Title:
Are Micro-Capsulated Phase Change Materials Efficient for Thermal Energy Management of Concrete Structures?
Author(s):
Yaghoob Farnam and Mohammad Balapour
Publication:
Web Session
Volume:
Issue:
Appears on pages(s):
Keywords:
DOI:
Date:
3/24/2019
Abstract:
Phase change materials (PCM) can be applied in concrete for the purpose of thermal energy storage. PCM shall process desirable melting temperature as well as high enthalpy of fusion in order to store/release favorable amount of energy during the temperature profile that a concrete structure experiences over its life span. This study examines the potential use of micro-encapsulated paraffin based PCMs with melamine formaldehyde-based shells in mortar samples to save thermal energy. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and longitudinal guarded comparative calorimetry (LGCC) techniques were used to provide necessary information of defining desirable PCMs and their dosage for various environmental conditions. The thermal response of mortar samples containing various dosages of micro-encapsulated PCMs with freezing temperatures of 6, 18, 24 and 28 were investigated. One of the challenges of using micro-encapsulated PCM is the break of PCM’s shell during mixing procedure of concrete that can influence concrete mechanical performance. To determine the effect of the mixing procedure on the mechanical performance of concrete, mortar samples were prepared using different mixing speeds of slow, medium and fast; and the compressive strength of the blended concrete was evaluated. Although incorporation of micro-encapsulated PCM in mortars showed a favorable thermal energy storage, however observation showed that increasing mixing speed leads to the break of PCM’s shell and can potentially reduce the mechanical performance.