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ISBN: 978-1-56700-537-0

ISBN Online: 978-1-56700-538-7

ISSN Online: 2377-424X

International Heat Transfer Conference 17
August, 14-18, 2023, Cape Town, South Africa

PHASE-CHANGE MATERIAL SUSPENSION IN PHOTOCURABLE RESIN FOR LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY 3D PRINTING OF THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE COMPOSITES

Get access (open in a dialog) DOI: 10.1615/IHTC17.120-70
10 pages

Sinopsis

Phase-change materials (PCMs) have become increasingly popular in thermal energy storage systems due to their ability to remain at a near constant temperature while they absorb and release large amounts of heat during a solid-liquid phase change; however, these materials tend to require a shape-stabilizing agent or a containment technique that allows them to be used in thermal applications. This study aims to directly suspend microencapsulated phase-change material (MEPCM) into photocurable resin for the purpose of additively manufacturing heat exchangers capable of storing latent heat for thermal energy storage applications. By using MEPCM, leaking can be prevented while still taking advantage of the heat-transfer-enhancing benefits associated with polymer heat exchangers such as their light weight, complex geometries, and non-fouling behavior. The present research used a liquid-crystal display (LCD) printer to print functional composites with differing mass fractions of MEPCM and resin. The LCD printing method provides lower-maintenance printing in shorter print times than other PCM-polymer printing techniques such as fused filament fabrication (FFF). The enhanced geometrical features achievable through additive manufacturing include a high surface-area-to-volume ratio, thin fins/walls, and uniform PCM suspension across the geometry. The thermal properties of the resulting composites were analyzed and compared to the bulk materials. These properties include latent heat of fusion, phasechange temperature, and thermal conductivity. The MEPCM distribution across the 3D printed sample as well as the print resolution were inspected through microstructure visualization.