thermal conductivity of both phases, the numerical predictions showed that the freezing time is shortened linearly with increasing particle loading, whereas nonmonotonic expediting was observed experimentally. The maximum expediting was found to be nearly 8.23% for the 0.5 vol. % sample. In the absence of a nanoparticle transport model, the mismatch of the cold plate boundary conditions, lack of accurate thermophysical properties, especially in the solid phase of NePCM samples and precipitation issues with 2 vol. % samples were addressed by improving the experimental setup. Through adopting a copper cold plate, utilizing measured thermal conductivity data for both phases and using 1, 2, and 4 wt. % samples, good agreement between the experimental and numerical results were realized. Specifically, adoption of measured thermal conductivity values for the solid phase in the Stefan model that were originally underestimated proved to be a major cause of harmony between the experiments and predictions.

An investigation of melting/freezing characteristics of nanoparticle-enhanced phase change materials

The aim of this study is to investigate the melting/freezing characteristics of paraffin by adding Cu nanoparticles. Cu/paraffin composite phase change materials (PCMs) were prepared by a two-step method. The effects of Cu nanoparticles on the thermal conductivity and the phase change heat transfer of PCMs were investigated by the Hot Disk thermal constants analyzer and infrared monitoring methods, respectively. The maximum thermal conductivity enhancements up to 14.2% in solid state and 18.1% in liquid state are observed at the 2 wt% Cu/paraffin. The photographs of infrared monitoring suggest that the melting and freezing rates of Cu/paraffin are enhanced. For 1 wt% Cu/paraffin, the melting and freezing times can be saved by about 33.3 and 31.6%, respectively. The results provide that adding nanoparticles is an efficient way to enhance the phase change heat transfer of PCMs.

Nanoparticle-enhanced phase change materials (NEPCM) with great potential for improved thermal energy storage

Improved functionality of phase change materials (PCM) through dispersion of nan oparticles is reported. The resulting nanoparticle-enhanced phase change materials (NEPCM) exhibit enhanced thermal conductivity in comparison to the base material. Starting with steady state natural convection within a differentially-heated square cavity that contains a nanofluid (water plus copper nanoparticles), the nanofluid is allowed to undergo solidification. Partly due to increase of thermal conductivity and also lowering of the latent heat of fusion, higher heat release rate of the NEPCM in relation to the conventional PCM is observed. The predicted increase of the heat release rate of the NEPCM is a clear indicator of its great potential for diverse thermal energy storage applications.