High Thermal Conductivity
Graphite Foam

developed by 
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

licensed by 

Poco Graphite, Inc.

and

Koppers, Inc.

	James Klett, Ph.D. Research Staff Member II Materials Science & Technology Division Carbon Materials Group P.O. Box 2008 Bldg 4508, MS 7086 Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge, TN, 37931-6087 Telephone: 865-574-5220 Fax: 865-576-8424 E-mail: klettjw@ornl.gov
Poco Graphite, Inc. 1601 South State Street Decatur, TX 76234 940-393-4324 Fax: 940-393-8435 E-mail: foam@poco.com
Koppers Inc. 1005 William Pitt Way Pittsburgh, PA 15238-1362 (412) 826-3955 Fax: (412) 826-3999 E-mail: GolubicTA@koppers.com

High Thermal Conductivity Graphite Foam was first developed at ORNL in 1997 and patented by the DOE.  This material is characterized by a unique highly crystalline graphitic structure formed into a foam.  

The basic properties of the foam are:

• Ligament conductivities greater than 1700 W/mK
• Bulk apparent thermal conductivities up to 175 W/mK
• Very high specific surface areas (> 20,000 m²/m³)
• Low coefficient of thermal expansion
• Excellent acoustical adsorption
• Excellent electromagnetic shielding

Click for a Brief History
of Carbon and Graphite Foams

ORNL Graphite Foam Experimental Properties
	ORNL Foam I	ORNL Foam II	ORNL Foam III	Aluminum 6061
Physical Properties
Density	0.57	0.59	0.70	2.88	g/cm^3
Porosity	0.75	0.74	0.69	0
Fraction Open Porosity	0.98	0.98	n.m.	0
Average Cell Size	350	60	350-400	--	microns
Coefficient of Thermal Expansion	0-1 (z) 1-3 (x-y)	n.m.	n.m.	17	ppm/°C
Max Operating Temperature in Air	500	500	500	600	°C
Mechanical Properties
Tensile Strength	0.7	n.m.	n.m.	180	MPa
Compressive Strength	2.1	5.0	5.1	--	MPa
Compressive Modulus	0.144	0.180	1.5	70	GPa
Thermal Properties
Bulk Thermal Diffusivity	4.53	3.1	3.52	0.81	cm^2/s
Bulk Thermal Conductivity	175	134	170	180	W/m·K
Specific Heat Capacity	691	691	691	890	J/Kg·K

Some Graphs of Frequently Requested Properties

Thermal conductivity of graphite foams at different densities made with different precursor mesophase pitches	Relationship between thermal conductivity and electrical resistivity of the graphite foams
Cryogenic Thermal Conductivity of PocoFoam® versus Temperature
Acoustical Absorption The Graphite Foam exhibits acoustic absorption superior to most acoustical foam, yet is extremly thermally conductive Printed with Permision of GTRI Permision needed from GTRI to re-print this figure	EMI Shielding The graphite foam reflects incedent electromagnetic energy extremely well (i.e. it is a great EMI shield)
Water Pressure Drop (psi vs. water velocity)	Water Pressure Drop (psi vs. air velocity)

Select from one of the following files for more information:

Basic Science Papers

• Overview of Graphite Foam (from the basics to applications)
• The Role of Structure on the Thermal Properties of Graphitic Foams
• Effects of Heat Treatment Conditions on the Thermal Properties of Mesophase Derived Graphitic Foams
• Carbon Foams for Thermal Management
• Graphite Foam Thermosyphon Evaporator Performance Optimization: Effects of Working Fluid, Liquid Level, and Chamber Pressure
• PARAMETRIC INVESTIGATION OF A GRAPHITE FOAM EVAPORATOR IN A THERMOSYPHON WITH FLUORINERT™ AND A SILICON CMOS CHIP
• Modeling Convective Heat Transfer with Graphite Foams 

Application Papers

• Graphite Foam One Pagers of Applications
• High Thermal Conductivity Foams One Pager
• Material Property Data
• Two pages with lists of important data of graphite foams developed by ORNL and licensed for the manufacture by Poco Graphite, Inc.

• Cooling of Electronics with Water, Air, and Evaporative Cooling
• Thermal Performance of a Graphite Foam Material with Water Flow for Cooling Power Electronics

by Richard W. Garman, Ryan J. Elwell, Anteon Corporation, Machinery Systems Department, Annapolis, MD 21402

• High Thermal Conductivity Graphite Foams(Powerpoint slides of the foam and some applications)
• Fuel Cell Applications
• Radiators and Heat Exchanger Data
• Graphite Foams and Applications
• Precursor Effects on Graphite Foam
• Oxidation Protection of Graphite Foams

MOVIE OF PERSONAL COOLING FOR HELICOPTER PILOTS
Funded by NAVAIR/ONR

.MPG version .AVI version

Movie of Passive Evaporative Cooling (PEC) device
cooling a Simulated Computer Chip at 100 W/cm²
(die temperature is 69°C)

Short version (~3 MB)

Long Version ~(90 MB)

LICENSEE's

Poco Graphite, Inc. 1601 South State Street Decatur, TX 76234 Telephone: 1-800-433-5547 Fax: 940-393-8435 E-mail: info@poco.com

Koppers Inc. 1005 William Pitt Way Pittsburgh, PA 15238-1362 (412) 826-3955 Fax: (412) 826-3999 E-mail: GolubicTA@koppers.com

Relevant Patents:

• “Process for Making Carbon Foam,” US Serial Number 6,033,506, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
•  “Pitch-based carbon foam heat sink with phase change material,” US Serial Number 6,037,032, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
• “Pitch Based Carbon Foam and Composites,” US Serial Number 6, 261,485, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
• “Pitch Based Foam with Particulate,” US Serial Number 6,287,375, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
• “Method for Extruding Pitch-based Carbon Foam,” US Serial Number 6,344,159, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
• “Pitch Based Carbon Foam and Composites,” US Serial Number 6,387,343, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
• “Method of Casting Pitch-Based Carbon Foam,” US Serial Number 6,398,994, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
• “Pitch-based Carbon Foam Heat Sink with Phase Change Material,” US Serial Number 6,399,149, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
• “Personal Cooling Air Filtering Device,” US Serial Number 6,430,935, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
• “Pitch Based Carbon Foam and Composites,” Oak Ridge National Laboratory, US Serial Number 6,656,443, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
• “Pitch Based Carbon Foam and Composites,” Oak Ridge National Laboratory, US Serial Number 6,663,842, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
• “Pitch Based Carbon Foam and Composites and Uses Thereof,” Oak Ridge National Laboratory, US Serial Number 6,673,328, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
• “Personal, closed-cycle cooling and protective apparatus and thermal battery therefor,” Oak Ridge National Laboratory, US Serial Number 6,763,671, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
• “Pitch-based carbon foam heat sink with phase change material,” Oak Ridge National Laboratory, US Serial Number 6,780,505, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Relevant Publications:

• Nidia Gallego, James Klett, April McMillan, “Effects of Processing Conditions on Properties of Graphite Foams,” Proceedings of The International Conference on Carbon in 2002, 15-20 September 2002, Beijing, China.
• J. Klett, A. D. McMillan, Dave Stinton, “Modeling Geometric Effects on Heat Transfer with Graphite Foam,” The 26th Annual Conference on Ceramic, Metal, and Carbon Composites, Materials, and Structures, Cocoa Beach, Florida, January 2002.
• J. Klett, A. D. McMillan, Lynn B. Klett, “The effect of thermal cycling on prototype graphite foam heat exchangers,” The 26th Annual Conference on Ceramic, Metal, and Carbon Composites, Materials, and Structures, Cocoa Beach, Florida, January 2002.
• James Klett , Nidia Gallego, Tim Burchell, Jeff Bailey, "Irradiation Studies of Graphite Foams and Effects on Properties for Use in a Solid State Self-regulating Nuclear Heat Source for Small Modular Power Units ," Proceedings of the 2nd World Conference on Carbon, July 13-18, Lexington, Kentucky, USA (2001).
• James Klett, Rick Lowden, April McMillan, " Oxidation Protection of Graphite Foams ," Proceedings of the 2nd World Conference on Carbon, July 13-18, Lexington, Kentucky, USA (2001).
• James Klett, C. C. Tee, Dave Stinton, N. A. Yu, " Heat Exchangers based on High Thermal Conductivity Graphite Foam ," Proceedings of the 1st World Conference on Carbon, July 9-15, Berlin, Germany, (2000) p. 244.
• James Klett, April McMillan, Ron Ott "Heat Exchangers for Heavy Vehicles Utilizing High Thermal Conductivity Graphite Foams,” Proceedings of the Society of Automotive Engineering Government/Industry Meeting, June 19-21, 2000, Renaissance Hotel, Washington, D.C., USA.
• James Klett, Lynn Klett, Tim Burchell, Claudia Walls, "Graphitic Foam Thermal Management Materials for Electronic Packaging , Proceedings of the Society of Automotive Engineering Future Car Congress, Crystal City, Washington, DC, April 2-6, 2000.
• James Klett, Bret Conway, " Thermal Management Solutions Utilizing High Thermal Conductivity Graphite Foams," Proceedings of the 45th International SAMPE Symposium and Exhibition, Long Beach, CA, May 21-25, 2000.
• J. Klett*, L. Klett, J. Strizak, M. Williams, A. McMillian, Juan Valencia, Tom Creeden, “High Thermal Conductivity Graphite Foam Reinforced Polymer Composites ,” The 24th Annual Conference on Ceramic, Metal, and Carbon Composites, Materials, and Structures, Cocoa Beach, Florida, January 2000.
• James Klett, Rommie Hardy, Ernie Romine, Claudia Walls , Tim Burchell, “High-Thermal-Conductivity, Mesophase-Pitch-Derived Carbon Foams:  Effect of Precursor on Structure and Properties ,” Carbon, 38(7), pp. 953-973 (2000).
• James Klett, “ High Thermal Conductivity Mesophase Pitch-Derived Graphitic Foams ,” Composites in Manufacturing, Vol 14, no. 4, 1999.
• James Klett, Claudia Walls , Tim Burchell, " High Thermal Conductivity Mesophase Pitch-Derived Carbon Foams:  Effect of Precursor on Structure and Properties, " Proceedings of the 24th Bienial Conference on Carbon, July 11-16, Charleston, SC, (1999) p. 132.
• Lynn Klett and James Klett, " Foam Core Sandwich Panels Made From High Thermal Conductivity Mesophase Pitch-based Carbon Foam, " Proceedings of the 24th Bienial Conference on Carbon, July 11-16, Charleston, SC, (1999) p. 310.
• C.C. Tee, J. W. Klett, D. P. Stinton, and N. Yu, " Thermal Conductivity of Porous Carbon Foam ," Proceedings of the 24th Bienial Conference on Carbon, July 11-16, Charleston, SC, (1999) p. 130.
• Z. Gou, K. H. Wu, and J. Klett, " Forced Convection in a Channel Filled with High Thermal Conductivity Carbon Foams ," 6th International Conference on Composites Engineering, Orlando, FL, July 1998.
• Klett, James, High Thermal Conductivity, Pitch-based Carbon Foam ,Proceedings of the 43rd International SAMPE Symposium, May 31-June 4, Anaheim, California, SAMPE, 1998.
• J. W. Klett and T. D. Burchell, High Thermal Conductivity, Mesophase Pitch-Derived Carbon Foam , Eurocarbon 98: Science and Technology of Carbon, Published French Carbon Group, Strasbourg, France, July 5-9, 1998.
• Klett, J. W. and T. D. Burchell, Low Cost Slurry Molded Carbon-Carbon Composites and Their Applications , 4th International Conference on Composites Engineering, Kona, HI, July 6-12, 1997.
• Klett, J. W. and T. D. Burchell, High Thermal Conductivity Slurry Molded Carbon-Carbon Composites, Proceedings of the 23nd Biennial Conference on Carbon, Pergamon Press, Penn State University, College Park, PA, July 13-18, 1997.

See the web site on this program for DOE Office of Transportation Technologies