The experimental investigation on the phase change processes had been carried out. N-octadecane (C18) was used as latent heat storage phase change material (PCM)
in which copper foams and carbon foams were embedded to enhance the heat transfer. The thermal properties of C18 were measured by differential scanning calorimetry(DSC). An experimental investigation on three thermal storage units (TSUs) with different kinds of materials filling state (C18
C18/carbon foam
C18/copper foam) had been carried out. The temperature data of TSUs had been recorded and analyzed. Compared to the results of pure C18 TSU
the effect of the foam materials on phase change heat transfer was very significant and made the temperature distribution more uniform.