PHASE CHANGE MATERIALS USED IN BUILDING ENVELOPES

The paper deals with phase change materials and ways to use them in building envelopes as heat storage units absorbing heat loads while in operation of buildings and structures. In terms of thermal protection, envelopes of enclosure provide comfortable parameters of the microclimate of buildings as well as hygiene and sanitary conditions at a given thermal energy consumption, both in cold and heat surplus period. As a rule, the development of specified microclimate buildings parameters is maintained by means of increasing the total thickness of wall structures in traditional construction. As a result, it causes the decrease of premises useful space and load increase affected load-bearing elements of the building. Thus, the choice of an effective means of wall structure, which has relatively small mass, high thermal characteristics for designers, builders and maintenance services, seems to be an urgent task. Building envelopes under consideration are based on the principles of thermodynamics, the laws of heat balance and thermal energy conservation. Based on considered options connected with building envelopes with phase state materials, which have received theoretical and practical concern in the construction field, solutions for their development have been proposed. The systematization of heat-storage materials with regard to their class and main characteristics allowed us to determine their use for specific applications in construction, to set a concept for the further development of energy-efficient and safe buildings, according to the purpose and type of the building envelope. The development of building envelopes with phase change materials stipulates for an integrated approach to design, taking into account cooperation and physicochemical properties of the materials used.

phase change materials, latent heat, meiting, encapsulation, solar energy, enthalpy