Experimental Study on the Thermal Performance of the Shape-Stabilized Phase Change Material Floor Used in Passive Solar Buildings

Abstract

The novel shape-stabilized phase change material (PCM) has the following salient features: large apparent specific heat for the phase change temperature region, suitable thermal conductivity, and the ability to keep the shape stabilized when it undergoes a phase change. In this technical brief, we put forward a kind of shape-stabilized PCM floor that is able to absorb solar radiation energy in the daytime and to release the heat at night in winter. The thermal performance of a prototype room using such a floor was studied. The experiments show that the mean indoor temperature of a room with the PCM floor is about 2°C higher than that of the room without a PCM floor, and the indoor temperature swing range is obviously minimized. Therefore, installing shape-stabilized PCM in a room may increase the degree of thermal comfort and reduce space heating energy consumption in winter. In addition, the experimental results provide data for modeling and simulation research for such PCM floor systems.