Effect of latent heat storage on thermal comfort and energy consumption in lightweight earth-based housings

Alassaad, Farjallah; Touati, Karim; Levacher, Daniel; Sebaïbi, Nassim

doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2022.109915

Cited by 13 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Earth bricks are ecological and recyclable materials with a considerably lower thermal conductivity than traditional construction materials, such as concrete and fired bricks, which is important in order to minimize the energy consumption of buildings and for thermal comfort. In addition, earth bricks have good hygrothermal properties, which help to transfer moisture between earth brick walls and air to regulate humidity [16,21]. Different earthen construction materials, such as adobe bricks and rammed earth, and compressed Environments 2023, 10, 131 3 of 17 earth blocks, are manufactured based on the characteristics of excavated material and local climatic conditions [22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feasibility for the Recovery of Excavated Soils in Compressed Earth Blocks as a Sustainable Building Material

Hussain,

Zmamou,

Provost

et al. 2023

Environments

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Soil is continuously excavated for development activities in urban and rural areas and treated as waste. This study investigates the characteristics of urban soils excavated from earthworks of buildings in the Brittany region of France for their perspective reuse in earthen construction materials to valorize soil waste and provide a sustainable building material locally. Excavated soil from earthwork activities was taken from the Brittany region of France from three different locations. Soil suitability for compressed earth blocks was investigated based on their granulometry, consistency limits, and mineralogy. Finally, compressed earth blocks with dimensions of 4 × 4 × 16 cm3 were manufactured with different formulations and compacted dynamically. Flexural and compressive strength tests were performed on bricks to observe their mechanical behavior. Grain size analysis of soil samples shows that the percentage of clay in the landfill stockpile of excavated soils varies between 13% and 16%, while at some local sites, the percentage of clay goes up to 57%. The grain size of soils varies from the recommended zone. The plasticity of soil samples ranges from 17.3% to 20.4%. The plasticity index and clay content of the soil show that these soils are inactive clays with a lesser possibility of swelling and shrinkage. Mineralogical analysis of soil shows the absence of water-sensitive clay minerals, while quartz, kaolinite, and illite are major minerals present in soils. Linear shrinkage in bricks ranges from 0.6% to 2.2% and is considerably higher for clayey soils. Mechanical testing of earth bricks shows that the compressive strength of earth blocks ranges from 0.92 MPa to 2.22 MPa while the flexural strength ranges from 0.25 to 0.74 MPa. A mixture of sandy and clayey soils shows good strength due to improved granulometry. Earth bricks with soils from some stockpiles, excavation sites, and soil mixture show compressive strength higher than 1 MPa, which is recommended strength by international standards, and offer the opportunity to produce sustainable building materials locally.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feasibility for the Recovery of Excavated Soils in Compressed Earth Blocks as a Sustainable Building Material

Hussain,

Zmamou,

Provost

et al. 2023

Environments

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“…Heat storage technologies are crucial for providing internal comfort conditions for building occupants [1][2][3][4][5]. The benefits of thermal mass can be equally beneficial in both residential [4,6,7] and commercial buildings [2]. Thousands of years of architectural history show that buildings utilizing conventional thermal mass (stone, earth constructions, brick, adobe, solid wood, etc.)…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamic Thermal Performance Analysis of PCM Products Used for Energy Efficiency and Internal Climate Control in Buildings

Kośny,

Thakkar,

Kamidollayev

et al. 2023

Buildings

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PCMs are attractive for the future generation of buildings, where energy efficiency targets and thermal comfort expectations are increasingly prioritized. Experimental analysis of local thermal processes in these dynamic components and whole-building energy consumption predictions are essential for the proper implementation of PCMs in buildings. This paper discusses the experimental analysis of the thermophysical characteristics of both a latent heat storage material (PCM) and a product containing this PCM. The prototype product under investigation is a panelized PCM technology containing inorganic, salt-hydrate-based PCM. The thermal analysis includes studies of melting and freezing temperatures, enthalpy changes during phase change processes, nucleation intensity, sub-cooling effects, and PCM stability. The PCM’s stability is also investigated, as is the ability of PCM products to control local temperatures and peak load transmission times. Two inorganic PCM formulations based on calcium chloride hexahydrate (CaCl2.6H2O) were prepared and tested in laboratory conditions. Material-scale testing results were compared with outcomes from the system-scale analysis, using both laboratory test methods as well as field exposure in test huts. This work demonstrates that PCM technologies used in buildings can effectively control both the magnitude of thermal storage capacity as well as the time of the peak thermal load. It was found that commonly used material-scale testing methods may not always be beneficial in assessing the dynamic thermal performance characteristics of building technologies containing PCMs.

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“…Cob-and earthen-based materials, in general, have seen a rise in attention since the 1980s due to climatic concerns, especially in France and the United Kingdom [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. This is partly because of its many environmental benefits, namely its durability, minimal environmental effect, and occupational thermal comfort [12,13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insight into the Optimization of Implementation Time in Cob Construction: Field Test and Compressive Strength Versus Drying Kinetics

Touati,

Al Sahmarany,

Le Guern

et al. 2023

Eng

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Mastering construction times is of paramount importance in making vernacular earth construction techniques attractive to modern clients. The work presented here is a contribution towards the optimization of the construction time of cob buildings. Therefore, this paper follows the evolution of a cob’s mechanical properties during its drying process in the case of a double-walling CobBauge system. Laboratory tests and in situ measurements were performed, and further results were described. Volumetric water content sensors were immersed in the walls of a CobBauge prototype building during its construction. The evolution of the cob layer’s compressive strength and Clegg Impact Value (CIV) as a function of its water content has been experimentally studied and discussed. These studies showed that compressive strength and CIV are correlated with water content, and both properties decrease exponentially with time. In this study, a new tool to evaluate cob’s mechanical performances in situ has been proposed, Clegg Impact Soil Tester. This was linked to compressive strength, and a linear relationship between these two properties was found. Finally, appropriate values of compressive strength and CIV to satisfy before formwork stripping and re-lifting were proposed. For this study’s conditions, these values are reached after approximately 27 days.

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Effect of latent heat storage on thermal comfort and energy consumption in lightweight earth-based housings

Cited by 13 publications

References 48 publications

Feasibility for the Recovery of Excavated Soils in Compressed Earth Blocks as a Sustainable Building Material

Feasibility for the Recovery of Excavated Soils in Compressed Earth Blocks as a Sustainable Building Material

Dynamic Thermal Performance Analysis of PCM Products Used for Energy Efficiency and Internal Climate Control in Buildings

Insight into the Optimization of Implementation Time in Cob Construction: Field Test and Compressive Strength Versus Drying Kinetics

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