Transient thermal management using phase change materials with embedded graphite nanofibers for systems with high power requirements

Phase change materials (PCMs) exhibit excellent thermal storage capacity due to their high latent heat of transformation and have been successfully utilized in small volumes for transient thermal management of electronics. However, their low thermal conductivity makes it difficult to utilize large volumes of PCMs for transient thermal management of larger systems. To improve the thermal performance, high thermal conductivity graphite nanofibers are embedded into a paraffin PCM. The thermal effects of fiber loading levels, measured in weight percent (0 to 10%) are examined for a system with power loads between 100 and 700 W. The use of the graphite nanofiber enhancement is found to double the useful performance time of the PCM and lower the system operating temperature.