The potential for improvement of liquid-coupled heat exchange by utilizing a two-component slurry comprised of a carrier fluid and a microencapsulated phase-change material (MEPCM) is presented. A system analysis utilizing a water/MEPCM slurry is presented to show MEPCM effects on system behavior. Enhancement of fluid heat capacity and heat transfer coefficient is shown, along with reductions of system temperatures. Results of experiments are presented in which 10-30mum particles of various microencapsualted paraffins were slurried with water as well as silicone oil and circulated in a model heat exchange loop. Enhancement of heat transfer coefficients and thermal properties, and reductions in system temperatures are shown to occur experimentally. During the course of the experiments both encapsulation and phase-change anomalies were encountered and are discussed. Significant improvements in overall performance are shown to be achievable.
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