Experimental testing and numerical modelling of masonry wall solution with PCM incorporation: A passive construction solution

Abstract Presently the essential research trend for sustainable buildings is the use of renewable energy sources and the development of new techniques of energy storage. Phase change materials (PCMs) may store latent heat energy in addition to the typical sensible energy capacity of current building materials, allowing to store significantly more energy during the phase change process (solid to liquid and vice versa). The incorporation of PCMs into building envelope solutions takes advantage of solar energy, contributing to the overall reduction of energy consumption associated to use of the air conditioning systems. This paper presents and discusses research developed in two main components: experimental testing and numerical simulation of a building component with PCM incorporation. The main goal of the experimental testing carried out was to evaluate the effect of the incorporation of PCM macro encapsulated into a typical Portuguese clay brick masonry enclosure wall. It is evaluated the influence of the phase change process of the PCM over the attenuation and time delay of the temperature fluctuations for indoor spaces. The experimental results allowed the calibration and validation of the numerical model, enabling to carry out parametric studies with different PCMs quantity analysing consequent temperature damping and time delay.

[1]  L. Cabeza,et al.  Heat and cold storage with PCM: An up to date introduction into basics and applications , 2008 .

[2]  Liv Haselbach.  The Engineering Guide to LEED--New Construction: Sustainable Construction for Engineers , 2008 .

[3]  Ray Bert.  Book Review: \IThe Engineering Guide to LEED — New Construction: Sustainable Construction for Engineers\N by Liv Haselbach. New York City: McGraw-Hill, 2008 , 2008 .

[4]  Joseph Virgone,et al.  Optimization of a Phase Change Material Wallboard for Building Use , 2008 .

[5]  Arild Gustavsen,et al.  Phase Change Materials for Building Applications: A State-of-the-Art Review , 2010 .

[6]  A. Sharma,et al.  Numerical heat transfer studies of PCMs used in a box-type solar cooker , 2008 .

[7]  A. Sharma,et al.  Review on thermal energy storage with phase change materials and applications , 2009 .

[8]  S. Patankar.  Numerical Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow , 2018, Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering.

[9]  Kamal Abdel Radi Ismail,et al.  Thermally effective windows with moving phase change material curtains , 2001 .

[10]  Pablo Arce Maldonado,et al.  Application of passive thermal energy storage in buildings using PCM and awnings , 2011 .

[11]  Luisa F. Cabeza,et al.  Review on thermal energy storage with phase change: materials, heat transfer analysis and applications , 2003 .

[12]  D. Buddhi,et al.  Effect of thermo physical properties of heat exchanger material on the performance of latent heat storage system using an enthalpy method , 2006 .

[13]  Frank P. Incropera,et al.  Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer , 1981 .

[14]  Marcel Lacroix,et al.  Numerical simulation of a multi-layer latent heat thermal energy storage system , 1998 .

[15]  V. V. Tyagi,et al.  PCM thermal storage in buildings: A state of art , 2007 .

[16]  A. Oliva,et al.  Numerical simulation of a latent heat thermal energy storage system with enhanced heat conduction , 1998 .

[17]  M. Hawlader,et al.  Microencapsulated PCM thermal-energy storage system , 2003 .

[18]  António Samagaio,et al.  Numerical Simulation of a PCM Shutter for Buildings Space Heating During the Winter , 2011 .

[19]  D. Feldman,et al.  Development and application of organic phase change mixtures in thermal storage gypsum wallboard , 1995 .

[20]  Na Zhu,et al.  Dynamic characteristics and energy performance of buildings using phase change materials: A review , 2009 .