University of Twente Student Theses
Investigating the effect of graphene nanofillers on the melting of paraffin-based phase change materials
Petri, J.C. (2023) Investigating the effect of graphene nanofillers on the melting of paraffin-based phase change materials.
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| Abstract: | Phase change materials have emerged as a critical player in the quest to make energy storage more sustainable and efficient. Due to its properties, paraffin plays a crucial role in this development, despite its low thermal conductivity. To overcome this, graphene nanofillers are introduced to enhance the overall thermal conductivity. This paper presents a means to analyse the effect of graphene nanofillers on the distribution of heat throughout a substance that undergoes a phase transition from solid to liquid. This so-called two-phase Stefan problem involves heat conduction equations for the liquid and solid regions, together with a moving boundary interface. Due to its complexity, it is reformulated using the enthalpy formulation. The one-dimensional two-phase Stefan problem is solved using both an exact solution and numerical approximation. The accuracy of the numerical approximations is validated by comparing them with the exact solutions, providing confidence in the correctness of the results. This validation extends to the two-dimensional numerical solutions. Simulations highlight the enhancement of the performance of phase change materials. It is clear that graphene nanofillers substantially increase the rate of the phase transition process. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
| Faculty: | EEMCS: Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science |
| Subject: | 31 mathematics, 33 physics |
| Programme: | Applied Mathematics BSc (56965) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/95781 |
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