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    Thermal and desalination performance enhancement of single slope solar still using phase change material
    (Springer Nature, 2025-04) Bhattacharyya, Suvanjan
    The study that is being presented focused on the numerical analysis of the melting regime for various phase change materials (PCMs) in order to select an optimal material that would enhance the desalination efficiency of single-slope solar stills. While choosing the PCMs, the following factors were considered, availability, economic viability, environmental friendliness, and thermophysical properties. The study utilised ANSYS Fluent 18.1 to conduct a comparative analysis based on the melting of five different PCMs at different time stamps. The models and results showed that at 5000 s, Fe3O4 nanoparticle-enhanced PCM is the most effective of all the PCMs that were studied. This is because it melted completely before the other PCMs, which included RT35, Lauric Acid, CaCl2·6H2O, and n-octadecane. The best inorganic PCM was discovered to be CaCl2·6H2O, which had a maximum liquid fraction of around 68%. The best organic PCM was determined to be n-octadecane, which had a liquid fraction of nearly 57%. Lauric acid and RT35 achieved maximum liquid fractions of approximately 49% and 41%, respectively.
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    A comprehensive review on lithium-ion battery thermal management (BTM) using phase change materials: advances, challenges, and future perspectives
    (Springer, 2025-05) Bhattacharyya, Suvanjan
    The necessity of robust battery thermal management (BTM) systems is paramount for ensuring the safety, performance, and longevity of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), especially in high-demand sectors like electric vehicles (EVs). Effective thermal regulation is crucial to prevent thermal runaway, a potentially catastrophic event that can lead to fires. As the global transition toward renewable energy and electric mobility accelerates, the demand for sophisticated BTM systems capable of maintaining optimal battery temperatures across various operational conditions has become increasingly clear. This review focuses on the role of phase change materials (PCMs) in BTM systems, highlighting their ability to absorb excess heat through phase transitions and maintain battery stability. PCMs are particularly effective in passive and hybrid BTM systems, where energy efficiency is critical. However, the low thermal conductivity of PCMs presents a challenge, often leading to uneven cooling. Research into enhancing PCM performance through the integration of materials like metal foams, expanded graphite, and nanoparticles, as well as optimizing system designs, is ongoing. Significant advancements in hybrid BTM systems that combine PCM with air or liquid cooling have demonstrated superior thermal regulation. These hybrid systems, especially those incorporating heat pipes, effectively manage battery temperatures and improve temperature uniformity, even in high-power applications. The present review explores and discuses all these aspects of BTM. Despite challenges such as increased system mass and cost, PCM-based BTM systems offer long-term benefits, including extended battery life and reduced operational expenses. Future research is expected to focus on developing advanced materials, such as nano-enhanced PCMs, and integrating artificial intelligence (AI) for real-time optimization of BTM systems. These innovations are likely to enhance efficiency and safety further, making PCM-based BTMs a key component in the future of battery technology, particularly in renewable energy and EV sectors.
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    Revolutionizing battery thermal management: hybrid nanofluids and PCM in cylindrical pack cooling
    (Springer, 2025-07) Sharma, Bhupendra Kumar
    The thermal management of cylindrical battery packs, widely used in electric vehicles and energy storage systems, is a critical aspect of ensuring their safety, performance, and longevity. As energy densities increase, effective cooling solutions become essential to address the challenges posed by excessive heat generation and uneven temperature distribution. This review has highlighted the promising potential of hybrid nanofluids and phase change materials (PCMs) in advancing thermal management systems for battery packs. Hybrid nanofluids, offering enhanced heat transfer properties, and PCMs, capable of storing and dissipating latent heat, represent a promising synergy for improving thermal management systems. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the role of hybrid nanofluids and PCM in addressing the thermal challenges of cylindrical battery packs. The paper discusses heat generation mechanisms, the drawbacks of existing cooling methods, and the advantages of integrating these advanced materials into thermal management systems. By identifying research gaps and opportunities, this review offers a pathway for optimizing battery performance and highlights future research directions necessary for scalable and sustainable solutions. According to this review, future research should concentrate on creating hybrid cooling systems that effectively combine active, passive, and hybrid cooling techniques. Additional advancements in computer modeling, nanotechnology, and material science will be crucial to achieving the full potential of these innovative materials and overcoming existing limitations.
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    Study on thermal storage properties of microencapsulated organic ester as phase change material for cooling application
    (Taylor & Francis, 2019-11) Parameshwaran, R.
    The phase change materials (PCMs) are latent thermal energy storage materials to store and release energy in the form of latent heat with a change in internal energy. The microencapsulation technique overcomes the limitations faced by the PCMs during energy storage and release. In this study, the new ester-based non-paraffin PCM was microencapsulated into an organic shell using in-situ polymerisation technique. The as-prepared MPCMs was characterised using the field emission electron microscope (FESEM), fourier transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) techniques. The results show that the MPCM characterised using FESEM has exhibited a good morphology. The chemical stability studies carried using FTIR spectroscopy also confirmed the formation of microcapsules was only by physical interaction. The DSC test results also signify that microcapsules have a latent heat of enthalpy of 65.32 kJ/kg, with onset melting temperature of 8.57°C. Thus, this ensures the MPCM to be considered as a potential candidate for the CTES application.
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    Cryogenic conditioning of microencapsulated phase change material for thermal energy storage
    (Springer, 2020-10) Parameshwaran, R.
    Microencapsulation is a viable technique to protect and retain the properties of phase change materials (PCMs) that are used in thermal energy storage (TES) applications. In this study, an organic ester as a phase change material was microencapsulated using melamine–formaldehyde as the shell material. This microencapsulated PCM (MPCM) was examined with cyclic cryogenic treatment and combined cyclic cryogenic heat treatment processes. The surface morphology studies showed that the shell surfaces had no distortions or roughness after cryogenic treatment. The cryogenically conditioned microcapsules exhibited diffraction peak intensity shifts and crystal structure changes. The onset of melting for the nonconditioned and conditioned microcapsules were measured to be 8.56–9.56 °C, respectively. Furthermore, after undergoing the cryogenic and heat treatment processes, the PCM microcapsules had appreciable latent heat capacities of 39.8 kJ/kg and 60.7 kJ/kg, respectively. Additionally, the microcapsules were found to have good chemical stability after the cryogenic treatment. In addition, the cryogenically conditioned microcapsules were found to be thermally stable up to 128.9 °C, whereas the nonconditioned microcapsules were stable up to 101.9 °C. Based on the test results, it is obvious that the cryogenically conditioned microcapsules exhibited good thermal properties and are very desirable for cool thermal energy storage applications
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    Study on thermal energy storage properties of organic phase change material for waste heat recovery applications
    (Elsevier, 2018) Parameshwaran, R.
    The phase change materials (PCMs) are a class of materials which exhibit good phase transformations by undergoing cyclic freezing and melting processes through the influence of heat transfer. The increased research on materials has paved way for the development of heat storage materials with enhanced thermophysical properties suitable for waste heat recovery applications. Waste heat recovery is a practice that affords lower energy input through thermal energy exchange among sub-systems, whilecurbing pollution. This paper presents the experimental investigation on thermophysical properties and heat storage characteristics of an organic PCM for waste heat recovery applications. Experimental results reveal that, the organic PCM being utilized has exhibited congruent phase transition characteristics (∼60.8 °C), high latent heat capacity (∼164.28 kJ/kg), good thermal conductivity, and thermal stability as well. The test results suggest that, during the heating and cooling cycles, the rate at which the energy is being transferred between the PCM and the surrounding fluid strongly depends on the thermophysical properties and heat storage potential of the PCM. Heat transfer rates largely varied with the operating conditions, ranging from a few watts to over 1kW. These attributes enabled the PCM to be considered as a viable and energetic material for waste heat recovery applications.
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    Microencapsulated bio-based phase change material-micro concrete composite for thermal energy storage
    (Elsevier, 2021-07) Parameshwaran, R.
    The quest and interest shown towards developing organic phase change materials (PCMs) for thermal energy storage (TES) applications in buildings are gaining momentum in recent years. From this perspective, the present study aims at developing a novel microencapsulated bio-based phase change material (MbP) integrated in to a micro concrete composite (MbPMC) for thermal energy storage in buildings. The MbP and MbPMC were experimentally characterized in terms of their morphological, thermal and structural properties. The surface morphology results signified that, the as-prepared MbP particles being formed were near-spherical in shape with sizes ranging between 2 μm and 10 μm. The highly crystalline nature of the bio-based PCM chains and the amorphous structure of the shell material were confirmed through the X-ray diffraction analysis. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra has further confirmed the chemical stability between the core (PCM) and the shell material. The MbP has exhibited congruent phase change behavior with a good latent heat potential of 47.31 J/g. Besides, the MbP was found to be thermally stable, commencing from the operating temperature of 35 °C up to 150 °C, as confirmed through the leakage and thermogravimetric tests. A unique and optimized sequential operation of mixing the ingredients for preparing MbPMC matrix was established with a view to obtain the best end product. The as-prepared MbPMC has exhibited adequate structural integrity with a compressive strength of 38.78 MPa at a MbP dosage of 0.075% by the weight of cementitious materials added in the mix. Ultrasonic pulse velocities (UPV), along the directions orthogonal to the direction of pour of the concrete specimens, were observed to be very close, thus proving that the densities, across the cross section of the specimen are more or less uniform. For incremental dosages of MbP, the trend observed in the indicative compressive strengths of MbPMC specimens from rebound hammer tests was observed to be similar to the trend observed in the compressive strength values obtained from the compressive testing machine (CTM). In total, these test results have revealed the ability and stability of the MbP incorporated micro concrete composite (MbPMC) for achieving thermal energy storage and passive cooling in buildings without sacrificing its structural integrity.