Highly conductive graphitic foams are currently being studied for use as thermal conductivity enhancers (TCEs) in thermal energy storage (TES) systems. TES systems store energy using the latent heat capacity of phase change materials (PCMs). Due to the low thermal conductivity of most PCMs, TCEs are necessary to evenly distribute heat throughout the PCM. Graphitic foams have been used as TCEs due to their high thermal conductivity, high specific surface area, and low weight. This thesis describes the experimental research at Ohio University to determine the thermal conductivity and transient thermal response characteristics of foams infiltrated with PCMs.
Methods have been developed to modify highly conductive open celled graphitic foam by filling them with epoxy. This allowed the testing of graphitic foams using classical experimental thermal measurement methods. Thermal conductivity of foams tested ranged from 12 W/mK to 135 W/mK. It was found that graphitic foams can increase the thermal diffusivity of PCMs by a factor of 400+. This leads to thermal responses 9 times lower when graphitic foams are used as TCEs.