Experimental investigation on the heat charging process by paraffin filled with high porosity copper foam

An experimental setup was designed and built in which the paraffin was used as phase change materials and copper foam as filled materials. Experiments examining the heat charging process were carried out under two conditions: paraffin filled with and without copper foam. The time histories of the collected temperature under various conditions were plotted and the results were discussed. The results indicate that the foam material not only leads to a more uniform temperature distribution within the thermal energy storage unit, but also extensively shortens the charging time. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.