Temperature Control Applications of the Phase Transformations of Materials

The constant-temperature heat accumulation and release cycles associated with the phase transformations of materials constitute a natural mechanism for temperature regulation. In this paper, we review the basic tenets of the dynamics of the melting-solidification cycles of phase-change materials (PCMs) and a recently developed systems perspective on the benefits and challenges of PCM-based temperature control. We also describe a recently developed optimization-based approach for selecting the geometry of PCM heat sinks and present its application in two situations of practical interest, controlling the temperature of a microchip and preventing temperature runaway in a microchannel reactor.