A review on recent progresses of nano/micro encapsulated phase change material slurries

Abstract

Heat transfer fluids play a significant role in cooling or heating systems to maintain or obtain a particular temperature. A relatively novel concept is adding nano/microencapsulated phase change material (N/MPCM) to the carrier fluid to increase the heat capacity and improve the heat transfer rate. However, the applicability of using particles and their performance demand further investigations. In this study, a review of the recent progress has been made on using N/MPCM slurry as the working fluid is provided. The effects of particles' thermophysical properties, including size, concentration, melting point and enthalpy, on different performance indicators such as exergy, efficiency, pumping power and performance evaluation criterion are among the covered topics. Although the promising potentials of MPCM slurry have increased interest in this field, there are still significant research gaps in the literature that are suggested for future investigations.