Review
While the unaltered paraffin wax block for the experimental values was
expected to be able to store a large amount of thermal energy in a
considerably small volume, the main drawback apparent
in the calculations is the ability for the wax to conduct the heat back
out to its surroundings fast enough to cover the 1kW heat loss through
the prism. With an expected output of the theoretical block
at about 4.6W, there would be hardly any noticeable heating effects
from the block.
Design Considerations
Even though the wax block in this case was unsuited to the task,
modifications could be made in order to increase the thermal output of
the block. One such method would be to include a heat collector with
fins that would increase the surface area of the block, and therefore
increase the thermal output. Assuming that it would be possible to
bring the thermal output up to 1kW using fins, since fins require a
certain amount of volume within the block. That solution would also be
very practical, since heat could the be sent back through the fins to
charge the thermal reservoir.
Another solution would be to increase the temperature gradient between
the wax and the prism, though this seems less practical due to the
lesser amount of energy stored when the temperature of the wax is
significantly higher than that of the temperature of fusion.
A third solution might be to seed the wax with a highly conductive
material such as graphite. However, research by Michael Bader from the
University of Auckland, New Zealand
(4) shows that such a
solution has little to no effect.