scholarly journals Potential Phase Change Materials in Building Wall Construction—A Review

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (18) ◽  
pp. 5328
Author(s):  
Abdulaziz Kurdi ◽  
Nasser Almoatham ◽  
Mark Mirza ◽  
Thomas Ballweg ◽  
Bandar Alkahlan
Keyword(s):  
Phase Change ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
Direct Application ◽  
Thermal Mass ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Concrete Admixtures ◽  
Building Wall ◽  
Wall Construction ◽  
Building Operation

Phase change materials (PCMs) are an effective thermal mass and their integration into the structure of a building can reduce the ongoing costs of building operation, such as daily heating/cooling. PCMs as a thermal mass can absorb and retard heat loss to the building interior, maintaining comfort in the building. Although a large number of PCMs have been reported in the literature, only a handful of them, with their respective advantages and disadvantages, are suitable for building wall construction. Based on the information available in the literature, a critical evaluation of PCMs was performed in this paper, focusing on two aspects: (i) PCMs for building wall applications and (ii) the inclusion of PCMs in building wall applications. Four different PCMs, namely paraffin wax, fatty acids, hydrated salts, and butyl stearate, were identified as being the most suitable for building wall applications and these are explained in detail in terms of their physical and thermal properties. Although there are several PCM encapsulation techniques, the direct application of PCM in concrete admixtures is the most economical method to keep costs within manageable limits. However, care should be taken to ensure that PCM does not leak or drip from the building wall.

scholarly journals Retrofitting Building Envelope Using Phase Change Materials and Aerogel Render for Adaptation to Extreme Heatwave: A Multi-Objective Analysis Considering Heat Stress, Energy, Environment, and Cost

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 10716
Author(s):  
Dileep Kumar ◽  
Morshed Alam ◽  
Jay G. Sanjayan
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Phase Change ◽  
Energy Saving ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
Outer Side ◽  
Thermal Mass ◽  
Existing Building ◽  
Stress Energy ◽  
Building Wall

Energy retrofitting the existing building stock is crucial to reduce thermal discomfort, energy consumption, and carbon emissions. However, insulating and enhancing the thermal mass of an existing building wall using traditional methods is a very challenging and expensive task. There is a need to develop a material that can be applied easily in an existing occupied building without much interruption to occupants’ daily life while also having high thermal resistance and heat storage capacity. This study aimed to investigate a potential building wall retrofit strategy combining aerogel render and Phase change materials (PCM) because aerogel render is highly resistive to heat and PCM has high thermal mass. While a number of studies investigated the thermal and energy-saving performances of aerogel render and PCM separately, no study has been done on the thermal and energy-saving performance of the combination of PCM and aerogel render. In this study, the performance of 12 different retrofit strategies, including aerogel and PCM, were evaluated numerically in terms of heat stress, energy savings, peak cooling, emission, and lifecycle cost using a typical single-story Australian house. The results showed that applying aerogel render and PCM on the outer side of the external walls and PCM and insulation in ceilings is the best option considering all performance indicators and ease of application. Compared to the baseline, this strategy reduced severe discomfort hours by 82% in a free-running building. In an air-conditioned building, it also decreased energy use, peak cooling demand, CO2 emission, and operational energy cost by 40%, 65%, 64%, and 35%, respectively. Although the lifecycle cost savings for this strategy were lower than the “insulated ceiling and rendered wall without PCM” case, the former one was considered the best option for its superior energy, emission, and comfort performance. Parametric analysis showed that 0.025 m is the optimum thickness for both PCM and aerogel render, and the 25 °C melting point PCM was optimum to achieve the best results amongst all performance indicators for a typical Australian house in Melbourne climate.

scholarly journals Thermo-physical characteristics of building integrated phase change materials (PCM) and their applicability to energy efficient homes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar Siddiqui
Keyword(s):  
Compressive Strength ◽  
Phase Change ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Physical Characteristics ◽  
Comfort Level ◽  
Thermal Mass ◽  
Lower Phase ◽  
Physical Test ◽  
The Impact

The applicability of utilizing a variety of thermal mass including phase change materials with commonly used building materials is investigated through the use of simulations and physical testing. The thermal performance and occupant comfort potential of a novel solid-solid phase change material, known as Dal HSM, is compared and contrasted to commonly available forms of thermal mass. Detailed experimentation is conducted to successfully integrate Dal HSM with gypsum and concrete. The measurement of physical characteristics such as compressive strength and modulus of rupture is conducted to ensure that the PCM-composite compound retains the structural integrity to be utilized in a typical building. The use of thermal mass in the Toronto Net Zero house was found to contribute to energy savings of 10-15% when different types of thermal mass were used. The comfort level of the indoor occupants was also found to increase. The performance of Dal HSM was found to be comparable to a commercially available PCM known as Micronal in the heating mode. The cooling mode revealed that Dal HSM provided slightly lower energy savings when compared to Micronal due to a lower phase transition temperature and latent heat. The performance of physical test revealed a decrease in the compressive strength as the concentration of Dal HSM was increased in the PCM-gypsum specimens. Tests were also performed to analyze the impact of increasing the PCM concentration on the flexural strength of PCM-gypsum composite.

scholarly journals Incorporation of Phase Change Materials in Lightweight Aggregate Concrete

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Phase Change ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
Thermal Response ◽  
Lightweight Aggregate ◽  
Hydration Heat ◽  
Lightweight Aggregate Concrete ◽  
Thermal Mass ◽  
Hardened Concrete ◽  
Bioclimatic Design ◽  
Pumice Aggregates

An investigation on some methods for the incorporation of phase change materials (PCMs) into concrete and their effect on its properties is presented. PCMs are characterized by high latent fusion heat, which can increase thermal mass of concrete and contribute to the bioclimatic design of buildings. Concrete compositions with different aggregates (limestone, lightweight or their combination), as well as with different PCMs (paraffinic and dodecyl alcohol) were prepared by different incorporation methods (impregnation to lightweight aggregates or immersion of concrete specimens). Properties of fresh and hardened concrete were studied, as well as hydration heat, thermal response and flammability. The results revealed that the selected PCMs do not significantly affect the properties of concrete. Regarding hydration heat, the presence of the PCM in concrete contributes to a decrease of the temperature peak during hydration which also occurs delayed. Thermal response measurements showed that concrete with purely pumice aggregates has a much better thermal behavior than the other two compositions, while the existence of PCM causes large or small increase of concretes heat capacity, in temperature near to each PCM’s melting point. Finally, appropriate application of PCMs is needed in order to moderate the reported effect on concrete’s fire resistance

Application of Phase Change Materials for Building Energy Efficiency

2012 ◽  
Vol 174-177 ◽  
pp. 912-915
Author(s):  
Quan Ying Yan ◽  
Li Li Jin
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Phase Change ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Building Energy Efficiency ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages

This paper reviews the application and development of phase change materials in wall, floor, concrete, points out its advantages and disadvantages, provides reference for phase change materials applied in practice.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the energy efficiency of an internal blind containing PCM

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 ◽  
pp. 00074 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michał Musiał
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Phase Change ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
Test Chamber ◽  
Field Tests ◽  
Entire Solution ◽  
Thermal Capacity ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Window Blinds

This article presents the possibilities of using phase change materials for the modernization of transparent partitions and elements functioning with them. The author draws attention to the possibility of reducing the energy costs of the building, by increasing the thermal capacity of the internal window blinds. The article draws attention to many factors related both to the properties of PCMs themselves, the place of application and climatic conditions that may affect the effectiveness of the entire solution. To assess the energy efficiency of the abovementioned shutter, field tests were carried out in an isothermal test chamber. The article presents the results of the conducted research, showing the advantages and disadvantages of the considered solution. A large number of scientific papers, in which the possibilities of using phase change materials for the modernization of transparent partitions are presented, apply only to the modernization of glazing. In this context, this work presents a different approach to the issues of using phase change materials in construction.

scholarly journals A NUMERICAL SOLUTION THAT DETERMINES THE TEMPERATURE FIELD INSIDE PHASE CHANGE MATERIALS: APPLICATION IN BUILDINGS

2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 518-528 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppina Ciulla ◽  
Valerio Lo Brano ◽  
Antonio Messineo ◽  
Giorgia Peri
Keyword(s):  
Phase Change ◽  
Numerical Solution ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Transfer Problem ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
Wall Layer ◽  
Storage Device ◽  
Thermal Mass

The use of novel building materials that contain active thermal components would be a major advancement in achieving significant heating and cooling energy savings. In the last 40 years, Phase Change Materials or PCMs have been tested as thermal mass components in buildings, and most studies have found that PCMs enhance the building energy performance. The use of PCMs as an energy storage device is due to their relatively high fusion latent heat; during the melting and/or solidification phase, a PCM is capable of storing or releasing a large amount of energy. PCMs in a wall layer store solar energy during the warmer hours of the day and release it during the night, thereby decreasing and shifting forward in time the peak wall temperature. In this paper, an algorithm is presented based on the general Fourier differential equations that solve the heat transfer problem in multi-layer wall structures, such as sandwich panels, that includes a layer that can change phase. In detail, the equations are proposed and transformed into formulas useful in the FDM approach (finite difference method), which solves the system simultaneously for the temperature at each node. The equation set proposed is accurate, fast and easy to integrate into most building simulation tools in any programming language. The numerical solution was validated using a comparison with the Voller and Cross analytical test problem.

scholarly journals Active thermal mass enhancement using phase change materials

2016 ◽  
Vol 111 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.R. Whiffen ◽  
G. Russell-Smith ◽  
S.B. Riffat
Keyword(s):  
Phase Change ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
Thermal Mass ◽  
Mass Enhancement

scholarly journals Numerical Simulation of a Novel Dual Layered Phase Change Material Brick Wall for Human Comfort in Hot and Cold Climatic Conditions

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (13) ◽  
pp. 4032
Author(s):  
Atiq Ur Rehman ◽  
Shakil R. Sheikh ◽  
Zareena Kausar ◽  
Sarah J. McCormack
Keyword(s):  
Phase Change ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
Thermal Characteristics ◽  
Extended Period ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Heat Of Fusion ◽  
Thermal Mass ◽  
Brick Wall ◽  
Latent Heat Storage ◽  
Human Comfort

Phase change materials (PCMs) have a large number of applications for thermal energy storage (TES) and temperature reduction in buildings due to their thermal characteristics and latent heat storage capabilities. The thermal mass of typical brick walls can be substantially increased using a suitable PCM primarily based on phase change temperature and heat of fusion for different weather conditions in summer and winter. This study proposed a novel dual-layer PCM configuration for brick walls to maintain human comfort for hot and cold climatic conditions in Islamabad, Pakistan. Numerical simulations were performed using Ansys Fluent for dual PCMs layered within a brick wall for June and January with melting temperatures of 29 °C and 13 °C. This study examined and discussed the charging and discharging cycles of PCMs over an extended period (one month) to establish whether the efficacy of PCMs is hindered due to difficulties in discharging. The results show that the combined use of both PCMs stated above provides better human comfort with reduced energy requirements in Islamabad throughout the year than using a single PCM (29 °C) for summer or winter (13 °C) alone.

scholarly journals Thermo-physical characteristics of building integrated phase change materials (PCM) and their applicability to energy efficient homes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar Siddiqui
Keyword(s):  
Compressive Strength ◽  
Phase Change ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Physical Characteristics ◽  
Comfort Level ◽  
Thermal Mass ◽  
Lower Phase ◽  
Physical Test ◽  
The Impact

The applicability of utilizing a variety of thermal mass including phase change materials with commonly used building materials is investigated through the use of simulations and physical testing. The thermal performance and occupant comfort potential of a novel solid-solid phase change material, known as Dal HSM, is compared and contrasted to commonly available forms of thermal mass. Detailed experimentation is conducted to successfully integrate Dal HSM with gypsum and concrete. The measurement of physical characteristics such as compressive strength and modulus of rupture is conducted to ensure that the PCM-composite compound retains the structural integrity to be utilized in a typical building. The use of thermal mass in the Toronto Net Zero house was found to contribute to energy savings of 10-15% when different types of thermal mass were used. The comfort level of the indoor occupants was also found to increase. The performance of Dal HSM was found to be comparable to a commercially available PCM known as Micronal in the heating mode. The cooling mode revealed that Dal HSM provided slightly lower energy savings when compared to Micronal due to a lower phase transition temperature and latent heat. The performance of physical test revealed a decrease in the compressive strength as the concentration of Dal HSM was increased in the PCM-gypsum specimens. Tests were also performed to analyze the impact of increasing the PCM concentration on the flexural strength of PCM-gypsum composite.

Latent Heat Storage Plaster: Lab-Scale Experiment and Simulation

2014 ◽  
Vol 1077 ◽  
pp. 124-128
Author(s):  
Milan Ostrý ◽  
Pavel Charvát ◽  
Tomáš Klubal ◽  
Lubomír Klimeš
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Phase Change ◽  
Latent Heat ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
Heat Storage ◽  
High Heat ◽  
Latent Heat Storage ◽  
Heating And Cooling ◽  
Scale Experiment ◽  
Building Operation

Energy storage can even out mismatches between the demand and supply of energy, thereby improving the system performance and reducing the cost of building operation. The energy storage is a key issue in the wider use of renewable energy. The experiments carried out at Brno University of Technology focus on the latent heat storage techniques for application in radiant heating and cooling of residential and office buildings. The latent heat storage techniques utilize Phase Change Materials (PCMs) as a heat storage medium and thus allow for the reduction of the amount of heat storage material due to the high heat storage density per volume or weight. In the past, much attention was paid to encapsulation of PCMs. The PCMs undergo phase change from solid to liquid and vice versa during a heat storage cycle and there is a risk of leakage of the PCMs to the building material or indoor environment. The microencapsulated organic PCMs in a mixture with gypsum plaster were used in the investigations described in this paper. The investigations involved both lab-scale experiments and numerical simulations.

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