Heat Transfer and Phase Change Materials for Thermal Energy Storage and Thermal Management Applications

在面临不断增长的能源需求和气候变化挑战的当今世界，从可持续能源(如太阳能)中储存热能或回收工业过程中的废热具有重要意义。此外，有效的热管理对于提高许多能源系统的效率和可靠性至关重要，例如蒸汽和燃气轮机、核反应堆以及海上石油和天然气生产系统中的海底管道。相变材料具有很高的熔化潜热，在熔化(或凝固)过程中可以吸收(或释放)大量的热能，同时保持几乎恒定的温度。这些特点使相变材料在热能储存和热管理系统中具有吸引力。然而，相变材料的导热系数低、过冷问题严重，限制了其在实际应用中的应用。

Storage of thermal energy from sustainable energy sources (e.g., solar) or recovery of waste heat in industrial processes has great importance in a world facing challenges of growing energy demand and climate change. Also, effective thermal management is critical for the improvement of efficiency and reliability of many energy systems, such as steam and gas turbines, nuclear reactors, and subsea pipelines in offshore oil and gas production systems. With a high latent heat of fusion, a phase change material (PCM) can absorb (or release) significant amounts of thermal energy during melting (or solidification) processes while it maintains a nearly constant temperature. These features make PCMs attractive in thermal energy storage and thermal management systems. However, the practical applications of PCMs have been limited due to the low thermal conductivity and subcooling problems.