Abstract Thermal energy storage using phase change materials (PCMs) is an effective way to store thermal energy. PCMs store thermal energy in the form of latent heat, a promising thermal management methodology for intermittent heat loads. Because the thermal conductivity of many PCMs is relatively low (~0.1 W/(m⋅K)), high-power thermal storage is possible only when the PCM is integrated with a high thermal conductivity matrix. Enabled by recent advances in metal additive manufacturing (AM), we develop an ultra-compact high-power PCM heat exchanger and demonstrate its performance. The thermal storage device absorbs heat from, or rejects heat to, a flowing liquid coolant. Numerical simulations of heat transfer and phase change within the PCM were used to predict the device performance and evaluate potential designs. AM enabled three-dimensional (3D) metal structures were designed to serve as a matrix that conducts heat into the PCM or as extended surfaces that enhance convection to the liquid coolant. The 3D metal structures reduce conduction thermal resistance by 17X and convection thermal resistance by 3X compared to conventional designs. We fabricated three devices made of an aluminum silicon alloy (AlSi10Mg) and tested these devices with paraffin (CnH2n+2) PCM. Measurements validated the simulations and showed a 4X improvement in power density (0.58 W/cm3) compared to conventional designs. This work demonstrates AM as a powerful technique for the development of PCM-based thermal storage systems and suggests design methods that aid the development of heat exchangers.

中文翻译：

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使用增材制造的热交换器和相变材料的高功率密度热能存储

摘要 利用相变材料（PCMs）储存热能是一种有效的热能储存方式。PCM 以潜热的形式存储热能，这是一种很有前途的间歇热负荷热管理方法。由于许多 PCM 的热导率相对较低 (~0.1 W/(m⋅K))，只有当 PCM 与高热导率矩阵集成时，才有可能实现高功率热存储。借助金属增材制造 (AM) 的最新进展，我们开发了一种超紧凑型大功率 PCM 热交换器并展示了其性能。热存储装置从流动的液体冷却剂吸收热量或将热量排放到流动的液体冷却剂。PCM 内传热和相变的数值模拟用于预测器件性能和评估潜在设计。AM 支持的三维 (3D) 金属结构被设计为用作将热量传导到 PCM 中的基体或用作增强与液体冷却剂对流的扩展表面。与传统设计相比，3D 金属结构将传导热阻降低了 17 倍，对流热阻降低了 3 倍。我们制造了三个由铝硅合金 (AlSi10Mg) 制成的器件，并使用石蜡 (CnH2n+2) PCM 对这些器件进行了测试。测量结果验证了模拟结果，与传统设计相比，功率密度提高了 4 倍 (0.58 W/cm3)。这项工作证明了 AM 作为开发基于 PCM 的热存储系统的强大技术，并提出了有助于开发热交换器的设计方法。