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Updated: Dec 28, 2025

Characterization of Thermal Transport in One-dimensional Solid Materials
Published on: January 26, 2014
Methods for Determining the Thermal Transfer in Phase-Changing Materials (PCMs)
Vasile Bendic1, Dan Dobrotă2, Ionel Simion3
1Faculty of Engineering and Management of Technological Systems, Politehnica University of Bucharest, 060042 Bucharest, Romania.
Establishing the thermal performance of phase-changing materials (PCM) is crucial. This study validates finite element method (FEM) simulations against experimental data for encapsulated butyl stearate PCM, finding good agreement and optimal results for a P30 sample.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Thermal Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Accurate thermal performance assessment of phase-changing materials (PCM) is essential for their effective application.
- Butyl stearate encapsulated in polymethyl methacrylate was chosen as the PCM for this study.
- Developing reliable methods for evaluating PCM thermal properties is a key research objective.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish and validate methods for determining the thermal performance of phase-changing materials (PCM).
- To compare the finite element method (FEM) with experimental research for PCM thermal analysis.
- To identify the optimal PCM concentration for enhanced thermal performance.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the finite element method (FEM) for thermal performance simulation.
- Conducted experimental research using a modern measurement system.
- Prepared and tested samples with varying PCM concentrations (10%, 20%, 30%, 40%).
Main Results:
- Temperature evolution over time at hot and cold plate interfaces showed close agreement between FEM and experimental results.
- The P30 sample, containing 30% PCM, yielded the best performance.
- Simulated thermal flow variations in FEM were minimal (2700-3110 W/m²), ensuring negligible impact on interface temperature measurements.
Conclusions:
- Both FEM and experimental research are viable methods for assessing PCM thermal performance.
- Accurate initial conditions are critical for reliable FEM simulations.
- High-quality experimental apparatus is necessary for precise thermal performance evaluation.
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