Review on Microencapsulated Phase Change Materials (MPCM) Slurries: Materials, Rheological Behavior and Applications

Microencapsulated phase change materials (MPCM) slurries with high heat transfer and great latent heat can serve as both the heat transfer fluids and energy storage medias. Studies showed that the effective specific heat and heat transfer rate increased by 28.1% and 23.6% respectively as using MPCM slurries. The rheological behavior of slurries do not change as adding MPCM with low concentration, can be characterized by Newtonian fluid feature with mass fraction <0.25. MPCM particles have flow drag reduction effect under turbulent situation, which was applied to building energy efficiency and refrigeration, obtained remarkable energy conservation effect.