Enhanced entropy generation and heat transfer characteristics of magnetic nano-encapsulated phase change materials in latent heat thermal energy storage systems

The objective of the current study is to investigate the importance of entropy generation and thermal radiation on the patterns of velocity,isentropic lines,and temperature contours within a thermal energy storage device filled with magnetic nanoencapsulated phase change materials(NEPCMs).The versatile finite element method(FEM)is implemented to numerically solve the governing equations.The effects of various parameters,including the viscosity parameter,ranging from 1 to 3,the thermal conductivity parameter,ranging from 1 to 3,the Rayleigh parameter,ranging from 102 to 3×10^(2),the radiation number,ranging from 0.1 to 0.5,the fusion temperature,ranging from 1.0 to 1.2,the volume fraction of NEPCMs,ranging from 2%to 6%,the Stefan number,ranging from 1 to 5,the magnetic number,ranging from 0.1 to 0.5,and the irreversibility parameter,ranging from 0.1 to 0.5,are examined in detail on the temperature contours,isentropic lines,heat capacity ratio,and velocity fields.Furthermore,the heat transfer rates at both the cold and hot walls are analyzed,and the findings are presented graphically.The results indicate that the time taken by the NEPCMs to transition from solid to liquid is prolonged inside the chamber region as the fusion temperatureθf increases.Additionally,the contours of the heat capacity ratio Cr decrease with the increase in the Stefan number Ste.

Dual-phase coexistence enables to alleviate resistance drift in phase-change films

The amorphous phase-change materials with spontaneous structural relaxation leads to the resistance drift with the time for phase-change neuron synaptic devices. Here, we modify the phase change properties of the conventional Ge_2Sb_2Te_5(GST) material by introducing an SnS phase. It is found that the resistance drift coefficient of SnS-doped GST was decreased from 0.06 to 0.01. It can be proposed that the origin originates from the precipitation of GST nanocrystals accompanied by the precipitation of SnS crystals compared to single-phase GST compound systems. We also found that the decrease in resistance drift can be attributed to the narrowed bandgap from 0.65 to 0.43 eV after SnS-doping. Thus, this study reveals the quantitative relationship between the resistance drift and the band gap and proposes a new idea for alleviating the resistance drift by composition optimization, which is of great significance for finding a promising phase change material.

Data-driven optimization study of the multi-relaxation-time lattice Boltzmann method for solid-liquid phase change

Sharp phase interfaces and accurate temperature distributions are important criteria in the simulation of solid-liquid phase changes.The multi-relaxation-time lattice Boltzmann method(MRT-LBM)shows great numerical performance during simulation;however,the value method of the relaxation parameters needs to be specified.Therefore,in this study,a random forest(RF)model is used to discriminate the importance of different relaxation parameters to the convergence,and a support vector machine(SVM)is used to explore the decision boundary of the convergent samples in each dimensional model.The results show that the convergence of the samples is consistent with the sign of the decision number,and two types of the numerical deviations appear,i.e.,the phase mushy zone and the non-physical heat transfer.The relaxation parameters chosen on the decision boundary can further suppress the numerical bias and improve numerical accuracy.

Preparation and Characterization of Sodium Sulfate/Silica Composite as a Shape-stabilized Phase Change Material by Sol-gel Method

A sodium sulfate （NaeSO4）/silica （SiO2） composite was prepared as a shape-stabilized solid-liquid phase change material by a sol-gel procedure using Na2SiO3 as the silica source. Na2SO4 in the composite acts as a latent heat storage substance for solid-liquid phase change, while SiO2 acts as a support material to provide structural strength and prevent leakage of melted NazSO4. The microstructure and composition of the prepared composite were characterized by the N2 adsorption, transmission electron microscope （TEM）, scanning electron microscope （SEM）, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FTIR） and X-ray diffraction. The results show that the prepared Na2SOJSiO2 composite is a nanostructured hybrid of NazSO4 and SiO2 without new substances produced during the phase change. The macroscopic shape of the NazSO4/SiO2 composite after the melting and freezing cycles does not change and there is no leakage of Na2SO4. Determined by differential scanning calorimeter （DSC） analysis, the values of phase change latent heat of melting and freezing of the prepared NazSO4/SiO2 （50%, by mass） composite are 82.3 kJ.kg i and 83.7 kJ.kg-1, and temperatures of melting and freezing are 886.0 ℃ and 880.6 ℃, respectively. Furthermore, the Na2SOJSiO2 composite maintains good thermal energy storage and release ability even after 100 cycles of melting and freezing. The satisfactory thermal storage performance renders this composite a versatile tool for high-temperature thermal energy storage.

An improvement to the simulation of phase-change heat-transfer during soil freezing and thawing

A new variable time step method,which is called the backwards calculating time step method,is presented in this paper.It allows numerical simulation of soil freezing and thawing while avoiding "phase change missing and overflowing".A sensitive heat capacity model is introduced through which the calculation errors are analyzed.Then the equation using the self-adjusted time step is presented and solved using finite differences.Through this equation,the time needed for a space cell to reach the phase change point temperature is calculated.Using this time allows the time step to be adjusted so that errors caused by "phase change missing and overflowing" are successfully eliminated.Above all,the obvious features of this method are an accelerated rate for adjusting the time step and simplifing the computations.An actual example proves that this method can accurately calculate the temperature fields during soil freezing and thawing.It is an improvement over traditional methods and can be widely used on complicated multi-dimensional phase change problems.

Using modified Soil Conservation Service curve number method to simulate the role of forest in flood control in the upper reach of the Tingjiang River in China

To improve flood control efficiency and increase urban resilience to flooding,the impacts of forest type change on flood control in the upper reach of the Tingjiang River(URTR) were evaluated by a modified model based on the Soil Conservation Service curve number(SCS-CN) method. Parameters of the model were selected and determined according to the comprehensive analysis of model evaluation indexes. The first simulation of forest reconstruction scenario,namely a coniferous forest covering 59.35km^2 is replaced by a broad-leaved forest showed no significant impact on the flood reduction in the URTR. The second simulation was added with 61.75km^2 bamboo forest replaced by broad-leaved forest,the reduction of flood peak discharge and flood volume could be improved significantly. Specifically,flood peak discharge of 10-year return period event was reduced to 7-year event,and the reduction rate of small flood was 21%-28%. Moreover,the flood volume was reduced by 9%-14% and 18%-35% for moderate floods and small floods,respectively. The resultssuggest that the bamboo forest reconstruction is an effective control solution for small to moderate flood in the URTR,the effect of forest conversion on flood volume is increasingly reduced as the rainfall amount increases to more extreme magnitude. Using a hydrological model with scenarios analysis is an effective simulation approach in investigating the relationship between forest type change and flood control. This method would provide reliable support for flood control and disaster mitigation in mountainous cities.

Set Programming Method and Performance Improvement of Phase Change Random Access Memory Arrays

A novel slow-down set waveform is proposed to improve the set performance and a 1 kb phase change random access memory chip fabricated with a 13nm CMOS technology is implemented to investigate the set performance by different set programming strategies based on this new set pulse. The amplitude difference （I1 - I2） of the set pulse is proved to be a crucial parameter for set programming. We observe and analyze the cell characteristics with different I1 - I2 by means of thermal simulations and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, which reveal that an incomplete set programming will occur when the proposed slow-down pulse is set with an improperly high I1 - I2. This will lead to an amorphous residue in the active region. We also discuss the programming method to avoid the set performance degradations.

Performance analysis of thermal storage unit with possible nano enhanced phase change material in building cooling applications

The heat transfer performance of the phase change materials used in free cooling and air conditioning applications is low,due to the poor thermal conductivity of the materials.The recent phenomenal advancement in nano technology provides an opportunity for an appreciable enhancement in the thermal conductivity of the phase change materials.In order to explore the possibilities of using nano technology for various applications,a detailed parametric study is carried out,to analyse the heat transfer enhancement potential with the thermal conductivity of the conventional phase change materials and nano enhanced phase change materials under various flow conditions of the heat transfer fluid.Initially,the theoretical equation,used to determine the time for outward cylindrical solidification of the phase change material,is validated with the experimental results.It is inferred from the parametric studies,that for paraffinic phase change materials with air as the heat transfer fluid,the first step should be to increase the heat transfer coefficient to the maximum extent,before making any attempt to increase the thermal conductivity of the phase change materials,with the addition of nano particles.When water is used as the phase change material,the addition of nano particles is recommended to achieve better heat transfer,when a liquid is used as the heat transfer fluid.

Effect of different heat transfer fluids on discharging performance of phase change material included cylindrical container during forced convection

In the present work,effects of various heat transfer fluids on the discharging performance of a phase change material(PCM) included cylindrical container are numerically assessed during forced convection.The heat transfer fluid air,hydrogen,water and nanofluid with alumina particles are used and the the geometric variation of the PCM embedded region is also considered.The finite element method is used as the solver.Dynamic features of heat exchange with various phases are explored for different heat transfer fluid types,Reynolds number(between 100 and 300) and PCM embedded region geometric variation(h_(x)between 0.01 d_(1) and 0.65 d_(1),hybetween 0.1 h_(1) and 0.4 h_(1)).It is observed that discharging time is significantly influenced by the heat transfer fluid type while full phase transition time for air is obtained as more than 10 times when hydrogen is utilized as heat transfer fluid.The best performance is achieved with nanofluid.When the PCM integrated region size is reduced,discharging time is generally reduced while due to the form of the geometry,vortex formation is established in the PCM region.This results in performance degeneration at the highest radius and height of the inner cylinder.Discharging time increases by about 12% when radius of the inner cylinder is increased from h_(x)=0.35 d_(1) to h_(x)=0.45 d_(1).Dynamic features of PCM temperature and liquid fraction are affected with Reynolds number while discharging time is reduced by about 48% when configurations with the lowest and highest Reynolds number are compared.

Changing Trend and Mutation Analysis of Number of Fog and Haze Days in Baoji City during 1981-2013

Based on data of number of fog and haze days in Baoji City from 1981 to 2013,the changing trends and mutation of number of fog and haze days in Baoji over the past 33 years were analyzed by using trend coefficient,tendency rate,linear regression analysis,anomaly percentage,Mann-Kendall mutation test and sliding t test.The results showed that during the 33 years,the number of fog and haze days in Baoji declined by 16.253d/10 a,and there was a cyclical turbulence every 6,15 or 28years.The frequency of fog and haze weather was the highest in winter,followed by spring and autumn,while it was the lowest in summer.According to the anomaly percentage of the number of fog and haze days in 12 months during 1981-2013,the anomaly percentage changed most greatly in July,followed by September,October,April,May,June,August,February and March,but it fluctuated less greatly in January.The number of fog and haze days from 1981 to 2013had obvious mutation trends in a single year and a single season,and mutation types are different.

Lattice Boltzmann simulation of phase change and heat transfer characteristics in the multi-layer deposition

The metal droplets deposition method(MDDM)is a rapid prototyping technology,implemented via metallurgy bonding within droplets.The anisotropy of heat transfer and re-melting is caused by an asymmetric deposition process.A lattice Boltzmann method(LBM)model is established to predict the heat transfer and phase change in the multi-layer deposition.The prediction model is verified by the experimental temperature profiles in existing literature.The monitoring points are set to compare the temperature profiles,and decoupling analyze the heat transfer mechanism in different positions.The negative relationships between the re-molten volume of the temperature difference,as well as the influence of the dispositive position and the relative position of the adjacent component are observed and analyzed under the heat conduction.This work is helpful to choose the appropriate temperature conditions and the optimal dispositive method.

Radial integral boundary element method for simulating phase change problem with mushy zone

A radial integral boundary element method(BEM)is used to simulate the phase change problem with a mushy zone in this paper.Three phases,including the solid phase,the liquid phase,and the mushy zone,are considered in the phase change problem.First,according to the continuity conditions of temperature and its gradient on the liquid-mushy interface,the mushy zone and the liquid phase in the simulation can be considered as a whole part,namely,the non-solid phase,and the change of latent heat is approximated by heat source which is dependent on temperature.Then,the precise integration BEM is used to obtain the differential equations in the solid phase zone and the non-solid phase zone,respectively.Moreover,an iterative predictor-corrector precise integration method(PIM)is needed to solve the differential equations and obtain the temperature field and the heat flux on the boundary.According to an energy balance equation and the velocity of the interface between the solid phase and the mushy zone,the front-tracking method is used to track the move of the interface.The interface between the liquid phase and the mushy zone is obtained by interpolation of the temperature field.Finally,four numerical examples are provided to assess the performance of the proposed numerical method.

High-stability temperature control and frequency-domain analysis of sandwich-like insulation design based on phase change materials for satellite thermal management

High-stability thermal management is critical for the measurements of high sensitivity for temperature, but also challenging because any small thermal disturbances could lead to unacceptable temperature fluctuations. The present work delivers a design for passive temperature control, customized for a component in the satellites for gravitational wave detection. A novel sandwichlike structure is proposed with the configurations of proper materials, consisting of a layer of insulation material and two layers of nanocomposite phase change materials, bringing an integration of heat insulation and absorption/storage. Its performance is examined using an improved thermal network model and the revised transfer function method(TFM). The basic results of the two methods are validated by present COMSOL simulations and available numerical and experimental data in the literature. An effective reduction of temperature fluctuation is achieved to the scale of 0.1 K, even under two thermal disturbances from different directions: a radiative heat flux of 20 W m~(-2)(inside) and a temperature fluctuation of about 20 K(outside). Moreover,the TFM is employed to analyze the effects of the frequency of thermal disturbance: excellent damping performance is obtained for over 3.2 mHz and the underlying mechanism is discussed. Overall, the present design is expected to be combined with active temperature control to explore more possible ways for temperature control with higher stability.

Quantitative analysis on influencing factors for interface propagation-based thermal conductivity measurement method during solid-liquid transition

The recently proposed interface propagation-based method has shown its advantages in obtaining the thermal conductivity of phase change materials during solid-liquid transition over conventional techniques. However, in previous investigation, the analysis on the measurement error was qualitative and only focused on the total effects on the measurement without decoupling the influencing factors. This paper discusses the effects of influencing factors on the measurement results for the interface propagation-based method. Numerical simulations were performed to explore the influencing factors, namely model simplification, subcooling and natural convection, along with their impact on the measurement process and corresponding measurement results. The numerical solutions were provided in terms of moving curves of the solid-liquid interface and the predicted values of thermal conductivity. Results indicated that the impact of simplified model was strongly dependent on Stefan number of the melting process. The degree of subcooling would lead to underestimated values for thermal conductivity prediction. The natural convection would intensify the heat transfer rate in the liquid region, thereby overestimating the obtained results of thermal conductivity. Correlations and experimental guidelines are provided. The relative errors are limited in ±1.5%,±3%and ±2% corresponding to the impact of simplified model, subcooling and natural convection, respectively.

Assessment of Ice Volume Changes in the Cryosphere via Simplified Heat Transport Model

In order to describe changes in ice volume in the cryosphere, a differential equation mathematical model is used in this paper. The dominating effects of freezing and thawing in the cryosphere enable simplification of the heat transport equations. This results in a mathematical model that can be solved exactly and is useful in investigating other climatic components, which in turn may be similarly analyzed for possible Global Circulation Model (GCM) validation. Data forms representing temperature and ice volume during the Pleistocene are available and can be directly compared with the exact solution of the simplified differential equation used in this paper. The model parameters may then be adjusted to approximate the effects of climate change;the adjusted model then run in reverse time, to develop an alternative history of ice volume of the cryosphere to be compared with the actual data interpretations previously published in the literature. In this fashion, an assessment may be made as to possible climate impacts in the cryosphere.

基于LBM的泡沫金属与翅片相变储能系统性能对比分析

为了研究翅片和泡沫金属铜对相变储能系统性能的影响,使用四参数随机生长法(QSGS)构建了孔隙密度(PPI)分别为20PPI、30PPI的泡沫铜复合相变材料模型,并构建了等铜质量的翅片相变材料模型。在此基础上,采用格子玻尔兹曼(LBM)数值模拟方法对相变材料(PCM)的储/放热过程进行了数值模拟,基于努塞尔数、液相率、PCM流动速度、PCM熔化/凝固时间对比分析了添加翅片以及添加泡沫金属结构对相变材料换热性能的影响。结果表明,在储热过程中,由于泡沫金属的存在会抑制熔化过程中对流换热的发展,双翅片结构的努塞尔数高于泡沫金属结构,熔化时间更短,相比于20PPI、30PPI泡沫铜复合相变材料分别缩短了28.55%、17.5%;在放热过程中,泡沫金属的存在会增加热传导面积,泡沫金属结构的凝固速度高于翅片结构,30PPI泡沫金属结构的凝固时间相比于翅片、20PPI泡沫铜复合相变材料分别缩短了65.80%、20.24%。综合考虑储放热两个过程,30PPI泡沫金属结构的总储放热时间最短,相比于翅片、20PPI泡沫铜复合相变材料分别缩短了27.81%、15.32%。在耗费相同金属材料的条件下,采用泡沫结构是更为有效的提升储能效率的手段。

相变混凝土抗压强度与储热能力试验及分析

为研究硅藻土相变混凝土在建筑围护结构中的应用,进行了相变储能骨料的封装方式试验和相变混凝土的抗压强度、保温性能试验,得到不同封装方式下相变储能骨料的质量损失率、不同相变储能骨料掺量下相变混凝土的抗压强度和储热能力的变化规律。结果表明:用水泥净浆封装相变储能骨料,操作简便且封装效果好,相变储能骨料在50次高低温循环后,质量损失率仅为1.97%;当相变储能骨料的掺量为20%时,抗压强度和保温性能综合效果最优,抗压强度达到31.48 MPa,温度阻尼率达到0.538 5。

基于纳米TiO 2对十四烷-正辛酸二元相变微胶囊的改性制备及性能表征

通过溶剂挥发法制备以十四烷-正辛酸二元相变材料为芯材,纳米TiO 2改性壁材聚砜的相变微胶囊。探究不同添加量的纳米TiO 2对微胶囊性能的影响,使用FT-IR、DSC、电子显微镜对相变微胶囊的化学结构、表面形态、相变特性及包裹率进行检测。分析发现,当纳米TiO 2添加量为3%时,相变微胶囊的表面形态最佳,粒径最为平均,其熔化焓和结晶焓分别为88.91J/g和80.4J/g,且包覆率可达44.42%。

建筑用CA-SA@SiO_(2)相变微胶囊制备及其性能优化研究

为解决脂肪酸相变温度高于建筑应用要求,以及已有脂肪酸相变微胶囊包覆率和相变潜热低的问题,首先制备了二元相变材料癸酸-硬脂酸,热性能结果表明,癸酸-硬脂酸相变温度和相变潜热为24.28℃和178.21 J/g,满足建筑应用要求。在此基础上以SiO_(2)为壁材,采用溶胶凝胶法对癸酸-硬脂酸进行封装,制备不同芯壁比的CA-SA@SiO_(2)相变微胶囊,并对其微观形貌、粒径大小、热性能、化学稳定性及抗渗漏性能进行表征。结果表明,芯壁比直接影响相变微胶囊的各项性能,其中最优芯壁比为50∶50,此时微胶囊呈球形且光滑致密,粒径范围为2~500μm,主要集中于50μm以下,壁材仅靠物理作用包覆芯材,微胶囊化后壁材可以提高芯材热稳定性,且热分解温度明显高于墙体材料使用环境,平衡渗漏率仅为4.53%,相变温度为24.63℃,处于人体舒适范围内,相变潜热和包覆率为138.16 J/g和77%,有效解决了相变温度高和包覆率、相变潜热低的问题,为相变储能建筑围护结构提供适宜温区、高能效密度与高稳定性兼容的新材料。

双层定型相变墙体在合肥地区传热特性的数值模拟

为探究双层相变墙体所使用的相变材料在不同季节下的相变表现,以合肥地区夏、冬两季室外温度数据为背景,基于Fluent焓-孔隙率法,对普通墙体和双层相变墙体的传热过程进行仿真计算。结果表明,在夏季工况下,外相变板的相变温度为36℃的相变墙体综合表现更好,墙体内表面热流密度与普通墙体相比降低了20.53%,平均延迟时间约为普通墙体的1.8倍。在冬季工况下,内相变板的相变温度为14℃的相变墙体内表面温度波幅较平缓,墙体内表面热流密度与普通墙体相比降低了16.25%,它的衰减倍数约为普通墙体的1.2倍。在合肥地区,使用相变温度为36℃的外相变层和相变温度为14℃的内相变层的墙体在制冷、采暖期单位面积可降低热/冷负荷分别为1.86 W、3.75 W,该种墙体具有很好的节能效果和经济效益。