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Abstract
Solar thermal energy can be effectively stored in walls of a building by incorporating Phase Change Materials (PCMs) within them. Plasterboards containing PCM can be used to absorb and store solar heat gains during daytime and release stored heat during nighttime. A wall fitted with plasterboards containing PCM is usually called a PCM wall. In this study, south façade of a test room was constructed using PCM walls covered with novel triple glass for heating the test room by means of solar thermal energy. Solar heat gains and environmental impact of the PCM wall were evaluated. The PCM wall reduced CO2 emission from the test room. The reduction in CO2 on a monthly basis varied in the range of 70% to 4% from October to March, and was 14% on an annual basis.
... Besides, PCM optimum temperature has a high impact on energy savings, a small difference from the finest temperatures for each climate leads to a decrease in energy saving by 5 to 10 %. Subieh M 2017 [73] PCM was tested in a room with PCM walls. This experiment aims to define the energy improvement and environmental effects that PCM would offer. ...
Phase-change materials have become a vital solution for saving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from buildings. However, the production processes of phase-change materials affect their cost, impact societies, and may result in harmful emissions to the environment. In this study, we perform a review on the sustainability of phase-change materials considering performance, economic, environmental, and social aspects. While there is an extensive literature on the performance and efficiency of phase-change materials, there is limited consideration of social fairness and the environmental impact. So, we analyze the lifecycles of four different phase-change materials: a salt hydrate, a hydrocarbon, and two types of biobased materials. Our results show that hydrocarbon phase-change materials have the highest purchasing cost, the highest effect on the environment, and their production is associated with social risks related to safety and health. On the other hand, biobased (plant-based) materials are affordable, safe, provide new market opportunities for crops, and have minimal environmental harm if biofertilizers are used. The use of manurial fertilizers do not give biobased phase-change materials an advantage over other types. We also note that social fairness in production should be respected for sustainable phase-change materials solutions.
... Many methods have been investigated for the utilization of PCM in the buildings, such as wallboards containing PCMs (Alvarode et al 2015;Murat et al 2016;Murat et al 2017;Chengqiang et al 2017). PCMs could be filled into sandwich wall, concrete walls, concrete block and concrete floors (Yusuf 2016;Subbiah 2017;Chenglong et al 2017;Lidia et al 2014;Ahmad et al 2016;Jianli et al 2009;Entrop et al 2011;Xing et al 2011;Hyun et al 2017;Esam 2008). PCMs also implied as insulation permeating into the building and furniture (Xiangfei et al 2013;Xu et al 2016;Karunesh et al 2017;Lu et al 2017;Hicham et al 2016). ...
Phase change materials (PCMs) are regarded as a possible solution for reducing the energy consumption required for space heating by storing the heat daytime and releasing it at night. Glauber's salt (Na 2 SO 4 .10H 2 O) is one of the inorganic phase change materials. It possesses some desired properties over other PCMs such as low melting point, high thermal capacity and high thermal conductivity. The present study assists in evaluation of Glauber's salt as a PCM for heating required in residential buildings. The PCM was integrating with a glazed roof of a rig model to absorb the heat comes from sun during daytime and releasing it to the inside at night. Building considerations and thermo-physical properties of PCMs have been taken into account, while the ambient conditions and indoor conditions have measured experimentally. Results obtained showed that the indoor temperature could increase by 2-4 o C in the winter compared to that measured in a traditional one. Furthermore, a simulation program depended on degree-days method explained that the energy consumption could be saved up to 45 % even that salt hydrates have some problems related to super-cooling effects, phase segregation and incongruent melting.
... It is found that PCMs could absorb more than 86% of the exposed heat flux during daytime [2]. Many methods have been researched for the PCM applied to the buildings, such as wallboards containing PCMs [3][4][5][6], PCMs filled into sandwich wall, concrete walls, concrete block and concrete floors [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16], PCMs as insulating permeating into the building brick and furniture [17][18][19][20][21]. Almost 80% of the studies have focused on the applications of PCMs in the walls as a development of encapsulation technology [22]. The recent study focuses on the integration of PCM in the roof of the building because the roof is the main source of thermal loss in the building envelope. ...
The sector of air-conditioning in the residential building consumes more than 60 % of the total electricity supplied for heating or cooling. Thus it has a major impact on the greenhouse gases and climate. Phase change materials (PCMs) are regarded as a possible solution for reducing the energy consumption of buildings by storing the heat and releasing it in certain times. The present study assists for the utilization of PCMs in the roof of residential building to absorb the heat comes from solar radiation during the daytime and releasing it to the inside nightly. Building considerations as well as thermo-physical properties of PCMs have been taken and measured experimentally. Results have shown that these materials have a good potential for reducing energy demand and satisfy comfortable thermal conditions. The obtained readings, from a rig model built for that purpose, showed that the indoor temperature could increase by 4-8 oC in the winter compared to that measured in a traditional one. Furthermore, a simulation program depended on degree-days method explained that the energy consumption could be saved up to 80%. Thus PCMs could submit encouraging suggestions toward the sustainability.
... Researches have shown that choosing the PCM melting temperature in different climate conditions is a key factor to improve the energy performance in buildings. Many methods have been researched for the PCM applied to the buildings, such as wallboards containing PCMs [3][4][5][6], PCMs filled into sandwich wall, concrete walls, concrete block and concrete floors [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16], PCMs as insulating permeating into the building brick and furniture [17][18][19][20][21]. The roof is the main source of thermal loss in the building envelope. ...
The majority of electric energy that supplied to a residential house is consumed by air-conditioning during both summer and winter. Thus it has a major impact on the greenhouse gases and climate. Thermal energy storage systems using phase change materials (PCMs) in building elements has become a reliable solution for energy saving. The present study assists for the utilization of PCMs in the roof of residential buildings to absorb the heat comes from solar radiation during the daytime and releasing it to the inside nightly. The building considerations as well as thermo-physical properties of PCMs have been taken and measured experimentally. Results have shown that these materials have a good potential for reducing energy demand and satisfy comfortable thermal conditions. The experimental data show that the indoor temperature increases by 4-7 oC in the winter compared to that measured in a traditional one. Furthermore, a simulation program depended on degree-days method explained that the energy consumption could be saved up to 70%. Thus PCMs could submit encouraging suggestions toward the sustainability.
In the study, actual solar radiation measurements were used to determine the solar heat gains that affect the daily heating and cooling requirements. The study investigated the advantages of the PureTerm 23 PCM in indoor temperature control using data from the 2021-2022 solar radiation records. The results show that the PCM is inefficient in meeting the heating demands in January and February. In March, it was found that the PCM can save energy by meeting 16% of the daily heating demand. In April, a 57% reduction in heating demand is achieved with PCM and in May it can provide full heating and cooling with solar gains. With the use of PCM, the cooling requirement can be reduced by 69%, 56% and 59% in June, July and August, respectively. In September, it is calculated that heating and cooling needs can be eliminated by storing solar energy gains. In October and November, the heating demand can be reduced by 49% and 3% respectively, while in December there is not enough solar gain for PCM storage. PureTerm 23 PCM shows significant potential for seasonal energy storage supporting sustainable energy management for indoor temperature control.
With the growing rate of energy, depletion of natural resources, and the impact issues of conventional energy sources on the global climate changes, there is a growing demand for heat recovery that saves over 90% of the lost energy in terms of saving wasted energy. Throughout the research, it is noticed that hybrid heat recovery systems, which means employing more than one heat recovery system into one single system, are showing great potential in many applications, where the recovery systems exceed 28% and the coefficient of performance reaches 2.2 times the conventional system. At this point, the current study presents a comprehensive review of hybrid heat recovery systems and gives a rich and useful summary of previous works. The main aim here is to (1) classify energy recovery systems into specific methods, (2) provide an overview of hybrid energy recovery systems, (3) demonstrate a detailed description of each method, (4) point out their applications, (5) present innovative systems, and (6) show the pros and cons of each system alone and each system combined into a hybrid heat recovery system. Finally, this review shows that hybrid heat recovery is a promising solution, especially when combined with thermoelectric generators (TEG), where 60% of the studies involve TEG in a hybrid heat recovery system. Moreover, this review answers the main question which is: does the rise in the percent of heat recovery in a hybrid heat recovery system is worthy of employing a complement or new heat recovery system, or may it cost more than it recovers?
The high thermal storage capacity of phase change material (PCM) can reduce energy consumption in buildings through energy storage and release when combined with renewable energy sources, night cooling, etc. PCM boards can be used to absorb heat gains during daytime and release heat at night. In this paper, the thermal performance of an environmental chamber fitted with phase change material boards has been investigated. During a full-cycle experiment, i.e. charging–releasing cycle, the PCM boards on a wall can reduce the interior wall surface temperature during the charging process, whereas the PCM wall surface temperature is higher than that of the other walls during the heat releasing process. It is found that the heat flux density of the PCM wall in the melting zone is almost twice as large as that of ordinary wall. Also, the heat-insulation performance of a PCM wall is better than that of an ordinary wall during the charging process, while during the heat discharging process, the PCM wall releases more heat energy. The convective heat transfer coefficient of PCM wall surface calculated using equations for a normal wall material produces an underestimation of this coefficient. The high convective heat transfer coefficient for a PCM wall is due to the increased energy exchange between the wall and indoor air.
In order to really assess the potential of Phase Change Material (PCM) wallboards, a renovated office building has been monitored during approximatively one year. A room was equipped with PCM wallboards in the lateral walls and in the ceiling. Another room, identical to the first one, was not equipped but also monitored. This study is the first one dealing with the results obtained in real use conditions. Some relevant results of this monitoring are presented in order to understand the physical phenomena involved in the walls storage process. The results show that the PCM wallboards enhance the thermal comfort of occupants due to air temperature and radiative effects of the walls.
A Trombe wall that uses a phase change material (PCM) as the heat storage medium is usually called a PCM Trombe wall or PCM wall. A research project was conducted to investigate the performance of coupled novel triple glass (NTG) and PCM wall, which is simply called PCM wall in this paper, as a solar space heater. The south façade of a test room was constructed using PCM walls. Rubitherm® GR35 and GR41 were incorporated into the plaster of the walls as PCM. The ratio of the solar energy gain provided by the PCM walls to the heat load of the test room per month varied from 4% to 70%; daily overall efficiency of the PCM walls varied from 20% to 36%; and solar transmittance of the NTG varied from 0.45 to 0.55 during the heating period. The overall efficiency of the PCM wall including GR35 was higher than that of the PCM wall including GR41.
A PCM wall includes phase change material (PCM) as a heat storage medium. In the current project, the south façade of a test room was constructed using PCM walls that were made of (from inside to outside) insulation, brick, plaster (including PCMs), an air gap and a novel triple glazing unit (TGU). Although the annual behaviour of the PCM walls were investigated in the project, the current paper covers an evaluation of the performance of PCM walls in the summer only. The solar transmittance of the TGU decreased approximately 100% during summer compared to winter. There were no overheating problems observed for the PCM wall during the summer.
A model is developed to analyze the thermal performance of a room applying a new kind of under-floor electric heating system with shape-stabilized phase change material (PCM) plates, which is verified by our experimental data. This system can charge heat by using cheap nighttime electricity and discharge the heat stored at daytime. The thermal performance of the heating system and the effects of various factors on it are analyzed through simulation. The results show that the heating system can be used in various climates if its structure is properly designed. The model and the discussion are helpful to design such kind of under-floor electric heating systems.
The use of phase change materials (PCM) and their possible architectural integration is a path in the search for optimizing energy efficiency in construction. As part of this path, a pavement has been designed which, in combination with the PCM, serves as a passive thermal conditioning system (new patent n°. ES2333092 A1) [1]. The prototype has been tested experimentally and the results proved that it is a viable constructive solution improving the energy performance of sunny locals.Highlights► In this study we designed a tile with phase change materials (PCM). ► We tested experimentally the tile. ► We compared the prototype with other one without PCM. ► The tiles with PCM store energy in the form of sensible and latent heat. ► The PCM regulate surface temperature of tile between 4 °C and 10 °C with regard to tiles without PCM.
Sandwich panels are a good option as building materials, as they offer excellent characteristics in a modular system. The goal of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of using the microencapsulated PCM (Micronal BASF) in sandwich panels to increase their thermal inertia and to reduce the energy demand of the final buildings. In this paper, to manufacture the sandwich panel with microencapsulated PCM three different methods were tested. In case 1, the PCM was added mixing the microencapsulated PCM with one of the components of the polyurethane. In the other two cases, the PCM was added either a step before (case 2) or a step after (case 3) to the addition of the polyurethane to the metal sheets. The results show that in case 1 the effect of PCM was overlapped by a possible increase in thermal conductivity, but an increase of thermal inertia was found in case 3. In case 2, different results were obtained due to the poor distribution of the PCM. Some samples showed the effect of the PCM (higher thermal inertia), and other samples results were similar to the conventional sandwich panel. In both cases (2 and 3), it is required to industrialize the process to improve the results. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.
The thermal performance of a south-facing direct-gain room with shape-stabilized phase change material (SSPCM) plates has been analysed using an enthalpy model. Effects of the following factors on room air temperature are investigated: the thermophysical properties of the SSPCM (melting temperature, heat of fusion and thermal conductivity), inner surface convective heat transfer coefficient, location and thickness of the SSPCM plate, wall structure (external thermal insulation and wallboard material) etc. The results show that: (1) for the present conditions, the optimal melting temperature is about 20 °C and the heat of fusion should not be less than 90 kJ kg−1; (2) it is the inner surface convection, rather than the internal conduction resistance of SSPCM, that limits the latent thermal storage; (3) the effect of PCM plates located at the inner surface of interior wall is superior to that of exterior wall (the south wall); (4) external thermal insulation of the exterior wall obviously influences the operating effect and period of the SSPCM plates and the indoor temperature in winter; (5) the SSPCM plates create a heavyweight response to lightweight constructions with an increase of the minimum room temperature at night by up to 3 °C for the case studied; (6) the SSPCM plates really absorb and store the solar energy during the daytime and discharge it later and improve the indoor thermal comfort degree at nighttime.
This paper put forward a new kind of under-floor electric heating system with shape-stabilized phase change material (PCM) plates. Different from conventional PCM, shape-stabilized PCM can keep the shape unchanged during phase change process. Therefore, the PCM leakage danger can be avoided. This system can charge heat by using cheap nighttime electricity and discharge the heat stored at daytime. In the present work, the thermal physical properties of shape-stabilized PCM developed by us were measured. A prototype room with this system was set up in Beijing to testify its thermal performance and feasibility of this heating mode. The results show that temperature of the PCM plates upper surface can be kept near the phase transition temperature in whole day and a lot of off-peak period electricity can be used for space heating in stead of using peak period electricity, which obviously lowers the electricity tariff.
Shape-stabilized phase change material (PCM) is a kind of novel PCM. It has the following salient features: large apparent specific heat for phase change temperature region, suitable thermal conductivity, keeping shape stabilized in the phase change process and no need for containers. The preparation for such kind material was investigated and its thermophysical properties were measured. Some applications of such material in energy efficient buildings (e.g., in electric under floor space heating system, in wallboard or floor to absorb solar energy to narrow the temperature swing of a day in winter) were studied. Some models of analyzing the thermal performance of the systems were developed, which were validated with the experiments. The following conclusions are obtained: (1) the applications of the novel PCM we put forward are of promising perspectives in some climate regions; (2) by using different paraffin, the melting temperature of shape-stabilized PCM can be adjusted; (3) the heat of fusion of it is in the range of 62–138 kJ kg−1; (4) for PCM floor or wallboard to absorb solar energy to narrow the temperature swing in a day in winter, the suitable melting temperature of PCM should be a little higher than average indoor air temperature of the room without PCM for the period of sunshine; (5) for the electric under-floor space heating system, the optimal melting temperature can be determined by simulation; (6) PCM layer used in the aforementioned application should not be thicker than 2 cm; (7) the models developed by us are helpful for applications of shape-stabilized PCM in buildings.
Performance of a hybrid heating-system, combined with thermal storage using shape-stabilized phase-change material (SSPCM) plates, is investigated numerically. A direct gain passive solar house in Beijing is considered, which includes SSPCM plates as the inner linings of walls and the ceiling. Unsteady simulation is performed using a verified enthalpy model, with a time period covering the winter heating-season. Additional heat supply is employed during load hours at late night and early morning (23:00–07:00 in Beijing) or during the whole day necessary to keep the minimum indoor air temperature above 18 °C. The results indicate the thermal storage effect of SSPCM plates, which improves the indoor thermal comfort level and saves about 47% of normal-and-peak-hour energy use and 12% of total energy consumption in winter in Beijing.
This paper studies a new innovative concrete with phase change materials (PCM) on thermal aspects. The final objective is to develop a product which would achieve important energy savings in buildings. The work here presented is the construction and experimental installation of two real size concrete cubicles to study the effect of the inclusion of a PCM with a melting point of 26 °C. The cubicles were constructed in the locality of Puigverd of Lleida (Spain). The results of this study show the energy storage in the walls by encapsulating PCMs and the comparison with conventional concrete without PCMs leading to an improved thermal inertia as well as lower inner temperatures.
This work presents the results of an experimental set-up to test phase change materials with two typical construction materials (conventional and alveolar brick) for Mediterranean construction in real conditions. Several cubicles were constructed and their thermal performance throughout the time was measured. For each construction material, macroencapsulated PCM is added in one cubicle (RT-27 and SP-25 A8). The cubicles have a domestic heat pump as a cooling system and the energy consumption is registered to determine the energy savings achieved. The free-floating experiments show that the PCM can reduce the peak temperatures up to 1 °C and smooth out the daily fluctuations. Moreover, in summer 2008 the electrical energy consumption was reduced in the PCM cubicles about 15%. These energy savings resulted in a reduction of the CO2 emissions about 1–1.5 kg/year/m2.
Internal combustion engines (2 nd edn)
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John Wiley & Sons.