Outline of the incorporation of phase change materials in radiant systems

Abstract

This article presents an outline about the incorporation of phase change materials (PCM) in radiant systems, their incorporation techniques, challenges, advantages, and disadvantages. The PCM incorporation into building solutions has been studied over the last 40 years to improve the energy efficiency and to solve the fast-growing problem of energy consumption in housing. The use and incorporation of PCM in building solutions contributes to improve building energy performance, reducing the thermal amplitudes, the maximum and minimum peak temperatures, and reducing the overall energy consumption. This article aims at outlining of the current state of PCM usage in radiant systems, with a special focus on PCM macroencapsulated floors, to set the ground for future work in the area through studying and reviewing existing literature. Topics such as commercially available radiant systems, PCM encapsulation techniques, innovative studies of PCM radiant systems and numerical modelling techniques are covered, providing an in-depth overview of the totality of the PCM radiant floor subject. Some of the main conclusions of this article are that although there is plenty of information available, but some relevant topics are underdeveloped, or missing in some research papers, such as climatic conditions of the experimental studies, macroencapsulation techniques, and the lack of a standard for objectively comparing PCM solutions in the building's envelope. There are plenty of valid and accurate numerical models to model PCM, where the most used methods are the enthalpy method and the effective heat capacity