Use of phase change materıals ın buıldıng elements for thermal energy storage

For most of the year, only the use of only passive systems is not usually enough to achieve indoor comfort conditions, therefore most of the energy that is consumed throughout the life cycle of buildings is consumed by heating and cooling systems. The development of new materials -including phase change materials (PCM)- and building elements, show promise in reaching better indoor comfort with less energy. This study aims to develop a methodology that can be used to evaluate possible energy gains from the incorporation of PCM into new building elements.First the problem, purpose, limits and methodology are described. Later, the main concepts and literature that deal with thermal energy storage (TES) and PCM are presented. Later the methodology, which consists of four main steps, is proposed:(1)Determination of the PCM and building element detailing,(2)The experimental work that is constructed to measure the thermal behavior of both the PCM and the building element containing PCM,(3)The validation of numerical work with experimental data, and(4)Calculation of energy savings in light of simulations and evaluation of results.Afterwards, the proposed methodology is used on an example. The example discusses to what degree can a PCM incorporated flat roof with latent energy storage contribute to reducing the cooling load of thermostatically controlled buildings in four climatic regions of Turkey.In conclusion, the results from the example are discussed within the plotted conceptual framework. Also suggestions on further studies are given.