Abstract
To achieve high energy efficiency and CO2 reduction during iron- and steelmaking, thermal management is vital. Use of phase change material (PCMs) to store excess energy in the form of latent heat has the potential to realize excellent thermal management. Microencapsulated PCMs (MEPCMs) consisting of an alloy PCM core and an oxide coating have improved corrosion resistance and are easy to mix with other materials. Conventionally, composite PCM pellets are fabricated by mixing glass frit (to aid sintering) with Al–25 mass% Si MEPCM. However, this process has not yet been optimized. In this study, the optimal stoichiometry of composite PCMs prepared using Al–25 mass% Si MEPCM and glass frit was investigated. The pellets were prepared by mixing with glass frit at 60, 80 and 90 mass% of MEPCM, followed by molding and heat treatment. As a result, pellets were successfully fabricated with condition including 60 and 80 mass% of MEPCM. The latent heat capacity of the composite PCM was 146 J g–1, which was at least 1.59 times higher than that of existing sensible heat storage (SHS) materials. Moreover, the composite PCMs withstood 300 melting and solidification cycles. In summary, composite PCMs with excellent latent heat capacity and durability were successfully prepared.
