Passive cooling by phase change material usage in construction

Abstract

This work examines the significance of using phase change material (PCM) in the construction works for conservation of energy. The objective of using PCMs is that the materials help in enhancing thermal performance of buildings as these have the advantage of high storage density with small temperature swing. Among various types of PCM, rice bran distilled fatty acid – grade A (RBDFA), which is a non-paraffin type was selected considering its thermal and physical parameters, particularly its melting point that falls between human comfort temperature range. Two types of investigations, numerical and experimental, were followed in the methodology to identify the thermal performance of building during PCM usage. The results indicated that inclusion of RBDFA in construction gives positive effect in maintaining less temperature variation at indoor.

Practical application: Phase change materials are substances capable of storing or releasing thermal energy as latent heat. Phase change material has wide applications in many fields, such as building envelope design to reduce ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) energy consumption in buildings, solar energy utilization, waste heat recovery, thermo-regulated smart textiles, and active and passive cooling of electronic devices.