Review on PCM Application for Cooling Load Reduction in Indian Buildings

With increasing energy consumption in buildings, energy efficiency measures are matter of prime concern. A huge portion of energy consumed in buildings is used for regulating the thermal comfort. A solution to this is to incorporate phase change material (PCM) within the building elements which increases their overall thermal capacity. In the present study, the temperature of inner room surface, with and without PCM incorporation, is calculated for composite climate of Delhi. The analysis of PCM sandwiched walls has been performed. The performance analysis of five PCMs, having different melting temperatures, is carried out with nodal temperatures as the output. The results show that a phase change temperature range of 34–38 °C is suitable for peak summer conditions of Delhi. It is also observed that due to the low thermal conductivity of PCMs, they act as both storage medium and insulation, thus reducing temperature fluctuation during summer/winter. Based on the simulation, three PCMs were found suitable and hence were experimentally tested for their characteristic charging and discharging properties and performance, using differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). Based on the characterization results, it is concluded that two commercially available PCMs (Eicosane and OM35) are suitable for Delhi. All the other PCMs have also been simulated for different climatic conditions in India and their impact on heat gain has been assessed.

Outline of the incorporation of phase change materials in radiant systems

Nowadays, the construction is one of the main European sectors responsible for the high levels of energy consumption and raw material extraction. Increasingly, the energy consumption from renewable sources and industrial waste reuse are the only ways to minimize these environmental and societal problems. Simultaneous incorporation of phase change materials and fly ash in the mortars increases the energy efficiency and decreases the waste materials landfilled. The development of mortars with phase change materials and fly ash incorporation contributes to a significant improvement of the building comfort parameters and the environmental quality. The phase change materials possess the capability to normalize the temperature flux inside the buildings, using the solar energy as resource. The main purposes of this study were the physical, mechanical, and thermal characterization of mortars with phase change materials and fly ash incorporation. It was concluded that the phase change materials and fly ash simultaneous incorporation leads to homogeneous and suitable mortars with increased thermal behavior compared with the phase change material addition alone.

The energy demand for maintaining the required thermal comfort in the building is always an increasing trend. The use of an air conditioner in the building for providing thermal comfort consumes more energy, and it leads to negative environmental impacts. Thermal energy storage (TES) systems are essential to reduce energy consumption in the building. The phase change material (PCM)-based TES in the building has attracted attention in the recent years. In the PCM-based TES system, the heat energy gained during daytime is absorbed by the PCM and the stored energy is released during the night time. The objective of the work is to control the room temperature fluctuations by incorporating PCM in the building roof. The experiments are conducted in two identical model buildings: one is constructed with the implementation of PCM, and another one is constructed without the implementation of PCM in the building roof. It has been observed that the temperature fluctuations in the building are reduced by the use of PCM in the roof. The average peak temperature rise is reduced about 1–2 °C in the building with PCM incorporation in the roof, and thus, the energy required for maintaining the thermal comfort of the room is greatly reduced.

Effect of melting point on thermodynamics of thin PCM reinforced residential frame walls in different climate zones

A novel method to evaluate phase change materials' impact on buildings' energy, economic, and environmental performance via controlled natural ventilation

Advancements in phase change materials for energy-efficient building construction: A comprehensive review

Innovation and progress in the incorporation of phase change materials into radiant floor systems

For the design of sustainable buildings, it is crucial with accurate methods to evaluate how alternative constructions will influence thermal comfort, as well as energy efficiency. This study introduces a model to investigate how the use of phase change materials (PCM)in building envelopes can influence the temperature stratification, which also influences the indoor thermal comfort. PCM is characterized by large latent heat in the melting/solidifying process during phase transition. Applications with PCM have been recognized as possible alternatives in building envelopes to improve thermal comfort as well as energy efficiency. The selection of the properties of the PCM, as well as how and where the PCM was installed in the building envelope, are crucial factors to be considered before application in practice. In this study, a simplified experimental set-up including a hot-box was used. The PCM material Climsel28 with different layers thicknesses was installed in the sidewall of a hot-box. Extruded polystyrene (XPS) foam boards were used as wall insulation material in the study. XPS was installed as a reference case and in different layer combinations with the PCM. The sequence of the XPS and PCM was varied. Temperature and heat flux were measured in different positions of the hot-box and on the tested walls. A 3D COMSOL model was developed to study the thermal performance of the system. The model was validated in the study using the collected experimental data. The results indicated that the developed COMSOL model can reasonably predict the performance of the system, both with and without the incorporation of PCM. Additionally, the measured temperature stratification were theoretically validated by the COMSOL model. The study gives indicative guidance of how PCMs can be installed in building constructions elements to reduce temperature peak loads and thus also contributing to an improvement of the indoor thermal comfort.

Study on foam concrete incorporated with expanded vermiculite/capric acid PCM – A novel thermal storage high-performance building material

Effect of temperature on mortars with incorporation of phase change materials

Improving performance of household refrigerators by incorporating phase change materials

Selection of a suitable phase change material (PCM) for thermal energy storage systems is important. There are an enormous number of available PCM and hence choosing a particular PCM for a certain application is difficult. Many researchers rely on their expertise or the material available to use PCM for a specific application. The purpose of the selection of a certain PCM is to choose the best material from the commercially available PCM for a given application. An effective evaluation approach is essential to enhance the quality of the decisions. The issue of choosing a material for different applications can be managed as a multi-criteria decision-making issue. In this paper, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method is used to select between five PCM for solar heating systems considering both the technical specification and the criteria of the materials. The selected materials have a melting temperature in the required working temperature range. Seven criteria are used in this study and these include the latent heat of fusion, thermal conductivity of the material, specific heat, density, thermal stability, cost, and corrosion. The results show that the paraffin is the best material from the selected PCM using the AHP method for this solar heating system using all known thermo-physical properties and the weights of these criteria to achieve the objective.

Experimental and numerical analysis of the thermal performance of polyurethane foams panels incorporating phase change material

Thermal performance of a PCM firefighting suit considering transient periods of fire exposure, post – fire exposure and resting phases