Assessment of graphene oxide clay wall performance as an efficient active heating system

Abstract

In this study, the potential of using a wall made of Graphene Oxide Bricks (GOB) as a heating system is analyzed. This study explains the properties of these bricks considering the concentration of graphene oxide based on a study conducted by Wuhan Polytechnic university. The simulation in Designbuilder software shows that the heat gains in the coldest day in Ifrane from using the wall as a heating system are about 29.91 kwh; furthermore, the temperature inside the house has increased from 11.07 °C to a comfortable temperature of 21.61 °C in 13 min. From the design analysis it was concluded that the wall made of GOB should be used as a separation wall to reduce the heat exchange with the outside. The length of the wall was optimized based on the targeted power density and the concentration of graphene oxide in the bricks. It was also concluded that covering this heating system with a layer of clay bricks will increase the heat retention inside the building. The comparison study between heating systems shows that graphene clay breaks have a higher specific heat capacity and heat retention than the heating elements usually used in resistive heating: in other words, the GO wall retains heat for longer periods of time than the other resistive heating systems. The second simulation conducted analysed the thermal mass of the building and the effect of the heat retention of the GO wall; it was concluded that no heating is needed for 13.5 h when the GO wall is used, on the other hand, no heating is need for 7 h when another heating system is used. The 6.5 h difference between these two scenarios is the thermal lag of the GO wall.