Page 108 - Polymer-based Nanocomposites for Energy and Environmental Applications

84 Polymer-based Nanocomposites for Energy and Environmental Applications

PCM

Vacuum meter

Vacuum
chamber
Vacuum pump
Flask
Funnel
Beaker Cement

Heater

Fig. 3.4 Schematic of vacuum impregnation system [28].

Many form-stable composite PCMs made of PCMs and porous building material
such as silica-based materials, silica dioxide [29], diatomite [30], perlite [31], clay
minerals [31,32], and polymers like polyethylene [33] and polyethylene terephthalate
[34] have been prepared and characterized in terms of potential application in energy
storage in buildings to improve their thermal proprieties and thermal conductivity
while decreasing their leakage [35].

3.4 PCMs building applications

During the last two decades, PCMs have been considered for TES in building mate-
rials by their integration in wallboards [34,36-40], sandwich panel [41], concrete
[41-46], floors [47], ceilings [48], shutters [49], or other wall-covering materials.
Their application in building is very promising because of their ability to smooth tem-
perature variations and improve the indoor thermal comfort of building.

3.4.1 PCM enhanced wallboards

Wallboard is considered suitable for impregnation of PCM, because PCM wallboards
are economical and commonly used in lightweight construction, in which the PCM
is integrated into a plaster or gypsum board or other building structures [7]. And
the thermal properties of PCM wallboard are close to those of PCMs alone [8]. Scalat
et al. carried out a full-scale thermal storage tests in a room (2.29 2.27 2.45 m)