Experimental Study on The Melting Performance Of Phase Change Materials Embedded with Different Material Skeletons

The development of renewable energy brings unprecedented opportunities for the application of energy storage technology. The heat transfer performance of phase change materials with skeletons have been studied for their importance in the development of energy efficiency. This paper investigates the heat transfer mechanism of phase change materials by means of an experimental approach. The melting processes of phase change materials with different material skeletons have been observed through experimental studies. The local thermal non-equilibrium effect during the melting of skeletons of different materials was analyzed by measuring the temperature change of the composite phase change material. It is shown that the material of the skeleton affects significantly the melting process of the composite phase change material. Phase change materials with metal skeletons have shorter melting times and faster backward migration of their solid-liquid phase change interfaces compared to pure phase change materials. The melting time of paraffin waxes with nylon skeletons is longer than that of pure paraffin waxes and its solid-liquid phase change interfacial migration rate is not as fast as that of phase change materials with metal skeletons. When the thermal conductivity of the skeleton is greater, the temperature of the composite phase change material rises more rapidly. The thermal conductivity of the skeleton material has a strong influence on the local thermal non-equilibrium effect within the composite phase change material. Local thermal non-equilibrium effects are reflected by temperature differences. The temperature difference shows a complex trend over time, with multiple peaks and troughs in the temperature difference. Composite phase change materials with different material skeletons have similar temperature difference patterns, but composite phase change materials with highly thermally conductive skeletons have larger maximum temperature difference peaks.