Forced convection heat transfer in a slurry of phase change material in an agitated tank

The heat transfer during the crystallisation in a slurry of a stable mixture of water with a water-soluble polymerised and cross-linked monomer, suspended in oil is investigated. Some experimental data are presented which emphasize that such a suspension of millimetric particles of a phase change material allows both a high capacity of heat storage and limited super cooling phenomena. A phenomenological description of the crystallisation process is proposed which permits to predict the duration of the plateau of crystallisation as a function of the weight fraction and the temperature of the cold spring. The results compare very well with the experimental data thus giving a new impulse to the design of new complex fluids for both storage and heat transport. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd.