TITLE:
A Modified Kelvin Model for Thermal Performance Simulation of High Mechanical Property Open-Cell Metal Foams
AUTHORS:
Chuan Zhang, Feng Zhu, Houssem Badreddine, Xiaolu Gong
KEYWORDS:
Simulation, Metal Foam, Phase Change Materials (PCMs), Melting, Heat Transfer
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering,
Vol.3 No.7,
July
1,
2015
ABSTRACT: This paper proposes a modified Kelvin model
for high mechanical property open-cell metal foams and investigates its
application in thermal simulations. The thermal conductivity is simulated based
on the steady state method and the results are consistent with experimental values.
The melting process of phase change materials (PCMs) in Kelvin model and its
modified model is numerically investigated under a temperature constant heat
resource. By detecting the temperature variations, it shows that the metal foam
greatly improves the heat transfer in energy storage systems. Besides, the
comparison of the melting process in two foam models indicates that the systems
based on high mechanical property metal foams have a shorter melting time. The
melting process of paraffin in modified Kelvin metal foam models with three
different porosities (65%, 70% and 75%) are numerically analyzed and compared.