The application of aluminum foam in thermal management and heat exchange efficiency maybe

With the increasing demand from modern industry for high-power-density electronic devices, high-performance power batteries, and high-efficiency energy storage systems, thermal management technology has become a core bottleneck restricting the development of related fields. As a novel functional material integrating lightweight, high strength, high porosity, and excellent thermal conductivity, aluminum Foam has shown great application potential in enhancing heat transfer and controlling heat flow. Through its unique three-dimensional interconnected pore structure,aluminum foam can not only significantly increase the effective heat transfer area but also achieve a leapfrog increase in the convective heat transfer coefficient by forcibly disturbing the fluid flow pattern.

Application of Aluminum Foam in Phase Change Energy Storage (LHTES)

Paraffin and other phase change materials (PCMs) are excellent materials to use to store energy, since they have a significant latent heat of phase change, yet a low thermal conductivity coefficient of (less than 0.5 W/m.K) restricts the speed of heat gain and loss. This issue has been fully solved by aluminum foam since it provides a stable skeleton with high thermal conductivity. The melting rate is enhanced by a factor of more than an order of magnitude, by the composite phase change material prepared by embedding paraffin wax in aluminum foam. Research findings indicate that the presence of aluminum foam not only enhances heat transfer, but also minimizes the thermal hysteresis of the system by enhancing the uniform distribution of temperature. Experiments indicate that the various PPIs (10, 20, 40) do not substantially affect the ultimate melting time, but reduced porosity, or increased metal volume fraction, substantially reduces the melting time at the expense of reduced latent heat storage.

In the bottom-heated configuration, the thermal conductivity of the foam skeleton dominates the heat transfer process, weakening the effect of natural convection, but the overall thermal response performance of the system still far exceeds that of a pure PCM system. This characteristic makes aluminum foam/PCM composites highly valuable for applications in building thermostatic rooms, short-term high-power heat dissipation in electronic devices, and solar thermal storage systems.

**Lithium-ion Battery and Powertrain Thermal Management**

In the field of electric vehicles, the efficiency of the battery thermal management system (BTMS) directly affects the safety and driving range of the entire vehicle. Aluminum foam, with its lightweight, high heat transfer efficiency, and excellent energy absorption characteristics (impact resistance), has become an ideal candidate material for BTMS (Brain Metal Storage System).

Applications in Forced Air Cooling and Liquid Cooling Systems

Traditionally, the cooling systems based on forced air do not provide the required cooling with high-rate discharge. Scientists have found that an aluminum foam heat sink (AFHS) placed in the air channels will significantly decrease the peak temperature of the battery and simultaneously makes the temperature uniform.

Temperature Uniformity: By optimizing the filling shape of the aluminum foam, the temperature difference within the battery pack can be reduced to extremely low levels, thereby avoiding accelerated degradation of individual cells due to localized overheating.

Lightweight and Integrated: Aluminum foam heat sinks can replace traditional folded fins or bulky liquid cooling plates. While achieving the same heat dissipation effect, aluminum foam systems offer significant weight advantages and can also serve as structural components of the battery pack to absorb mechanical impact energy.