Thermal behaviour of concrete sandwich panels incorporating phase change material

ABSTRACT In this study, the influence of phase change materials (PCM) on the thermal behaviour of concrete sandwich panels was investigated. Sandwich panels are known for their high thermal efficiency however, this research proposed the integration of a PCM concrete layer to maximize the ability of PCM to store heat and slow down the rate of heat transfer. The thermal behaviour was tested by supplying heat energy to specimens until the core temperature reached 60°C. Specimens were allowed to cool until the core temperature returned to 40°C. The thermal behaviour was recorded and analysed. Three specimen types were tested: solid panels (SL), sandwich panels (SW) with and without a PCM concrete layer. For all SW panels, a 10-mm air gap was introduced between two layers at three different locations. Results showed that the air gap behaviour was modified with the heat transfer process by creating temperature lagging, thus resulting in a slower rate of heat transfer across the specimens. The temperature lagging was observed in SW panels and varied depending on the location of the air gap. The application of PCM in SW panels further reduced the rate of heat transfer and decreased the fluctuation of temperature lagging magnitude.