Thermo-mechanical analysis of copper-encapsulated NaNO3-KNO3

The present paper presents a numerical study to investigate and assess the heat transfer behavior of a copper and salt composite. A mixture of nitrates, KNO3-NaNO3, within a deformable spherical shell coating of copper will be used as an encapsulated phase change material, E-PCM. In the context of a thermo-mechanical analysis of this E-PCM, a simulation is proposed to determine its storage capacity and properties The melting, or solidification of the encapsulated PCM particles do not provoke cracking of the deformable shell.