Phase change material thermal energy storage systems for cooling applications in buildings: A review

Abstract

Sharing of renewable energy and reduction of conventional energy consumption as an attempt to ameliorate environmental issues such as global warming has become the main concern for current developing scientific engineering research. Moreover, with the drastic increase in cooling and heating requirements in the building sector worldwide, the need for suitable technology that enables improvement in thermal performance of buildings is addressed. Utilizing phase change materials (PCMs) for thermal energy storage strategies in buildings can meet the potential thermal comfort requirements when selected properly. The current research article presents an overview of different PCM cooling applications in buildings. The reviewed applications are classified into active and passive systems. A summary of the used PCMs and their respective properties are presented as well. Primary results of the studied systems are demonstrated to be efficient in reducing indoor temperature fluctuations and energy demand during cold seasons along with the capability of triggering load reduction or shifting. Highlights  A state-of-the-art review on cooling applications of PCM in buildings  Cooling PCM applications are classified as active and passive systems  PCM serves as a promising technology for energy-efficient buildings  Combining active and passive systems can be a potential step toward NZEB

Characterization of Thermophysical Properties of Phase Change Materials Using Unconventional Experimental Technologies

“…The interest in phase change materials (PCM) grows continuously due to its wide application in sectors as the storage of solar thermal energy, industrial heat recovery, construction, agricultural greenhouses, aerospace, health, refrigeration, among others [1][2][3]. An adequate characterization is a mandatory requirement for numerical modeling of processes involving PCM, equipment design, and the development of this technology and its applications, since thermal characterization provides information about the amount of energy that a material can store.…”

Comprehensive Sustainability Assessment of Regenerative Actions on the Thermal Envelope of Obsolete Buildings under Climate Change Perspective

“…The specific values of each of the renovation projects and the calculation parameters are shown in Table 1. The choice of the different renovation strategies that make up the TERP (Thermal Envelope Renovation Project) is based on the prior analysis of 16 possible passive envelope renovation strategies applicable to the reference typology (Appendix B), not all of which are widely used in the local industry (i.e., the use of PCM (phase change material)), which, despite the interest they have in improving the energy performance of buildings in warm stages [41], means that we cannot consider them. Each of the preselected strategies has been evaluated on the building as a whole for the current climate scenario (2020) in an annual simulation period through the Design-Builder tool, through which it has been possible to identify the relationship of the adoption of said strategies with sensible heating and cooling reduction, and solar gains through windows (Appendix C).…”

“…In this regard, it is worth underlining the importance of more easily dissipating internal loads through the enclosure. In a context such as the one given, this highlights, on one hand, the importance of the materials used for the renovation and its ability to modify its transmissivity in warm periods [41] and, on the other hand, the need to advance in the definition of decentralized energy models based on the use of renewable sources to meet the future demands of residential estates [19,20] that, as we have seen, will increase.…”

A review on phase change materials for thermal energy storage in buildings: Heating and hybrid applications

“…Currently, the use of phase change materials (PCMs) have been widely developed in different fields and applications, where commercial PCMs cover a wide temperature range from -30°C to 850°C [32]. The wide range is covered by different incorporation techniques: Macro-encapsulation, micro-encapsulation, direct mixing, immersion, and shape-stabilization [33]. At this point, micro-encapsulation introduces the use of PCM slurries in a variety of applications at specified temperature ranges.…”