Free-cooling of buildings with phase change materials

Phase change materials for building applications: A state-of-the-art review

“…Other different possible building applications for PCMs have been studied, especially trying to improve the performances of technical installations such as hot water heat stores (Morrison & Abdel-Khalik 1978, Mehling et al 2008, cool thermal energy storage (He 2001, Zalba et al 2004, Zalba et al 2005 and latent heat thermal storage systems (Velraj et al 1999, Stritih 2003. In addition, the improvement of double facades with PCMs has been studied (Athienitis et al 2005) to achieve a better control of the cavity temperature.…”

Coupled TRNSYS-CFD simulations evaluating the performance of PCM plate heat exchangers in an airport terminal building displacement conditioning system

“…However the different ventilation charging strategies do not affect the performance. Previous studies have primarily shown that PCM systems can reduce cooling demand or temperature swing in intermittently occupied buildings [1][2][3][4][5][6]. However, as the airport schedule is less uniform and different to intermittently occupied buildings, this study shows that the PCM-HX has a higher impact on the heating demand of the space during the intermediate and summer periods.…”

“…As elaborated in various studies [1][2][3][4][5], the energy stored when the PCM is charged, has to be discharged in order to allow the appropriate and repetitive functioning of the energy storage system. The most common PCM charging method involves passing cold night air to solidify the PCM and restore its cooling potential.…”

“…The use of these materials in different forms and applications such in building wallboards and PCM plates for the thermal control of relatively small and thermally lightweight spaces have been extensively studied in the literature [1][2][3][4][5][6]. The aim has mainly been to provide additional thermal mass to lower the indoor temperature swing and prevent overheating in the space, as well as reduce the energy demand in air-conditioned spaces.…”

“…PCMs can be integrated as PCM-plates [2] or PCM nodules [8] in the HVAC system for 'free' air-conditioning, or in storage tanks [9] where water or brine can be used as secondary heat transfer media for air-conditioning. In all cases, the PCM has to be regenerated (re-charged) and the regeneration method will depend on the application.…”