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Phase Diagram

Phase Diagram

The phase of a given substance depends on the pressure and temperature. Thus, plots of pressure versus temperature showing the phase in each region provide considerable insights into the thermal properties of substances. Such plots are known as phase diagrams. For instance, in the phase diagram for water (Figure 1), the solid curve boundaries between the phases indicate phase transitions (i.e., temperatures and pressures at which the phases coexist).

Phase Diagrams

Phase Diagrams

A phase diagram combines plots of pressure versus temperature for the liquid-gas, solid-liquid, and solid-gas phase-transition equilibria of a substance. These diagrams indicate the physical states that exist under specific conditions of pressure and temperature and also provide the pressure dependence of the phase-transition temperatures (melting points, sublimation points, boiling points). Regions or areas labeled solid, liquid, and gas represent single phases, while lines or curves represent...

Phase Transitions

Phase Transitions

Whether solid, liquid, or gas, a substance's state depends on the order and arrangement of its particles (atoms, molecules, or ions). Particles in the solid pack closely together, generally in a pattern. The particles vibrate about their fixed positions but do not move or squeeze past their neighbors. In liquids, although the particles are closely spaced, they are randomly arranged. The position of the particles are not fixed—that is, they are free to move past their neighbors to...

Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition

Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition

Some solids can transition directly into the gaseous state, bypassing the liquid state, via a process known as sublimation. At room temperature and standard pressure, a piece of dry ice (solid CO2) sublimes, appearing to gradually disappear without ever forming any liquid. Snow and ice sublimate at temperatures below the melting point of water, a slow process that may be accelerated by winds and the reduced atmospheric pressures at high altitudes. When solid iodine is warmed, the solid sublimes...

Phase Changes

Phase Changes

Phase transitions play an important theoretical and practical role in the study of heat flow. In melting or fusion, a solid turns into a liquid; the opposite process is freezing. In evaporation, a liquid turns into a gas; the opposite process is condensation.
A substance melts or freezes at a temperature called its melting point and boils or condenses at its boiling point. These temperatures depend on pressure. High pressure favors the denser form of the substance, so typically, high pressure...

Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing

Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing

Heating a crystalline solid increases the average energy of its atoms, molecules, or ions, and the solid gets hotter. At some point, the added energy becomes large enough to partially overcome the forces holding the molecules or ions of the solid in their fixed positions, and the solid begins the process of transitioning to the liquid state or melting. At this point, the temperature of the solid stops rising, despite the continual input of heat, and it remains constant until all of the solid is...

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Effect of Bending on the Electrical Characteristics of Flexible Organic Single Crystal-based Field-effect Transistors

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Eutectic Fatty Acids Phase Change Materials Improved with Expanded Graphite.

Zanshe Wang¹, Guoqiang Huang¹, Zhaoying Jia¹

¹School of Human Settlement and Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China.

Materials (Basel, Switzerland)

|October 14, 2022

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study developed a composite phase change material (PCM) using lauric and stearic acids with expanded graphite (EG). The optimized 10 wt.% EG composite demonstrated significantly improved heat storage and release performance for thermal energy recycling.

Keywords:

eutectic fatty acids expanded graphite phase change materials thermal energy storage ultra-low-grade energy

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Area of Science:

Materials Science
Energy Engineering
Chemical Engineering

Background:

Low-grade thermal energy recycling is crucial for energy saving and carbon footprint reduction.
Phase change materials (PCMs) offer efficient thermal energy storage for heat recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a composite PCM based on a lauric acid (LA) and stearic acid (SA) eutectic system enhanced with expanded graphite (EG).
To investigate the thermophysical properties and thermal performance of the composite PCM for improved heat storage and release.

Main Methods:

Fabrication of a lauric acid-stearic acid (7:3 ratio) eutectic system.
Incorporation of expanded graphite (EG) at varying wt.% (1-15 wt.%) into the eutectic system.
Characterization using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and transient plane source (TPS) methods.
Experimental evaluation of a finned-coil-type heat reservoir.

Main Results:

The composite PCMs exhibited stable phase transition temperatures and latent heat above 5 wt.% EG.
Thermal conductivity and thermal diffusion coefficient increased by 2.4-2.6 and 3.2-3.7 times, respectively, with 10-15 wt.% EG.
The optimal EG content for the heat reservoir was 10 wt.%, reducing heat storage and release times by up to 20.4% and 19.3%.

Conclusions:

The EG-enhanced LA-SA composite PCM shows superior thermal properties and performance.
This material is promising for efficient thermal energy storage and recycling of low-grade heat.