Self-Regulating the Temperature of Permeable Concrete Based on Phase Change Materials

Abstract

Phase change microcapsules are a type of energy storage material that can affect temperature changes by changing its material state and releasing or absorbing latent heat. In this paper, the temperature effect of phase change microcapsules on permeable concrete is investigated. Cooling, heating, and snow melting tests were performed on ordinary permeable concrete and test blocks with different contents of phase change microcapsules. The results indicate that the addition of phase change microcapsules to ordinary permeable concrete has several benefits. First, it effectively raises the internal temperature of concrete in cold conditions. Second, it prolongs the heating duration of concrete in high-temperature environments. Last, it helps in reducing the maximum temperature reached by the concrete. Moreover, the heat storage capacity of phase change microcapsules prevents the refreezing of melted snow water within the concrete. With the increase of the content of phase change microcapsules, the temperature-regulating effect of the test blocks is improved. To sum up, phase change materials can exhibit temperature-regulating effect on permeable concrete under different environmental conditions and have wide applications in the design, manufacture, and performance research of permeable concrete.