Preparation, heat transfer and flow properties of microencapsulated phase change materials for thermal energy storage

Microencapsulated phase change material (MPCM) is one of the most practical materials to enhance the energy efficiency for thermal energy storage. The microencapsulation technique is used to solve the leakage and volume change problems of pure phase change material (PCM). The MPCM slurry has become a novel heat transfer fluid in heat transfer and heat storage systems. In recent decades, the microencapsulation methods have been widely studied and proposed in many fields such as building, textile, food storage, solar and thermal energy storage, etc. The MPCM and its slurry prepared by these methods are widely investigated and put into practice. Based on these findings and applications, the different microencapsulation methods are characterized in this work. Next, the flow characteristics and basic thermal properties of this novel slurry are introduced in classification. At last the heat transfer problems under different situations are reviewed and analyzed. The future trend of the microencapsulation in thermal energy applications is presented.