Patent EP0747431A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0747431A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
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Thermoplastic, moldable, non-exuding phase change materials
Assignee: University of Dayton
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Filing: 1996-05-30
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2016-05-30
Abstract
Abstract A thermoplastic, moldable, non-exuding phase change material in the form of a composite useful for thermal energy storage. The composite is preferably a solidified melt mixture of a polyolefin resin, and ethylene copolymer, silica particles and an alkyl hydrocarbon phase change material. For a microwave heating capability, a microwave absorbing additive may be added as a fifth major ingredient. The composite can be formed into a variety of configurations such as pellets, sheets, rods, tubes, plugs for hollow core cement blocks, films, and fibers, all for thermal energy storage uses.
Inventors
- 👤 Ival O. Salyer
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-10 00:45
CPC Classifications
D; D01; D01F; D01F6/00; D01F6/44; D01F6/46; C; C09; C09K; C09K5/00; C09K5/02; C09K5/06; C09K5/063; D01F1/00; D01F1/02; D01F1/10; D01F6/58; D01F6/66; D01F6/88; D01F6/92; D01F6/94
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
28 words
A composite useful for thermal energy storage comprising a solidified melt mixture of a polyolefin resin, an ethylene copolymer, silica particles, and an alkyl hydrocarbon phase change material.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
16 words
A composite according to claim 1 wherein said polyolefin resin comprises high density polyethylene and/or polypropylene.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
14 words
A composite according to claim 2 wherein said polyolefin resin comprises uncrosslinked high-density polyethylene.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
22 words
A composite according to any preceding claim wherein said ethylene copolymer is an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer containing 10-20% by weight vinyl acetate.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
26 words
A composite according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said ethylene copolymer is ethylene-methyl acrylate or ethylene-ethyl acrylate containing 10-20% by weight acrylate.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
37 words
A composite according to any preceding claim wherein said silica particles are precipitated silica particles having a surface area of from 50 to 500 m 2 /g and primary particle sizes of from 0.005 to 0.025 µm.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
29 words
A composite according to any preceding claim wherein said alkyl hydrocarbon phase change material is a crystalline alkyl hydrocarbon having a heat of fusion of greater than 30 cal/g.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
33 words
A composite according to claim 7 wherein said alkyl hydrocarbon phase change material is a paraffin having a C-18 or C-19 chain length and a melting and freezing point of about 24°C (75°F).
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
26 words
A composite according to claim 7 wherein said alkyl hydrocarbon phase change material is a paraffin having a melting and freezing point of about 64°C (147°F).
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
13 words
A composite according to any preceding claim further including a microwave absorbing additive.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
16 words
A composite according to claim 10 wherein said microwave absorbing additive comprises glycerine and/or carbon black.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
80 words
A composite according to claim 11 wherein said phase change material is a crystalline alkyl hydrocarbon having a heat of fusion of greater than 30 cal/g, said polyolefin is a high density polyethylene, said ethylene copolymer is an ethylene-vinyl acetate containing by weight 10-20% vinyl acetate, said silica particles are precipitated silica particles having a surface area of from 50-500 m 2 /g and primary particle sizes of from 0.005 to 0.025 µm, and said microwave absorbing additive is glycerine.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
41 words
A composite according to claim 12 wherein the weight percentage of each ingredient based on the total weight of said composite is about 55% phase change material, 15-21% polyolefin, 7-11% ethylene copolymer, 7-15% silica particles and about 7.5% microwave absorbing additive.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
49 words
A composite according to any one of claims 1 to 9 wherein the weight percentage of each ingredient based on the total weight of said composite is about 60% of said phase change material, 16-22% of said polyolefin, 8-12% of said ethylene copolymer, and 8-16% of said silica particles.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
12 words
A composite according to any preceding claim which is in pellet form.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
31 words
A composite according to any one of claims 1 to 14 which is in moulded plug form sized to fit into the hollow core of a hollow core cementitious building block.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
33 words
A composite according to any one of claims 1 to 14 which is moulded and shaped to fit into the space between the walls of a dual walled food or beverage serving container.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
94 words
A method of preparing a composite useful for thermal energy storage comprising the steps of: melting an alkyl hydrocarbon phase change material, stirring silica particles into said melted alkyl hydrocarbon phase change material until a stiff gel is formed, adding to the stiff gel a mixture of polyolefin resin and ethylene copolymer, heating to melt said polyolefin resin and said ethylene copolymer, mixing vigorously to form a uniform viscous gel, cooling said viscous gel to solidify it into a mouldable composite, and forming said mouldable composite into a shape useful for thermal energy storage.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
21 words
A method according to claim 18 further including the step of adding a microwave absorbing additive prior to said cooling step.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
33 words
A method according to claim 18 or claim 19 wherein said mouldable composite is moulded and shaped to fit into the space between the walls of a dual walled beverage or food container.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
38 words
A method according to claim 18 or claim 19 wherein said forming step involves moulding said mouldable composite into the shape of a plug sized to fit into the hollow core of a hollow core cementitious building block.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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