An investigation into the penetration of phase change material in carbon foam for transient thermal management

Phase Change Materials (PCMs) are used for thermal management and are ideal for cyclic operations due to their high capacity to store heat. Most PCMs do not exhibit sufficient conductivity to be effective at larger sizes. Enhancing conductivity can be done in a number of ways including carbon foam. It is not widely known how well PCMs penetrate inside the carbon foam structure. Initial research suggests that the carbon foam-PCM matrix acts more as a conductor than a thermal storage device. Through the use microscopy, we will examine how the well the PCM penetrates into the carbon foam. We will also use experimental data comparing carbon foam enhanced modules to pure PCM modules. A volume displacement test will also be used to determine the quantity of PCM that enters into the carbon foam structure. This knowledge will allow better design of enhanced PCM modules and will determine if carbon foam is indeed a viable conduction enhancer for PCM thermal management.