The Phase Change Matters e-mail newsletter is a weekly summary of the latest news and research on phase change materials and thermal energy storage. To subscribe, visit www.puretemp.com/subscribe. For more frequent updates, follow @puretemp on Twitter or visit the Phase Change Matters blog, www.puretemp.com/pcmatters.
PHASE CHANGE MATERIALS
Group expands study of PCM as way to enhance concrete pavement durability
In a project funded by the National Science Foundation, an Arizona State University engineer has been examining the use of phase change materials to reduce or prevent temperature-related cracks in concrete pavement.
Narayanan Neithalath and colleagues at UCLA will now expand their work in collaboration with Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, the Swiss Federal Institute for Materials Science and the Tecnalia Research and Innovation organization in Spain.
The international collaboration has been awarded $1.6 million to find out whether concrete solutions containing a phase change material can significantly enhance the durability of concrete pavements and bridge decks.
“We are impregnating PureTemp in lightweight aggregates for this project,” said Neithalath, an associate professor of civil, environmental and sustainable engineering in ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. Encapsys LLC of Appleton, Wis., is providing microencapsulation services.
“We know how the materials perform under laboratory conditions,” Neithalath said. “Now we have to see if it holds up when applied at larger scales and real-life loading and environmental conditions.”
AWARDS
$100,000 in prize money awaits winners of FLoW business plan competition
Entries are being sought for the 2016 FLoW program, a business plan competition for American university students and recent graduates focused on clean-tech and sustainability. Mentors will be assigned to help contestants develop their ideas and refine their pitches. $100,000 in prize money is available to winners. Submissions are due March 7, 2016.
Axiom Exergy took first place in 2015 with a refrigeration battery technology designed to help the food industry reduce energy costs. The battery charges by freezing tanks of salt water at night, when electricity is cheaper, and then provides refrigeration throughout the day. Axiom, led by a Stanford University team, won $75,000.
IN BRIEF
• SGOCO Group Ltd., a Chinese company that develops and distributes flat-panel displays, has agreed to buy Boca International Ltd. of Hong Kong. Boca develops and manufactures thermal energy storage systems incorporating phase change material.• Herman Velvis of IF Technology reports on the maturation of aquifer thermal energy storage in the Netherlands.
• New from QYResearch Group: “U.S. Smart Fabrics in Interactive Textiles Industry 2015 Market Research Report”
• New from Future Market Insights: “Temperature Controlled Packaging Solutions Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2015-2025”
U.S. PATENT APPLICATIONS
• Cover assembly for temperature-sensitive cartons or articles (Grand Designs Inc., Sacramento, Calif.)
• Device and method for heating a fermentable starting product to produce a beverage (Albert Welledits, Austria)
• Cordless tool system with PCM (Dezhong Yang, et al, China)
• Device for storing thermal energy by solid/solid phase change material (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission)
• Method for bonding a tail of web material using nonadhesive PCM (Procter & Gamble Co., Cincinnati, Ohio)
RESEARCH ROUNDUP
For our full list of recent academic research, see puretemp.com/academic. Here are highlights from the past week:
From Construction and Building Materials:• Energy efficient concrete with n-octadecane/xGnP SSPCM for energy conservation in infrastructure
From Applied Thermal Engineering:
• Review on microencapsulated phase change materials slurries (mPCMS) properties
From Energy Procedia:
• Dynamic Thermal Performance of a PCM Window System: Characterization Using Large Scale Measurements
• Synthesis and Characterization of Composite Phase Change Material (CPCM) with SiO2 and Diatomite as Endothermal-hygroscopic Material
From European Mortar Summit 2015:
• Mortars with incorporation of PCM based in different binders: mechanical and thermal behavior
From Procedia Engineering:
• Modeling of Solidification of CCHH (CaCl2, 6H2O) in a Shell-and-Tube PCM based Heat Storage Unit
From 3rd International Conference of Mechanical Engineering Research:
• Preparing side charging of PCM storage: theoretical and experimental investigation [pdf]
From Materials:
• Preparation and Characterization of Microencapsulated Phase Change Materials for Use in Building Applications
From Energy Conversion and Management:
• Synthesis and thermal properties of cross-linked poly(acrylonitrile-co-itaconate)/polyethylene glycol as novel form-stable change material
From Carbon:
• Polydimethylsiloxane-modified super hydrophobic porous graphene filled with palmitic acid as a phase change energy storage material
NETWORKING
Connect with PCM experts and industry leaders on LinkedIn
More than 475 of your peers have joined a new LinkedIn group devoted to the discussion of phase change material and thermal energy storage. The Phase Change Matters group is an interactive complement to the award-winning blog and newsletter of the same name.
You are invited to join the group and connect with PCM and TES experts from around the world. New members this week include Bill Derbes, special projects and energy services manager at Mechanical & Control Services Inc., Fife, Wash.; Richard Gerbe, co-founder at Highmark NY; Ünal Sınar, R&D engineer at Panel Sistem Soğutma Sanayi ve Ticaret, Turkey; Melissa Maklan-Zimberg, founder of Elements Accessories Inc., New York; Ali Amiri, Ph.D student in chemical engineering at New Mexico State University; and Mike Friend, principal investigator at Intellectual Ventures, Bellevue, Wash. Welcome aboard, everyone!
TOP 10 LIST
Nearly 500 entries were posted on the Phase Change Matters blog in 2015. Here’s a look at the most-viewed posts of the year:
1. PCM-powered table is featured in Milan Design Week showcase (April 16)
2. New BASF app calculates impact of PCM use in buildings (Feb. 25)
3. CIC Energigune seeks post-doctoral researchers to work on macroscopic physical modeling, thermal energy storage (April 15)
4. Ice Energy to offer PV/TES system called ‘Solar + Ice’ (Oct. 14)
5. Outlast technology cools Puma’s new golf shoe (Jan. 15)
6. Innostorage TES conference set for Feb. 16-18 in Israel (Aug. 31)
7. Sonoco ThermoSafe’s new Via Blood Transporter features PureTemp PCM (June 19)
8. N.Y. conference on renewable energy set for Sept. 24-25 (July 22)
9. PCM vs. thermal mass: A design firm’s take (Feb. 12)
10. BioPCM featured in case study of Australian home (Nov. 18)
Thank you for subscribing to the Phase Change Matters newsletter. Here’s wishing you a successful and joy-filled 2016!