Performance enhancement of an adsorption bed using heat recovery.

The latent heat absorption phenomenon associated with melting of a suitable Phase Change Material (PCM) can be an effective way to improve the Thermal Energy Storage (TES) behavior in many applications. However, the most suitable PCMs to be used in HVAC and refrigeration systems find intrinsic limitations due to their poor heat transfer capabilities. This work experimentally investigates the use of Aluminum foams as heat transfer medium to improve the overall heat transfer of paraffin waxes that can be possible PCMs to be implemented in hybrid sensible-latent water TESs. The experimental tests were run in a new dedicated setup designed, developed, and built at the Department of Management and Engineering of the University of Padova to study the water hybrid TES. The experimental results are presented in terms of loading and unloading times at constant water tank temperature. The effects of the use of Aluminum foams as enhancing heat transfer medium were studied by comparing the loading and unloading processes of a paraffin wax with melting temperature around 40 °C, with and without metal foams, in a water thermal storage unit. The effects of three different foams with 5, 20, and 40 Pores Per Inch (PPI) were investigated.

适配型相变材料（Phase Change Material, PCM）熔化时伴随的潜热吸热现象，可有效提升诸多应用场景下的热能存储（Thermal Energy Storage, TES）性能。然而，适用于暖通空调（HVAC）与制冷系统的主流相变材料，因自身传热性能欠佳而存在固有局限。本研究通过实验探究了泡沫铝作为传热介质，用于改善石蜡基材料整体传热性能的可行性——此类石蜡可作为潜热-显热混合型水基TES的候选相变材料。实验测试在帕多瓦大学管理与工程系专为研究混合型水基TES设计、开发并搭建的专属实验平台上完成。实验结果以恒定水箱温度下的充能与放能时长为表征指标进行呈现。通过对比熔点约40℃的石蜡在加装与未加装金属泡沫的水储能单元中的充放能过程，分析了泡沫铝作为强化传热介质的作用效果。本研究还考察了三种不同每英寸孔数（Pores Per Inch, PPI）分别为5、20与40的泡沫铝的影响效果。