Energy conservation in buildings using thermal energy storage in microencapsulated phase change materials

Dependence on foreign energy resources for energy production and consumption and adverse environmental effects have made energy efficiency and conservation more important than ever. Many heating and cooling applications benefit from using thermal energy storage in phase change materials (PCM). Isothermal nature and high volumetric capacity of PCM?s make them favourable. Challenge in PCM utilization is finding the optimum combination of appropriate melting point, thermal properties and encapsulation technique. For PCM microencapsulation the ultimate aim is not only to make PCM easier and safer to handle but also improve its thermal properties. In this study, thermal energy storage in microencapsulated PCMs was used to decrease heating and cooling load of a test building in Adana, Turkey. The results of application of microencapsulated PCMs with building elements showed that the melting temperature and latent heat of microencapsulated PCMs can be used for latent heat storage in buildings to save energy cost and electric power. Compared with an ordinary room, it was found that usage of Microencapsulated PCM in building applications has reduced the energy consumption by 5-10% compared to a conventional climate control solution during summer and 10-20% during winter. In order not to do other applications in different areas simulations were done with Design Expert Program and a model was devoloped. Simulations were in good agreement with experimental results and it's decided that devoloped model can be used for similar applications.