Influential aspects on melting and solidification of PCM energy storage containers in building envelope applications

Abstract

ABSTRACT Phase change materials (PCMs) incorporated building envelope for thermal energy storage (TES) considerably enhances building thermal energy and improves indoor comfort. Amongst other methods, macroencapsulation provides a flexible and efficient PCM utilization among practical incorporation methods during a long time of service. Nevertheless, there is still arguement regarding PCM thermal performance during melting and solidification phases due to macroencapsulation containers, not to mention PCM’s poor thermal conductivity. A brief overview of possible practical integration methods of PCMs with building elements is presented along with the main advantages and drawbacks in this work. This is followed by the popular incorporation techniques in building applications giving special attention to the macroencapsulation method and its role in improving building performance. The main influential aspects of macroencapsulated PCM performance during the melting and solidification, namely the shape, material type, compatibility with PCM type, and enhancement methods of encapsulation containers, are highlighted and discussed. We believe that this work analysis and conclusions provide a clear understanding of the main trends and gaps in this research area for further investigation and optimization studies by researchers, engineers, and developers.