Thermal performance evaluation of a passive building wall with CO2-filled transparent thermal insulation and paraffin-based PCM

Abstract

Novel thermal insulation materials and wall configurations have the potential to play a major role in reducing energy demand and carbon emissions from the building sector. In this study, a passive heating wall system composed by a CO2-filled transparent thermal insulation (TTI) and an organic phase change material (PCM), and a passive cooling system composed by a Tromble Wall with nano-film and a CO2-filled TTI are proposed and evaluated. The aim is to present a detailed analytical model for rapidly calculating thermal performance of the proposed wall configurations. As case study, a 108 m 2 south façade of a building located in Mexico has been used. Outputs suggest that as a passive heating measure, the system has the potential to supply heat in the order of 118 W, 126 W, 134 W, and 157 W, during the months of December, January, February, and March respectively. Additionally, thermal performance and air velocity simulations suggest that for the heating case, considering an outdoor and indoor temperature conditions of 0 °C and 21 °C respectively, the internal layer surface reaches a temperature of 9.2°C; while for the cooling case, considering outdoor and indoor temperature conditions of 25 °C and 21 °C respectively, it reaches 22.5 °C with a maximum indoor air velocity of 0.5 m/s. Compared to other gases, CO2 could hold a greater potential due to its low thermal conductivity and capital costs. Large-scale implementation of such systems could make the building sector an interesting option as an artificial sink for carbon storage.

An Investigation of Thermal Comfort in Classrooms in the Tropical Savanna Climate

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A Review of Novel Heat Transfer Materials and Fluids for Aerospace Applications

“…Due to their ability to store large amounts of latent heat during phase transitions without experiencing a significant temperature change, phase change materials (PCMs) are extremely effective in applications that require temperature control and thermal management. Their applications are diverse: in solar thermal energy [44], they store heat collected during the day to release it at night, ensuring a continuous supply of thermal energy; as thermal insulation [45], they help maintain constant temperatures in buildings, packaging, and other devices, reducing the need for heating and cooling systems; in the thermal management of electronic devices [46], PCMs are incorporated into electronic components to absorb and dissipate excess heat, maintaining stable temperatures and preventing damage from overheating; and in the aerospace industry [47], they are used in the thermal control of spacecraft.…”

Temperature Control to Improve Performance of Hempcrete-Phase Change Material Wall Assemblies in a Cold Climate

“…In passive applications, PCMs are typically embedded into the building fabrics of walls, floors, roofs, fenestration, façade, shutter, and shading systems without relying on auxiliary equipment, which increases the envelope's thermal storage capacity [1,2]. PCM is integrated into the building fabrics through different approaches such as PCM-enhanced covering materials, including plasterboards, wallboards or gypsum boards [3][4][5], concrete [6,7], ceramics [8,9], microencapsulated PCM panels [10][11][12], multi PCM structure [13][14][15][16], and PCM-impregnated insulations [17][18][19]. The initial capital cost of PCM is still high [2,20].…”