Experimental research on the use of phase change materials in perforated brick rooms for cooling storage

• A new kind of phase change material with melting point of 26.5 °C was prepared.
• A phase change material macroencapsulated method-PCM panel was developed.
• Two PCM panel systems using in building envelop were created.
• Experiments of full size rooms applied with PCM panel systems were carried out.
• Three cooling storage strategies of PCM panel systems were analyzed.

With the increase of building area and pursuing for a higher indoor comfort, the energy consumption has been aggrandized. Due to the huge energy storage of phase change material (PCM), PCM using in buildings for energy saving has been one of the focuses. A new kind of PCM macroencapsulated method, PCM panel, was developed and experimented in two full size rooms; meanwhile, a same size of room without PCM panel was also built to be the reference. PCM panels encapsulating capric acid (CA) were installed on the outside surface in one room and the PCM panels encapsulating the mixture of CA and 1-dodecanol (CADE) with a melting point of 26.5 °C were used inside building. Furthermore, three operation measures, inclusive of free cooling, open window and door at night and forced ventilation at night with a low-power air exhauster, were carried out in experimental process, which occurs in summer. The result has produced the good effect of decreasing temperature peak, reducing temperature fluctuation and increasing the thermal inertia, and indicated the opportunity of PCM panel application.