Effects of microencapsulated phase change material on indoor thermal comfort and energy consumption

Abstract

Phase change materials, PCMS can be also used in thermal energy systems with various building materials in order to increase thermal performance. In this study, artificial marble with microencapsulated PCM (MPCM) was fabricated and its indoor environmental control and energy saving effects were analyzed using field tests in a standard Korean apartment building. The MPCM capsules contained approximately 70% n-octadecane and were fabricated using the in situ polymerization chemical method. The thermal environment was analyzed using internal temperature and the predicted mean cote (PMV) measurements. The results of the wall board with MPCM installed room temperature fluctuation decreased by 1–2 °C that it was possible to maintain a stable indoor temperature due to the thermal buffering effect. The average change of PMV was −0.03 for 12 h that no significant effect on the thermal comfort. The results of convection heating system energy consumption was reduced by 27.7%. Furthermore, we studied the long-term real-scale thermal performance in winter seasons.

Keywords

• Microencapsulated phase change material
• Heating
• Indoor thermal environment
• Energy consumption
• Field test