Transient thermal performance of multilayer thermal protection systems doped with phase change materials

Abstract

In this article, the transient heat transfer process of the multilayer thermal protection system (TPS) doped with the phase change materials (PCM) is studied. The multilayer TPS consists of the C/SiC composite material, alumina aerogel, silica aerogel, and silica aerogel doped with the PCM. A thermal lattice Boltzmann model is adopted to consider the effect of interlayer thermal contact resistance on the transient thermal response of the TPS. An enthalpy-based lattice Boltzmann model is adopted to solve the solid–liquid phase change problem. The transient heat transfer characteristics of two kinds of TPSs in different layouts are analyzed in detail. The results show that whether the doped PCM enhances the thermal insulation performance of the TPS depends on the layout design of the multiple layers and service time. There exists an optimal layer thickness of the PCM that makes a TPS have the best thermal insulation performance, and the optimal value increases with the service time. The interlayer thermal contact resistance can have a significant effect on the transient thermal response of the TPS, and the optimal value of the PCM thickness will reduce.