Review of passive PCM latent heat thermal energy storage systems towards buildings’ energy efficiency

Recent developments in phase change materials for energy storage applications: A review

The most significant threat that mankind faces in the 21th century is global warming. Buildings, which account for 40% of global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, play a pivotal role in global warming. Estimates show that their destructive impact will grow by 1.8% per year through 2050, which indicates that future consumption and emissions will be worse than today. Therefore, the impact of cooling systems cannot be ignored, as they, along with ventilation and heating systems, account for 60% of the energy consumed in buildings. Passive cooling techniques are a promising alternative to conventional cooling systems. Of the various passive cooling strategies, thermal energy storage by means of latent heat is an efficient way to increase the thermal inertia of building envelopes, which would reduce temperature fluctuations, leading to the improved thermal comfort of occupants. Phase change materials (PCMs) with high density for thermal energy storage can be efficiently employed to this purpose. This paper reviews recent studies of the application of PCMs for passive cooling in buildings. From the literature, a comprehensive list of different organic, inorganic and eutectic PCMs appropriate for passive cooling in buildings are reviewed. Full-scale testing and numerical modeling were found to be the most popular investigative methods used for experimental and theoretical analysis of PCMs. The combination of these two methods can provide a detailed and valid technique for PCM investigations. Finally, incorporating PCMs into building walls with macro encapsulation was also a dominant interest in previous studies.

A review on phase change material (PCM) for sustainable passive cooling in building envelopes

Thermal energy storage (TES) is a technology that stocks thermal energy by heating or cooling a storage medium so that the stored energy can be used at a later time for heating and cooling applications and power generation TES systems are used particularly in buildings and in industrial processes This paper is focused on TES technologies that provide a way of valorizing solar heat and reducing the energy demand of buildings The principles of several energy storage methods and calculation of storage capacities are described Sensible heat storage technologies, including water tank, underground, and packed-bed storage methods, are briefly reviewed Additionally, latent-heat storage systems associated with phase-change materials for use in solar heating/cooling of buildings, solar water heating, heat-pump systems, and concentrating solar power plants as well as thermo-chemical storage are discussed Finally, cool thermal energy storage is also briefly reviewed and outstanding information on the performance and costs of TES systems are included

A Comprehensive Review of Thermal Energy Storage

Phase change materials and thermal energy storage for buildings

Experimental testing and numerical modelling of masonry wall solution with PCM incorporation: A passive construction solution

Brick masonry walls with PCM macrocapsules: An experimental approach

The large energy consumption of the building sector is mainly resourcing to active systems for cooling and heating of indoor spaces. According this, the external envelopes of offices and commercial buildings are systematically composed by large glazed areas that lead to high energy losses in the winter and large solar gains in summer. The incorporation of phase change materials into building elements is a growing trend for improving the thermal energy storage capacity in the latent form and the thermal inertia. Thermal Energy Storage systems (TES), using phase change materials (PCM) in buildings, are widely investigated technologies and a fast developing research area. Therefore, there is a lack of publish research reviews on PCM solutions applied into glazed areas. This review focuses on PCM technologies developed for the translucent and transparent building envelope, such as windows, shutters and other shading devices. This review gives special attention to describe and to discuss the thermal properties, the energy storage and the saving potentials of innovative PCM solutions and presents the main results of research carried out on this domain. The most used strategy to apply the PCM into these building elements is the direct incorporation using macro capsules containers (composed by different materials). The main conclusions taken from the research studies on prototype solutions show the PCM potential to enhance the thermal performance of buildings through the glazing and shading devices. This studies show that the PCM technology applied to the glazed areas of the building envelope can significantly improve the energy efficiency, and with the reduction of the product costs this technology will appear soon into the typical building construction systems.

Tiago Silva

Papers

Experimental testing and numerical modelling of masonry wall solution with PCM incorporation: A passive construction solution

Brick masonry walls with PCM macrocapsules: An experimental approach

Literature review on the use of phase change materials in glazing and shading solutions

Thermal performance of a window shutter containing PCM: Numerical validation and experimental analysis

Performance of a window shutter with phase change material under summer Mediterranean climate conditions