Influence of internal thermal mass on the indoor thermal dynamics and integration of phase change materials in furniture for building energy storage: A review

Phase change materials (PCMs) can be used for thermal energy storage and temperature regulation during phase change, and have broad application prospects in energy-efficient use and energy saving. The compatibility between traditional phase change materials and building materials is too bad to combine in building energy conservation. Therefore, the new phase change materials have become a research focus in the field of phase change energy storage in buildings. In the paper, the research progress of phase change materials in recent years and the optimization and application of passive building energy-saving are reviewed.

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Comparison Analysis of Lower Temperature PCM on Phase Change Energy Storage Process at Different Models

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.619.557 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 619 ◽

pp. 557-560

Author(s):

Lin Qiu ◽

Run Ping Niu ◽

Min Yan

Keyword(s):

Energy Storage ◽

Phase Change ◽

Phase Change Materials ◽

Thermal Characteristics ◽

Building Energy ◽

Temperature Phase ◽

Liquid Region ◽

Simulation Studies ◽

Storage Process ◽

Lower Temperature

This article simulation studies the thermal Characteristics of a lower temperature phase change materials (PCMs) using in the building energy storage by two different models. In the process of phase change, liquid phase is used as two ways of heat exchange: pure heat conduction and natural convection, and we exploit CFD software to carry out numerical simulation. To compare and analyze under melt and solidification, the proportion of solid and liquid, the time of phase change, the interface of phase change and motion temperature image of liquid-region.

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Numerical Thermal Characterization and Performance Metrics of Building Envelopes Containing Phase Change Materials for Energy-Efficient Buildings

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su10082657 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 2657 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Mingli Li ◽

Guoqing Gui ◽

Zhibin Lin ◽

Long Jiang ◽

Hong Pan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Energy Efficiency ◽

Energy Storage ◽

Phase Change ◽

Phase Change Materials ◽

Performance Metrics ◽

Financial Burden ◽

Building Energy ◽

Design Parameters ◽

Building Energy Efficiency ◽

Building Envelopes

Residential and commercial buildings consume nearly 40 percent of total USA energy use and account for one-third of total greenhouse gas emissions. The challenges are how to effectively promote energy efficiency in buildings to respond to the high financial burden of energy consumption, while reducing pollution. Phase change materials (PCMs) have been used as passive energy storage for building systems. Along this vein, this study aims to numerically elucidate the design parameters of building envelopes strengthened by PCM layers, and unveil their impacts on building energy efficiency. Critical design variables, such as the thickness of the PCM layer, the latent heat of PCMs, or melting temperature of PCMs were selected for a parametric study, while performance metrics were used to assess building efficiency. Results revealed that PCM-enabled building walls exhibited different levels of improvement, in terms of reduction of peak temperature and temperature swings. Among the variables, the selection of the proper melting point for a PCM was identified as the most crucial parameter for determining building energy efficiency, while the heat of fusion was also observed as a critical property of PCM for building potential. Findings also demonstrated that the placement of the PCM near the interior wall surface could achieve higher efficiency, as compared to other cases. Results also showed that the thermal conductivity of PCM has a minimum contribution to energy storage capacity.

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A Review on Shape-Stabilized Phase Change Materials for Latent Energy Storage in Buildings

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12229481 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (22) ◽

pp. 9481

Author(s):

Monika Gandhi ◽

Ashok Kumar ◽

Rajasekar Elangovan ◽

Chandan Swaroop Meena ◽

Kishor S. Kulkarni ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thermal Conductivity ◽

Energy Storage ◽

Phase Change ◽

Liquid State ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Phase Change Materials ◽

Temperature Fluctuations ◽

Good Evidence ◽

Thermal Mass ◽

Indoor Temperature

Many countries in the Global South have hot and dry climates with large diurnal temperature variations, which leads to large demand for space cooling—which is likely to increase with climate change. A common approach to dampen the indoor temperature fluctuations and thus reduce cooling energy demand is the use of thermal mass. However, the use of lightweight structures in many cities (e.g., high-rise structures, or for earthquake protection) precludes the use of traditional forms of thermal mass. Therefore, phase change materials (PCMs) are being widely developed as thermal energy storage systems for building applications. However, challenges such as leakage of PCMs in liquid state and their low thermal conductivity, still limit their applications in buildings. In this paper, we review the potential of Form or Shape-Stabilized Phase Change Materials (SSPCMs), which are developed by incorporating the PCM into a supporting matrix to prevent leakage in liquid state whilst improving thermal conductivity. We review different methods of preparation and the resultant thermal properties and chemical stability. We find good evidence in the literature for SSPCMs to reduce PCM leakage in liquid state, dampen indoor temperature fluctuations, and potentially alleviate peak energy demand by shifting peak loads to off-peak periods.

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Bio-Based Phase Change Materials Incorporated in Lignocellulose Matrix for Energy Storage in Buildings—A Review

Energies ◽

10.3390/en13123065 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (12) ◽

pp. 3065

Author(s):

Meysam Nazari ◽

Mohamed Jebrane ◽

Nasko Terziev

Keyword(s):

Energy Storage ◽

Phase Change ◽

Phase Change Materials ◽

Thermal Mass ◽

Low Carbon ◽

Medium Temperature ◽

Ready Availability ◽

Change Mechanisms ◽

Sustainable Materials ◽

Thermo Physical Properties

Due to growing consciousness regarding the environmental impact of fossil-based and non-sustainable materials in construction and building applications, there have been an increasing interest in bio-based and degradable materials in this industry. Due to their excellent chemical and thermo-physical properties for thermal energy storage, bio-based phase change materials (BPCMs) have started to attract attention worldwide for low to medium temperature applications. The ready availability, renewability, and low carbon footprint of BPCMs make them suitable for a large spectrum of applications. Up to now, most of the BPCMs have been incorporated into inorganic matrices with only a few attempts to set the BPCMs into bio-matrices. The current paper is the first comprehensive review on BPCMs incorporation in wood and wood-based materials, as renewable and sustainable materials in buildings, to enhance the thermal mass in the environmentally-friendly buildings. In the paper, the aspects of choosing BPCMs, bio-based matrices, phase change mechanisms and their combination, interpretation of life cycle analyses, and the eventual challenges of using these materials are presented and discussed.

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Review on active building energy conservation using phase change materials

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/202123605007 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 236 ◽

pp. 05007

Author(s):

Dazhang Yang ◽

Naixin Wang ◽

Jing Xie ◽

Jinfeng Wang

Keyword(s):

Energy Storage ◽

Energy Conservation ◽

Phase Change ◽

Phase Change Materials ◽

Building Energy ◽

Research Focus ◽

Storage Technology ◽

Building Energy Conservation ◽

Building Energy Saving ◽

New Phase

With a increasing application of phase change energy storage technology in the fields of building energy conservation, refrigeration, and air conditioning, the shortcomings of traditional phase change materials (PCMs) have become important, which seriously restricts the development of phase change cold storage technology. Therefore, the new phase change materials have become a research focus in the field of phase change energy storage. The classification and characteristics of phase change materials are briefly described in the paper. In addition, the active building energy-saving are reviewed.

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Packing Heat: Energy Storage Using Phase Change Materials

The Arbutus Review ◽

10.18357/tar41201312685 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 97-107

Author(s):

Pranay Shrestha

Keyword(s):

Energy Storage ◽

Phase Change ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Phase Change Materials ◽

Building Energy ◽

High Energy ◽

Demand And Supply ◽

Storage Mechanism ◽

Building Energy Systems ◽

Problem Solving Process

Many technological applications that involve intermittent energy demand and supply, such as solar or building energy systems, function more effectively if there is a storage mechanism to act as a buffer. Phase Change Materials (PCMs) can greatly increase the energy storage capacity of conventional (sensible energy) storage systems because of the high-energy transfer during their phase transition. With the help of PCMs, larger amounts of energy can be stored in smaller volume and at lower temperatures (resulting in lower insulation costs). This research paper discusses the problem-solving process of selecting a novel PCM (myristic acid) and designing a model apparatus to measure its thermal properties and behaviour. Experiments were conducted on water to calibrate the apparatus and estimate the errors in the experiment.

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