Thermophysical properties of phase change emulsions prepared by D-phase emulsification. (15th August 2016) - Morimoto, Takashi
Graphical abstract: Highlights: Thermophysical properties of phase change emulsions (PCE) prepared by D-phase emulsification were studied. Relative viscosity of PCEs roughly agreed to Mooney's equation. T-history method was used to measure specific heat and latent heat of fusion. Latent heat of PCE can be predicted by its PCM mass fraction. Abstract: A phase change emulsion (PCE) is a mixture of fine particles of a phase change material (PCM) and an aqueous surfactant solution. PCEs are attracting attention as thermal media. They provide high-density thermal energy storage by utilizing the latent heat of the PCM, and high transportability because of their high fluidity. In this study, PCEs were prepared by D-phase emulsification, and their properties were evaluated. Two paraffin PCMs, n-hexadecane and n-octadecane, were dispersed inside the PCEs, and their mass fraction was varied. The PCEs exhibited similar particle size distributions, regardless of the type of dispersed PCM or its mass fraction. The viscosity of the PCE increased with increasing PCM mass fraction, in agreement with theoretical values. The latent heat of fusion and specific heat of the PCEs were evaluated using a temperature history method. Pump consumption rates were calculated from these results, and are compared with that of water.