Heat Transfer and Energy Performance of a PVA Wall Tile Containing Macro-Encapsulated PCM

Abstract

This study integrated building material engineering, building construction practices, and heat transfer mechanisms to develop a polyvinyl acetate (PVA) based wall tile, containing macro-encapsulated phase change material (macro-encapsulated PCM, macroPCM) and PVA. The heat transfer characteristics and energy performances of the proposed prototype were investigated experimentally. The results indicated that the PVA-based macroPCM wall tile is suitable for use in exterior walls to enhance the thermal performance. The tile shows a lower heat indoor heat flux than other tested similar building materials and increases the time lag of peak load, effectively shifting the summer peak demand.

Keywords

• heat transfer
• energy
• phase change material
• macro-encapsulated phase change material
• polyvinyl acetate