Preparation and performance study of a novel radiant panel for thermal and cooling storage with phase change materials

Abstract

Phase change radiant panels (PCRPs) with thermal storage can enhance the heat capacity of buildings, and reduce building energy consumption. In this paper, a composite phase change material (CPCM) was prepared by paraffin wax-lauric acid/expanded graphite (PW-LA/EG) and applied to radiant panels. This CPCM exhibits a broad temperature range for phase change (10°C - 40°C), with EG at the optimal mass fraction of 14% and PW-LA at the optimal ratio of 1:1. It has a moderate latent heat capacity, a thermal conductivity of 1.692 W/mK, and excellent thermal stability. Furthermore, the simulations were performed in this paper, and the year-round comfort, thermal storage/release characteristics, and the influencing factors of PCRPs were evaluated by TRNSYS software. The results show that the PCRP can enhance indoor comfort throughout the year and exhibit excellent thermal storage and release properties. The analysis of influencing factors indicates that the thickness of the PCM has a small impact on the PCRP. It is recommended that a radiant panel coverage rate of at least 70% and a water supply time of 10 h in summer and 8 h in winter. These optimized parameter values can offer valuable guidance for the design and practical application of PCRPs. Practical application Phase change materials have been widely studied as materials used for thermal energy storage. The radiant panel with phase change materials can enhance the heat capacity of buildings, and reduce building energy consumption. This paper proposes a phase change radiant panel that can be used to solve the problem of year-round energy storage of radiant panels in hot summer and cold winter areas. Furthermore, this paper uses TRNSYS software to study the performance of the phase change radiant panels and offers valuable guidance for the design and practical application of PCM radiant panels.