Study on properties of phase change foam concrete block mixed with paraffin / fumed silica composite phase change material

doi:10.1016/j.renene.2019.10.073

Renewable Energy

Volume 150, May 2020, Pages 1127-1135

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2019.10.073 Get rights and content

Highlights

•
The paraffin/fumed silica composite PCM were successfully added into foamed cement.
•
PCM can reduce the heat transfer capacity of foam concrete and enhance its heat storage capacity.
•
Phase change foam concrete blocks can reduce indoor temperature fluctuations by cutting off the outdoor peak temperature.

Abstract

On-site renewable energy generation systems are installed for buildings to compensate for their energy consumptions due to cooling and heating loads. Fluctuated energy load can significantly affect the decision on the selection of renewable energy systems. This study developed a new phase change foam concrete with low thermal conductivity and suitable phase change temperature to shave the temperature peak in summer and improve the economic feasibility of renewable energy systems. With the adsorption method, this study utilized the fumed silica to absorb paraffin for the composite phase change materials (PCM) formation. Through morphology and liquid leakage tests, this study found that the composite PCM with paraffin content of 45% (wt) had the best adsorption capacity and setting performance. According to the scanning electron microscopy (SEM), metallographic microscopy and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) tests, the proposed composite PCM and phase change foam concrete blocks have stable morphological structures and physical properties. Also, the differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) showed the proposed composite PCM within the concrete have suitable phase change temperature (about 41 °C) and phase change latent heat (the endothermic process is 113.3 J/g and the exothermic process is −112 J/g) to avoid building overheating in summer. Finally, the thermal conductivity and heating experiments suggested the proposed phase change foam concrete blocks have low thermal conductivity and strong heat storage capacity.

Section snippets

Introduction and research background

With the rapid development of urbanization, the building industry has become the largest energy-consuming sector and accounts for about 40% of total energy consumption [1,2]. Various on-site renewable energy generation systems, such as solar collectors [3,4] and wind turbine [5], were developed by researchers to supply energy for buildings. However, these renewable systems are often economically infeasible due to unstable energy sources and large peak energy loads. Larger generation and storage

Raw materials and equipment

In this study, Paraffin (melting point of about 44 °C) was purchased from Hangzhou Luer New Material Technology Co., Ltd. Fumed silica AEROSIL R106 (Degussa AG, Hydrophobic type) was purchased from Xiaoguwei Drilling Laboratory Analysis Instrument Cooperation in Guangzhou, China. Cement P·O42.5 (Conch cement with a density is 3100 kg/m3) was produced by the Haimen Conch, China. Hydrogen peroxide foaming agent was produced by Fujian Yinzhou Wanke Coating Energy Saving Building Materials Co.,

Morphology and thermophysical properties of paraffin/fumed silica composite PCM

Fig. 3 shows the PCM samples with paraffin content of 45% (wt), 50% (wt) and 55% (wt). As can be seen from Fig. 3, with the increase of paraffin content, the agglomeration becomes more obvious. Among them, the sample with 55% (wt) paraffin has the highest agglomeration level.

Followed the experiment settings in Section 2.2, Table 1 shows the results of a liquid leakage test. Based on the table, the composite PCM with paraffin content of 55% (wt) has the highest leakage level, while the sample

Conclusion

“Passive” building design aims to improve the thermal conductivities of the building envelope to reduce the heating and cooling loads. This study proposed a novel phase change foam concrete, which is able to mitigate the temperature fluctuation by storing heat during the daily heat peak. By doing so, the buildings are able to select renewable energy generating systems with smaller size and lower capital investment. In order to assess the thermal properties and optimize the material composition,

Acknowledgement

This work was supported by Guangzhou Science and Technology Program (201704030137), the Research Project of Guangdong Province (2017A050506058), and the Major Research Project of Guangdong Provincial Department of Education (No. 2016KZDXM035).

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View full text

Study on properties of phase change foam concrete block mixed with paraffin / fumed silica composite phase change material

Highlights

Abstract

Section snippets

Introduction and research background

Raw materials and equipment

Morphology and thermophysical properties of paraffin/fumed silica composite PCM

Conclusion

Acknowledgement

Resour. Conserv. Recycl.

Energy Build.

Renew. Energy

Renew. Energy

Renew. Energy

Energy Build.

Appl. Energy

Renew. Energy

Energy

Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev.

Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev.

Build. Environ.

Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev.

Energy Build.

Mater. Des.

Energy Build.

Constr. Build. Mater.

Constr. Build. Mater.

Polym. Degrad. Stab.

Energy Build.

Energy Procedia

Energy Convers. Manag.

Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells