Analysis of the prospects of phase change materials in building structures

Introduction. The objective of the study is to analyze the prospects of application of phase change materials in building structures. The relevance of the work is due to the industry trend to reduce the consumption of heat energy by buildings through the use of modern thermal insulation materials and enclosing structures. Phase change materials produced in industrial volumes and used in construction in foreign countries are chosen as the object of research. The ability of these materials to absorb and release heat energy can be used to improve the thermal characteristics of buildings. Analysis of the possibility of using these materials in building structures was carried out for three cities of the Russian Federation: Moscow, St. Petersburg and Sochi.

Materials and methods. The efficiency of the use of phase change materials in building structures was carried out by means of energy modelling of the building using the Conduction Finite Difference algorithm in the EnergyPlus programme, taking into account climatic conditions and energy consumption for heating and cooling of the building. The calculation was performed for structures including phase change materials (3 different materials with phase change), and without them.

Results. The values of energy consumption for space heating and cooling, absolute and relative energy savings from the use of phase change materials were determined.

Conclusions. The analysis showed that the energy and economic effect from the application of materials with phase change in building structures is from 2 to 13 % and depends on both the type of material and the region of application.

1. Veerakumar C., Sreekumar A. Phase change material based cold thermal energy storage: materials, techniques and applications — A review. International Journal of Refrigeration. 2016; 67:271-289. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2015.12.005

2. Baranenko A.V., Kuznetsov P.A., Zakharo-va V.Yu., Tsoy A.P. Application of substances with phase transitions for thermal energy accumulation. Scientific and Technical Journal of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics. 2018; 18(6):990-1000. DOI: 10.17586/2226-1494-2018-18-6-990-1000. EDN YQZIDJ. (rus.).

3. Li G., Hwang Y., Radermacher R. Review of cold storage materials for air conditioning application. International Journal of Refrigeration. 2012; 35(8):2053-2077. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2012.06.003

4. Marco C. Phase-change materials. Smart Buildings. 2016; 179-218. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-08-100635-1.00005-8

5. Park J.H., Berardi U., Chang S.J., Wi S., Kang Y., Kim S. Energy retrofit of PCM-applied apartment buildings considering building orientation and height. Energy. 2021; 222:119877. DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2021.119877

6. Park J.H., Kang Y., Lee J., Wi S., Chang J.D., Kim S. Analysis of walls of functional gypsum board added with porous material and phase change material to improve hygrothermal performance. Energy and Buildings. 2019; 183:803-816. DOI: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2018.11.023

7. Beltran R.D., Martínez-Gomez J. Analysis of phase change materials (PCM) for building wallboards based on the effect of environment. Journal of Building Engineering. 2019; 24:100726. DOI: 10.1016/j.jobe.2019.02.018

8. Rössner F., Rudakov O.B., Albinskaya Yu.S., Ivanova E.A., Pertsev V.T. Application of microencapsulated heat-accumulating materials with phase change in construction. Scientific Bulletin of the Voronezh State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering. Series: Physico-chemical problems and high technologies of building materials science. 2012; 5:64-70. EDN PCQKAB. (rus.).

9. Nazirov R.А., Tahtobin A.V. Phase change materials used in building envelopes. Building and Reconstruction. 2019; 6(86):66-85. DOI: 10.33979/2073-7416-2019-86-6-66-85. EDN XMLMJZ. (rus.).

10. Kazarova E.A., Pertsev V.T., Usachev S.M. Possibility of application of substances with phase transition for various construction materials. Scientific Bulletin of the Voronezh State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering. Series: Physico-chemical problems and high technologies of building materials science. 2013; 7:35-39. EDN RYFUFN. (rus.).

11. Alawadhi E.M. Thermal analysis of a building brick containing phase change material. Energy and Buildings. 2008; 40(3):351-357. DOI: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2007.03.001

12. Alqallaf H.J., Alawadhi E.M. Concrete roof with cylindrical holes containing PCM to reduce the heat gain. Energy and Buildings. 2013; 61:73-80. DOI: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2013.01.041

13. Cellat K., Beyhan B., Kazanci B., Konuklu Y., Paksoy H. Direct incorporation of butyl stearate as phase change material into concrete for energy saving in buildings. Journal of Clean Energy Technologies. 2017; 5(1):64-68. DOI: 10.18178/JOCET.2017.5.1.345

14. Goia F., Perino M., Serra V. Experimental analysis of the energy performance of a full-scale PCM glazing prototype. Solar Energy. 2014; 100:217-233. DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2013.12.002

15. Hoes P., Hensen J.L.M. The potential of lightweight low-energy houses with hybrid adaptable thermal storage: comparing the performance of promising concepts. Energy and Buildings. 2016; 110:79-93. DOI: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2015.10.036

16. Entrop A.G., Brouwers H.J.H., Reinders A.H.M.E. Experimental research on the use of micro-encapsulated phase change materials to store solar energy in concrete floors and to save energy in Dutch houses. Solar Energy. 2011; 85(5):1007-1020. DOI: 10.1016/j.solener.2011.02.017

17. Heim D., Wieprzkowicz A. Positioning of an isothermal heat storage layer in a building wall exposed to the external environment. Journal of Building Performance Simulation. 2016; 9(5):542554. DOI: 10.1080/19401493.2015.1126649

18. Kheradmand M., Azenha M., de Aguiar J.L.B., Castro-Gomes J. Experimental and numerical studies of hybrid PCM embedded in plastering mortar for enhanced thermal behaviour of buildings. Energy. 2016; 94:250-261. DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2015.10.131

19. Favoino F., Goia F., Perino M., Serra V. Experimental assessment of the energy performance of an advanced responsive multifunctional facade module. Energy and Buildings. 2014; 68:647-659. DOI: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2013.08.066

20. Berardi U., Manca M. The energy saving and indoor comfort improvements with latent thermal energy storage in building retrofits in Canada. Energy Procedia. 2017; 111:462-471. DOI: 10.1016/j.egypro.2017.03.208

21. Soudian S., Berardi U. Experimental investigation of latent thermal energy storage in high-rise residential buildings in Toronto. Energy Procedia. 2017; 132:249-254. DOI: 10.1016/j.egypro.2017.09.706

22. Qu Y., Zhou D., Xue F., Cui L. Multi-factor analysis on thermal comfort and energy saving potential for PCM-integrated buildings in summer. Energy and Buildings. 2021; 241:110966. DOI: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2021.110966

23. Hamidi Y., Malha M., Bah A. Analysis of the thermal behavior of hollow bricks walls filled with PCM: Effect of PCM location. Energy Reports. 2021; 7:105-115. DOI: 10.1016/j.egyr.2021. 08.108