Experimental testing and numerical modelling of masonry wall solution with PCM incorporation: A passive construction solution

Presently the essential research trend for sustainable buildings is the use of renewable energy sources and the development of new techniques of energy storage. Phase change materials (PCMs) may store latent heat energy in addition to the typical sensible energy capacity of current building materials, allowing to store significantly more energy during the phase change process (solid to liquid and vice versa). The incorporation of PCMs into building envelope solutions takes advantage of solar energy, contributing to the overall reduction of energy consumption associated to use of the air conditioning systems. This paper presents and discusses research developed in two main components: experimental testing and numerical simulation of a building component with PCM incorporation. The main goal of the experimental testing carried out was to evaluate the effect of the incorporation of PCM macro encapsulated into a typical Portuguese clay brick masonry enclosure wall. It is evaluated the influence of the phase change process of the PCM over the attenuation and time delay of the temperature fluctuations for indoor spaces. The experimental results allowed the calibration and validation of the numerical model, enabling to carry out parametric studies with different PCMs quantity analysing consequent temperature damping and time delay.