PREP0002822 PCM Reference Material Development Researcher

PREP Research Associate

Opportunity No.: PREP0002822

This position is part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Professional Research Experience (PREP) program. NIST recognizes that its research staff may wish to collaborate with researchers at academic institutions on specific projects of mutual interest, and thus requires that such institutions must be the recipient of a PREP award. The PREP program requires staff from a wide range of backgrounds to work on scientific research in many areas. Employees in this position will perform technical work that underpins the scientific research of the collaboration.

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PCM Reference Material Development Researcher

Project Description:

Commercial phase change materials (PCMs) in the US and EU markets are incorporated in macro- and micro-encapsulations for latent heat storage in building energy applications. The thermal conductivity and the specific heat capacity of these PCM products, which are usually reported in the specification’s datasheet and are measured by a Heat Flow Meter (HFM), are the main thermal data used for installation guidance and energy saving calculations. However, these measurements exhibit non-linear behaviors with temperature due to contributions from the encapsulation materials and other factors. Therefore, the thermal behavior of encapsulated PCMs masks the thermal properties of the actual PCM and its phase change properties. Furthermore, the measurement by an HFM is fundamentally a relative measurement, being heavily correlated with the calibration of internal heat flux transducers using a reference material. This work aims to establish the groundwork needed to develop a reference material for validating the specific heat capacity values, as well as the thermal conductivity of macro-encapsulated PCMs. The research focus is to ultimately provide a new measurement service by developing a PCM reference material with reliable thermal properties and a well-defined phase-temperature relationship.

Key Responsibilities: 

• Simulate thermal distributions on empty and PCM-filled encapsulation panels between heating and cooling sources
• Determine thermal conductivity and heat capacity values of the PCM encapsulation panels using computational methods   
• Analyze the PCM melting and solidification process in the encapsulations using computational methods
• Present results at internal meetings and occasional meetings with external stakeholders
• Ensure that results, protocols, software, and documentation have been archived

Desired Qualifications: 

• Master’s degree in computer science, Engineering, Manufacturing, or a related field
• A minimum of 2 years of relevant experience is preferred 
• Familiarity with PCM and thermal simulations is a big plus
• Ability to work with a commercial finite element software (experience with COMSOL is preferred but not required)
• Ability to develop an analytical model needed to analyze data
• Strong oral and written communication skills

Other Details:

• Full-time: the participant is expected to work 40 hours a week
• Location: the participant will work at the NIST Gaithersburg Campus.
• Duration: this is expected to be a one-year position. Extensions are sometimes granted depending on the availability of funds.
• For questions related to the research project or the nature of the work in this position, please contact Dr. Jae Hyun Kim (jaehyun.kim@nist.gov). For questions related to the online application or NIST PREP more generally, please contact msu-nistprep@morgan.edu.

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Purpose: The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) hosts the Professional Research Experience Program (PREP) which is designed to provide valuable laboratory experience and financial assistance to undergraduates, post-bachelor’s degree holders, graduate students, master’s degree holders, postdocs, and faculty.

PREP is a 5-year cooperative agreement between NIST laboratories and participating PREP Universities to establish a collaborative research relationship between NIST and U.S. institutions of higher education in the following disciplines including (but may not be limited to) biochemistry, biological sciences, chemistry, computer science, engineering, electronics, materials science, mathematics, nanoscale science, neutron science, physical science, physics, and statistics. This collection of information is needed to facilitate the administrative functions of the PREP Program.

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