INTRODUCTION

PRINCIPLE & WORKING

TYPES OF PCM

PCM INCORPORATION

BUILDING APPLICATION

BIO PCM

GLASS-X

MERITS & DEMERITS

SELECTION CRITERIA

CASE STUDY

CONCLUSION25/08/2014 2DEPT. OF CIVIL ENGINEERING, TKMCE

• Modern architecture is attractive, flexible and light weight

• Phase Changing Materials - Interior finishing alternatives

• Stores much larger amount of thermal energy per unit

mass than conventional building materials

• Requires less amount of energy for production

• It can charge and discharge energy in the form of latent

heat

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FIG: PHASE CHANGE MATERIALS

• When heat is applied to any substance, it is transferred in

two ways

Sensible heat

Latent heat

• PCMs works on the principle of latent heat

• Latent heat enables PCMs to control room temperature

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• PCMs used in construction change from solid to liquid at

23ºC - 26ºC

• They melt, absorb heat from room and room temperature

is kept constant until the change of state is complete

• PCM then returned to solid state by night time ventilation /

mechanical means

• When returned to solid state it emits the heat

• The phase change cycle repeats

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FIG: WORKING OF PCM

• There are many types of PCM but not all are suitable for

use in buildings

• The two main types of PCM used in construction are

inorganic salt hydrates and organic paraffin or fatty acids

• Both materials have a set of advantages and disadvantages

that must be taken into consideration

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INORGANIC SALT HYDRATES

• Salt hydrates are a low-cost, readily available PCM

• They have a high latent heat storage capacity and high

thermal conductivity

• They are also non-flammable

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• Paraffin’s and fatty acids do not expand as they melt, and

freeze without much super cooling

• They are chemically stable, compatible with conventional

construction materials and recyclable

• Paraffin’s are hydrophobic, which means they are water-

repellant

• As a result, their phase-change points are reliable

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• Pure paraffin’s are also highly durable, and do not degrade

in contact with oxygen

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FIG: ORGANICS

• Impregnated into building materials in 2 ways :

Either directly or as pellets

Microencapsulation

• Microencapsulation most preferred always.

• Night cooling considered as the main difficulty

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FIG : DIRECT USAGE

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• Individual particles of solid/ liquid material are coated with a

continuous film of polymeric material

• Produce capsules called microcapsules

•Microcapsules – small sphere with uniform wall round it

•Micrometer to millimeter range

•Appearance of beads, powder

• Polymer sphere shaped

STRUCTURE OF A MICROCAPSULE :

•Material inside is called core

•Wall is called shell or coating

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MORPHOLOGY :

• Depends on core material and the deposition process of

the shell

• Basically 3 types :

Mononuclear

Poly nuclear

Matrix encapsulation

•Also mononuclear with multiple shells, or clusters of

microcapsules

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FIG: TYPES OF MICROCAPSULES

PCM AS CEILING MATERIAL

• PCM incorporated into ceiling tiles-effective in controlling

temperature, reducing reliance on air conditioning

BUILDING APPLICATIONS:

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FIG: PCM CEILING

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• Microscopic polymer capsules containing a wax storage

medium, embedded in gypsum and then encased in the

metal tile

FIG: FIXING A PCM CEILING

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• Phase change drywall incorporates PCM within its

structure

• Effective, less costly, and less bulky replacement of the

standard thermal mass (masonry or water) used to store

solar heat

BIO PCM:

• A rolled mat that contains PCM

• Integrated into new construction or retrofitted into existing

• Mat is installed between insulation and drywall layers and

located in walls and ceiling

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GLASSX

• An insulated glazing unit that can be used as full glass walls

and windows

• It has an outer pane of glass that reflects high-angle sun and

allows low-angle sunlight to pass

• These PCMs store the heat from the sunlight, release the heat

to the interior of the building as the temperature cools

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• Sunlight transmitted through this outer pane of glass passes

through inner polycarbonate channels that are embedded

with salt-hydrate PCMs

FIG: WORKING OF GLASS-X

• A melting temperature range in construction is 23°C or

26°C

• A high latent heat of fusion per unit volume minimizes the

area of PCM tiles that are needed

• High thermal conductivity

•Minimal changes in volume

• Congruent melting

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SELECTION CRITERIA ( Contd…)

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• A completely reversible freezing/melting cycle

• Durability over a large number of cycles

• Non-corrosiveness to construction materials

• Non-flammability

MERITS

Freeze without much supercooling

Ability to melt congruently

Self nucleating properties

Compatibility with conventional material of

construction

No segregation

Recyclable

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DEMERITS

- Low thermal conductivity in solid state

- Flammable

- Corrosive

- Volumetric latent heat storage capacity is low

- Phase segregation

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• Three semi transparent domes of 18.5, 20, 24m

diameter

• Building has been built in one of the city harbor of

Rotterdam

• Climate is managed in different way in different room

• Exhibition hall temperature is kept about 15 ˚C

• Conference hall temp is maintained about 21˚C

• Temperature is varied with the help of PCM

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FIG: FLOATING BALL OF ROTTERDAM, NETHERLAND

CONCLUSION

• Improves thermal comfort levels and obviate or reduce the

need for air-conditioning

• Reduction in peak temperatures is possible

• Used in Residential buildings too

• Significant advantages for both commercial and residential

buildings

• Night ventilation- an integral part

• Likely to become a valuable tool for improving thermal

comfort in domestic buildings

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REFFERENCES

Zubillaga (2007), “Use of microencapsulated PCM in concrete walls for energy

savings. Energy and Buildings”, Vol. 39 pp.113-119.

I.O. Salyer, A.K. Sircar, R.P. Chartoff, D.E. Miller(1995), “Advanced phase-

change materials for passive solar storage applications”, Proceedings of the

20th Intersociety Energy Conversion Engineering Conference, Warren dale,

Pennsylvania, USA: 699-709.

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THANK YOU

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