Phase Change Materials for Building Applications: A Thorough Review and New Perspectives

Abstract

Abstract:The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive report on the state of the art on the technologies used in the modeling of energy storage systems by latent heat in buildings, and draw lines on perspectives on the technology evolution in this sector. In the first part, the emphasis is put mainly on the two main lines of research: experimental and numerical. In the second part, the main trends of research in this sector have been followed. An anatomical operation of more than 100 documents (published between 2006 and 2016), on the behavior of storage systems integrating Phase Change Materials (PCM), covering a large number of configurations treatment and their applications in thermal comfort of buildings area, has shown that the information published in this topic are very diverse and enormous, but in many cases are insufficient. The results show that, with suitable design, the PCM can contribute to the reduction of costs and achieve energy reductions in buildings, guaranteeing a comfortable interior environment. The evaluation of this multitude of documents gave the following remark: The effectiveness of any proposed approach to a numerical study is a concept with ambiguities, depending upon the method used, its precision, the problem to be modeled, the convergence criteria and the input parameters choice. The diversity of experimental conditions and the variety of results revealed that the published works are not directly comparable.

Experimental and Computational Study of the Implementation of mPCM-Modified Gypsum Boards in a Test Enclosure

“…Therefore, O-PCMs work exceptionally well on buildings of low thermal mass [16], where temperatures change abruptly, giving place to high energy consumption associated with thermally conditioning the building. The results of several investigations have proven that a proper design is necessary to take advantage of the capabilities of PCMs like the reduction of energy consumption, and the improvement of thermal comfort in buildings [17]. In a passive strategy, the integration of PCMs into building materials allows releasing of heat during the colder hours, beginning the solidification process.…”

Smart assessment of thermal comfort concept inside a building

“…In this regard, PCMs have been an attractive field of study for scholars aiming at optimizing buildings' energy efficiency. In fact, by incorporating such materials into buildings lightweight envelopes, thermal inertial of the building envelope could significantly improve while providing a natural regulation of internal temperature [12]. A major characteristic of phase change materials is their capability of being used in different building components.…”

The Role of Phase Change Materials for Lifetime Heating of Buildings in Cold Climatic Conditions

“…According to chemical composition phase change materials can be classified into three categories namely organic compounds, inorganic compounds and inorganic eutectics or eutectic mixtures(Baetens, R., Jelle, B. P., & Gustavsen, 2018). The organic compounds can be further categorized into paraffin's and non-paraffin.…”

“…Therefore, the use of PCM is increasing rapidly, PCM changes its phase by absorbing heat energy from the sun, if it is solid then convert in liquid and if in liquid than convert in solid, At the time of day, PCM kept inside the solar energy in the form of thermal energy, then by changing its phase at night it loose the heat energy in building, which can also keep the building warm while using natural energy at night. (Baetens, R., Jelle, B. P., & Gustavsen, 2018). Several studies have demonstrated that the use of PCMs in well-insulated buildings can reduce heating and cooling energy in residential buildings by as much as 25% and obtain similar reductions in the peak power required for air conditioning.PCM reduce the load of heater in winter season and also reduce the AC (Air conditioner) load in summer.…”