Thermal Characterization of Functionalized Nanodiamond Enhanced Phase Change Materials for Fast Response to Demand
At a Glance
Section titled āAt a Glanceā| Metadata | Details |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 2023-10-29 |
| Authors | Jared Oliver, Ethan Languri, J. L. Davidson, Lino Costa, D.V. Kerns |
| Institutions | Veroscience (United States), Tennessee Technological University |
| Citations | 1 |
Abstract
Section titled āAbstractāAbstract The latent thermal energy storage (TES) system is a well-known concept that utilizes the energy exchange from solid-liquid phase change for energy storage. TES can shift electrical demand from on-peak to off-peak hours, reducing costs and fuel that electrical power plants use to supply the energy needs of facilities. While TES can be very beneficial, the slow response rate commonly seen in TES is a major reason why industry hesitates to engage large-scale TES implementation. However, the response rate can be increased via the addition of higher conductivity particulates into PCMs that are commonly used in TES. This paper investigates the role of functionalized five-nanometer size diamonds, ānanodiamondā added to and interact with the molecules of PCMs to increase their thermal conductivity significantly, hence their response rate to thermal demands. Due to the extremely high thermal conductivity of diamonds and the utilization of five-nm particle-size diamonds chemically interfacing with the PCM host material, the thermal conductivity of the overall medium will increase significantly. However, there are downsides to increasing the response rate by adding particulates. Aside from displacing higher capacity materials, the addition of particulates that increase the overall thermal conductivity appear to reduce the latent heat of fusion of the materials. This paper studies the macro- and nano-scale characterizations of the base PCM and functionalized nanodiamonds in the PCMs.