Phase change materials (PCMs) exhibit excellent thermal storage capacity due to their high latent heat of transformation and have been successfully utilized in small volumes for transient thermal management of electronics. However, their low thermal diffusivity makes it difficult to utilize large volumes of PCMs for transient thermal management of high power density systems. To improve the thermal performance of a paraffin PCM, high thermal conductivity graphite nanofibers are embedded into the paraffin PCM. The thermal effects of graphite fiber loading levels, measured in weight percent, are examined for a 131 cm3 volume cubic system with power loads of 3 and 7 W. It is found that the thermal response of the system improves with increased fiber loading levels.

Volume Subject Area:
Heat Transfer
Topics:
Electronics, Graphite, Nanofibers, Phase change materials, Thermal analysis, Thermal management, Paraffin wax, Transients (Dynamics), Fibers, Graphite fibers, Latent heat, Power density, Stress, Temperature effects, Thermal conductivity, Thermal diffusivity, Weight (Mass), Thermal energy storage
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