MICROENCAPSULATED PHASE CHANGE MATERIALS IN BUILDING MATERIALS

摘要

Energy storage in which the phase change materials (PCMs) are encapsulated in building materials have been extensively studied due to its large thermal storage capacity and isothermal nature of the storage process. This study deals with the preparation and characterization of PCMs encapsulated in gypsum wallboards, and the objective of using microencapsulated PCMs is. The distribution of particle size of microencapsulated PCM was analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The influence of different parameters on the characteristics and performance of microencapsulated PCM, with respect to encapsulation efficiency and energy storage capacity was studied. The problems associated with the application of PCMs with regards material selection and the methods used to contain them were also discussed. Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) results show that the selected PCMs have a good thermal energy storage/release capacity and could be considered to have a good potential for passive solar energy storage in buildings. It was shown that the utilization of PCM -constructional materials in a passive solar building may capture solar energy directly and decrease the frequency of internal air temperature swings during the daytime and can significantly reduce the heating load at night.