Paraffin Graphite Composite Spheres for Thermal Energy Management

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Thermal Engineering
• Sustainable Manufacturing

Background:

• Phase Change Materials (PCMs) like paraffin are crucial for thermal energy storage but suffer from low thermal conductivity.
• Enhancing PCM thermal conductivity is vital for improving their efficiency in applications like electronic cooling.
• Traditional manufacturing methods can be energy-intensive and costly.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a simple, cost-effective, and eco-friendly method for enhancing the thermal conductivity of paraffin-based PCMs.
• To investigate the performance of paraffin/graphite composite spheres in electronic component cooling.
• To evaluate the energy efficiency and environmental impact of the proposed manufacturing process.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of macro-encapsulated PCM composite spheres using graphite powder (5-20% vol.) admixture.
• Utilizing a low-cost manufacturing process involving digital modeling, 3D printed mold fabrication (Fused Deposition Modeling - FDM), and PCM injection.
• Experimental testing to measure thermal conductivity enhancement and evaluate cooling performance in electronic components.

Main Results:

• Paraffin/graphite composite spheres exhibited 3 to 11 times higher thermal conductivity compared to pure paraffin.
• The composite spheres effectively lowered the maximum temperature of electronic components by up to 30°C.
• Injection molding in 3D printed molds using FDM saved up to 30% energy compared to traditional machining for low-volume fabrication.

Conclusions:

• The developed method successfully enhances the thermal conductivity of paraffin PCMs using graphite.
• The paraffin/graphite composite spheres are a viable solution for efficient electronic component cooling.
• The 3D printing-based manufacturing approach offers significant energy savings and potential for reduced carbon emissions, dependent on energy sources.