Thermo-physical Characterisation of Plasters Containing Phase Change Materials (PCMs)

Abstract

The integration of phase change materials (PCMs) within building materials is an interesting strategy to improve the thermal performance of buildings, thus reducing the energy demand for heating and/or cooling. To do so, the thermo-physical characterisation of the new enhanced materials is of outmost importance which, however, is difficult to carry out due to several limitations related to the most used techniques. To overcome these, a new alternative set up was realized, which allowed the thermo-physical characterization of different plaster samples enhanced with granular organic PCM. A steady-state test was conducted maintaining constant thermal gradients through which the thermal conductivity of the materials used was estimated. Then, a two-step ramp unsteady-state test was conducted through which the specific heat and the latent heat were estimated, showing a good agreement with values provided by the PCM suppliers. The estimated properties were then validated against experimental data acquired during the monitoring activity under real outdoor conditions of different wall samples on which the PCM-enhanced plasters were applied. With the estimated properties, RMSE values were lower than 1 °C for temperatures and lower than 2.50 W·m−2 for heat fluxes.