Effective Thermal Conductivity of Interlaced Materials

The purposes of this experiment was to determine the change in the freezing time of water when an interlaced material is introduced into the system. The interlaced material chosen for this experiment was an aluminum open-celled foam. The volume fraction and pore size of the aluminum foam was varied. The effective thermal conductivity of the various combinations of interlaced aluminum foam and liquid water were measured. Results of these measurements were used to predict the effective conductivity of an ice and foam combination. The calculated effective thermal conductivity for a foam/ice composite system was used to determine the regeneration time for a Direct Interface Fusible Heat Sink for potential use in a Portable Life Support System.