Selection and thermophysical assessment of phase change materials (PCMs) for space cooling applications in buildings

Abstract

Phase change materials are gaining more attention in building comfort applications because of their latent heat thermal energy storage (TES) capacity. Identifying the best PCM candidate is a pivotal factor that significantly impacts the thermal performance of a building. This study delves into assessing prospective PCM candidates for potential utilization in cooling systems within buildings in hot subtropical climates. Extending the application of multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) methodologies, this research scrutinizes various commercial PCMs by conducting an exhaustive analysis of pertinent literature in the context of this specific application objective. Thermophysical properties are integrated into the MCDM framework to identify the most fitting candidates with optimal properties and attributes. The properties and attributes of PCMs are subjected to scoring and weighting through the AHP based on their significance in the given application context. TOPSIS and VIKOR techniques select the suitable PCM from the identified PCMs. The results showed that latent heat receives the highest weightage, amounting to 50.2%, due to its paramount importance. Furthermore, OM37 emerged as a promising choice for building space cooling, considering the prescreened temperature range of 30 °C–40 °C and for the specific location under consideration. Following PCM selection, thorough characterization was performed to evaluate the suitability of the chosen PCM for integration within building envelopes. The thermal conductivity of OM37 was determined to be 0.20 W/mK, while the morphology by a Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (Fe-SEM) intricate porous structure. Furthermore, a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) suggests melting and solidification temperatures of 40 °C and 34 °C with a total enthalpy of 197.04 j/g, and a Thermogravimetry Differential Thermal Analysis (TG/DTA) showed a substantial weight loss of approximately 98.9% at around 247.3 °C. The presented experimental test results agree with the literature data and other researchers’ results.