Experimental study on the effect of using phase change materials to prevent of increasing the temperature of the interfacial between the hand and the computer mouse

Abstract

Phase change materials (PCMs) are materials whose most important property is latent heat capacity, which is an effective and important part of energy storage. These materials can provide or improve thermal comfort conditions through a phase change. A computer mouse is one of the pieces of equipment that are dependent on temperature and causes discomfort to the user if the temperature increases. By placing the hand on the mouse and doing the activity, based on the different metabolism of each person's body, it takes some time until the interface between the hand and the mouse gets hot and causes the user to be annoyed. Based on this, an experimental method was used to investigate the effect of using a PCM on the mouse. In this article, two PCMs (Paraffin Wax and Capric Acid) were used inside four capsule models (A: overall capsule, B: capsule parallel to the X-axis, C: capsule parallel to the Y-axis, D: checkered capsule), and the result was that with the addition of the capsule containing Paraffin Wax, the time to reach the maximum temperature was 7.14% compared to the normal state and with the addition of the capsule containing Capric Acid, the time to reach the maximum temperature will increase by 76.4% compared to the normal state. Regarding the comparison of the arrangement of capsules, the best case is to use a general capsule. But because using this type of capsule makes it difficult for the user, therefore, the best layout is the checkerboard type and increases the mouse’s performance by 76%.

Keywords

• Phase change materials (PCMs)
• Computer mouse
• Thermal management
• Heat transfer