Laboratory assessment of micro-encapsulated phase-change materials
Laboratorijska ocena mikroenkapsuliranih materialov s fazno premeno

english

2012

volume 46, issue 5

phase-change materials    latent heat    latent heat storage   differential scanning calorimetry    micro-encapsulation 

Inštitut za kovinske materiale in tehnologije
(Obvezni izvod spletne publikacije)

The operation of low-energy-consumption and passive houses can be based on the passive or active utilization of renewable energy sources. Thermal energy storage plays a key role in the application of renewable energy sources and it thus contributes to the reduction of global COsub2 emissions. Thermal energy storage is commonly based on the sensible- or latent-heat-storage techniques. Latent-heat thermal storage is based on the absorption or release of heat when a storage material is changing phase. The thermal-storage materials suitable for latent-heat storage are called Phase-Change Materials (PCMs). PCMs have considerably higher thermal-energy-storage densities than the sensible-heat-storage materials and they are able to absorb large quantities of energy in a small range of temperatures during the phase change. Nowadays, micro-encapsulation of phase-change materials is one of the promising approaches in the integration of latent-heat storage in various applications. The most important properties of a latent-heat-storage medium are the heat of the fusion and the temperature range of the phase change. The correct determination of the physical and chemical properties is essential for a practical use of phase-change materials. The paper deals with the results of a laboratory assessment of the selected micro-encapsulated PCMs and shows a practical example of a possible integration in the building structures.

10.07.2013