Phase change material suspensions for advanced energy storage/transport and thermal management applications have been under development in recent years. This research and development program proposes a novel type of phase change material suspension not involving the conventional microencapsulation methods that have been used to make such suspensions in the past. Benefits of this new approach include lower cost, wider applicability, higher heat flux applications and longer life.Heat transfer studies will be conducted during the Phase I effort to provide the fundamental data required for the future design of energy storage/transport systems. The data will be used to verify current theoretical models for such suspensions, and for preliminary work related to the development of materials and systems for NASA and other commercial and federal government applications.Highly efficient energy transport/storage media can be used for terrestrial applications such as building heating and cooling, where significant energy conservation benefits may be obtained. Efficient heat transfer fluids and systems also have enormous commercial applications, particularly in high heat flux and portable/mobile systems. Some examples are in avionics and aerospace systems, electronic equipment, protective garments, high performance automobiles, etc.
Keywords: Phase_I, NASA, Abstract, FY94
