Experimental analysis of thermal properties of cementitious composites incorporating PCM

thermal engineering

Phase change materials (PCMs) are high thermal energy storing materials. Adding PCMs into building materials is reported to give high thermal mass which gives higher energy efficiency. Researches show that effective thermal conductivity of concrete reduces with increasing PCM content in concrete. Energy efficiency and heat capacity of PCM-concrete are reported to be higher than plain concrete. In this paper thermal properties of PCM-concrete product are reviewed along with some mechanical properties. Incorporating PCM into concrete is found to lower the peak temperature and retards the time of occurrence of this peak temperature. PCM absorbs high heat which reduces cooling as well as heating load in building which in turn reduces the risk of thermal cracking. This review paper assembles thermal properties of PCM-concrete with mechanical properties to understand the complete behavior of concrete when PCMs are employed.

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