Disclosed are free-flowing mixtures comprising a granular material comprising a thermoplastic elastomer, a functionalized thermoplastic elastomer, at least one phase change material bound to the thermoplastic elastomers, and at least one binding agent capable of adsorbing and/or absorbing portions of the phase change material. The binding agent is substantially present between the granulate materials, and either: i) the proportion by weight of the phase change material in the granular material is 60% to 90% and the binding agent is a non-silicate binding agent, or ii) the proportion by weight of the phase change material in the granular material is more than 70% and up to 90%. Also described are various compositions comprising the mixture and methods for producing the mixture.

The present invention provides a composition comprising a) a phase change material; b) 1 to 10 wt % of a silica gelling additive; and c) a styrene co-polymer gelling additive; wherein the composition is in the form of a gel and wherein the weight ratio of b) silica gelling additive to c) styrene co-polymer gelling additive in the composition is in the range from 0.6 to 5:1. The invention also provides a method of making the composition and an article and a product comprising the composition. Finally, the invention provides the use of a combination of a silica gelling additive and a styrene co-polymer gelling additive to make a gel composition comprising a phase change material with one or more improved properties.

The present disclosure relates to wood template-supported phase change material (PCM) composites having thermal energy storage applications. A wood template-supported PCM composite may include a wood template that has had at least a portion of its xylan and/or lignin removed and saturated with a PCM. The PCM may be stabilized with a cross linkable network for improved infiltration into the wood template. The wood template-supported PCM composite may be formed by extracting xylan and/or lignin from the wood to create a wood template, densifying at least a portion of the wood template, and inserting a PCM into the wood template.

Paraffin compositions including mainly even carbon number paraffins, and a method for manufacturing the same, is disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the method involves contacting naturally occurring fatty acid/glycerides with hydrogen in a slurry bubble column reactor containing bimetallic catalysts with equivalent particle diameters from about 10 to about 400 micron. The even carbon number compositions are particularly useful as phase change material.

A system and method for maintaining a temperature of a power system using a cooling system that includes an impeller and a phase change material. During normal operation of the cooling system, heat that is generated by the operation of an electronic device(s) of the power system can be transferred primarily by conduction through an upper base plate and fins of a heat sink, and dissipated via forced convection that is generated by the impeller. Additionally, the phase change material is positioned outside of a main heat flux path of the heat sink such that, during normal operation of the cooling system, the phase change material does not provide a heat flux obstruction. In the event of an impeller failure, the phase change material provides at least a temporary cooling source for an extended period of time via the relatively large latent heat capacity of the phase change material.

The present invention provides a bidirectional energy-transfer system comprising: a thermally and/or electrically conductive concrete, disposed in a structural object; a location of energy supply or demand that is physically isolated from, but in thermodynamic and/or electromagnetic communication with, the thermally and/or electrically conductive concrete; and a means of transferring energy between the structural object and the location of energy supply or demand. The system can be a single node in a neural network. The thermally and/or electrically conductive concrete includes a conductive, shock-absorbing material, such as graphite. Preferred compositions are disclosed for the thermally and/or electrically conductive concrete. The bidirectional energy-transfer system may be present in a solar-energy collection system, a grade beam, an indoor radiant flooring system, a structural wall or ceiling, a bridge, a roadway, a driveway, a parking lot, a commercial aviation runway, a military runway, a grain silo, or pavers, for example.

A composite phase-change material (PCM) has a non-polymeric solid-solid PCM and a solid-liquid PCM. The solid-liquid PCM occupies an internal volume of the solid-solid PCM. The composite material takes full advantage of the latent heat of both PCMs, while avoiding seepage of the inner solid-liquid PCM. A method is for the preparation of the composite PCM. A thermal energy storage device includes the composite PCM.

The present disclosure discloses a thermally conductive composite including a thermally conductive film, having a thickness in a range from 10 um to 50 um, and a thermal phase-change layer disposed on the thermally conductive film, being composed of 6-13 wt% binder, 6-13 wt% thermal phase-change material, and 74-88 wt% coated microcapsule. The thermally conductive composite has dual functions of heat storage and thermal conduction.

A process for forming an extruded composition using a wet-spin dry-jet technique including forming a dispersion dope by mixing phase change material with a first portion of solvent, and sonicating the mixture, forming a prime dope by combining a first portion of polymer and a second portion of solvent, forming an extrusion composition by combining the dispersion dope, the prime dope and a second portion of the polymer, rolling the extrusion composition, degassing the extrusion composition, extruding the extrusion composition through a spinneret, drying the extruded composition, and quenching the extruded composition. The weight fraction of the phase change material in the extruded composition can be greater than approximately 60%, and preferably greater than approximately 75%.

This latent heat storage body is provided with: a latent heat storage material; and a temperature-sensitive material exhibiting different functions at a temperature equal to or higher than a specific temperature and at a temperature lower than the specific temperature, in which a phase change temperature is changed by using the function of the temperature-sensitive material according to ambient temperature. This latent heat storage body is characterized in that: the phase change temperature is set, by the function of the temperature-sensitive material when the ambient temperature is lower than the specific temperature, to one among a low temperature setting and a high temperature setting having a higher temperature than the low temperature setting; and the phase change temperature is set to the other setting among the low temperature setting and the high temperature setting by the function of the temperature-sensitive material when the ambient temperature is equal to or higher than the specific temperature.