Development of a structural model with dynamic thermal conductivity for composite phase change materials: Numerical and experimental investigations
To address the thermal regulation optimization of composite phase change materials (CPCMs) in building envelopes, this study proposes a three-dimensional heat transfer model incorporating dynamic effective thermal conductivity. The model explicitly considers the random distribution of spherical phas...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Case Studies in Thermal Engineering |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X25006082 |
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| author | Feng Hou Leilei Li Xiaoning Cai Hairuo Wang Nina Gong Yazhi Zhu Hui Wang |
| author_facet | Feng Hou Leilei Li Xiaoning Cai Hairuo Wang Nina Gong Yazhi Zhu Hui Wang |
| author_sort | Feng Hou |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | To address the thermal regulation optimization of composite phase change materials (CPCMs) in building envelopes, this study proposes a three-dimensional heat transfer model incorporating dynamic effective thermal conductivity. The model explicitly considers the random distribution of spherical phase change macrocapsules (SPCMs) with metal shell thickness of 0.445 mm within a cementitious matrix. Innovatively, the enhanced heat transfer effect from natural convection in liquid PCM is dynamically coupled into the effective thermal conductivity, enabling real-time coupling between mesoscale structural changes and macroscopic thermal response. Experimental validations demonstrate that the model exhibits high prediction accuracy for temperature fluctuations on the phase-change plateau and energy storage efficiency. Parametric analyses reveal that increasing the SPCMs volume fraction from 5.07 % to 24.86 % extends the duration of the phase-change plateau by 147.4 % and enhances the latent heat storage density by 400 %. Furthermore, elevating PCM latent heat from 140 kJ/kg to 260 kJ/kg results in a total energy storage capacity increase of 31.1 %. However, increasing the phase-change temperature from 27 °C to 33 °C significantly decreases the storage efficiency by 81.3 %, highlighting a critical trade-off between material thermodynamic properties and environmental compatibility. This research provides essential theoretical insights for performance optimization of CPCMs in green building systems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f8191b3ed59b47d3ac5dce1b6da822f8 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2214-157X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Case Studies in Thermal Engineering |
| spelling | doaj-art-f8191b3ed59b47d3ac5dce1b6da822f82025-08-20T01:52:59ZengElsevierCase Studies in Thermal Engineering2214-157X2025-08-017210634810.1016/j.csite.2025.106348Development of a structural model with dynamic thermal conductivity for composite phase change materials: Numerical and experimental investigationsFeng Hou0Leilei Li1Xiaoning Cai2Hairuo Wang3Nina Gong4Yazhi Zhu5Hui Wang6. School of Civil and Ocean Engineering, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang, 222005, China. School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Zhengzhou University of Aeronautics, Zhengzhou, 450015, China. School of Civil and Ocean Engineering, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang, 222005, China. School of Civil and Ocean Engineering, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang, 222005, China. School of Civil and Ocean Engineering, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang, 222005, China. College of Civil Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China; Corresponding author. College of Civil Engineering, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai, 200092, China.. School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China; Corresponding author. School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Hainan University, 58 Renmin Road, Haikou, 570228, China.To address the thermal regulation optimization of composite phase change materials (CPCMs) in building envelopes, this study proposes a three-dimensional heat transfer model incorporating dynamic effective thermal conductivity. The model explicitly considers the random distribution of spherical phase change macrocapsules (SPCMs) with metal shell thickness of 0.445 mm within a cementitious matrix. Innovatively, the enhanced heat transfer effect from natural convection in liquid PCM is dynamically coupled into the effective thermal conductivity, enabling real-time coupling between mesoscale structural changes and macroscopic thermal response. Experimental validations demonstrate that the model exhibits high prediction accuracy for temperature fluctuations on the phase-change plateau and energy storage efficiency. Parametric analyses reveal that increasing the SPCMs volume fraction from 5.07 % to 24.86 % extends the duration of the phase-change plateau by 147.4 % and enhances the latent heat storage density by 400 %. Furthermore, elevating PCM latent heat from 140 kJ/kg to 260 kJ/kg results in a total energy storage capacity increase of 31.1 %. However, increasing the phase-change temperature from 27 °C to 33 °C significantly decreases the storage efficiency by 81.3 %, highlighting a critical trade-off between material thermodynamic properties and environmental compatibility. This research provides essential theoretical insights for performance optimization of CPCMs in green building systems.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X25006082Heat transferDynamic effective thermal conductivityComposite phase change materialsNatural convectionBuilding thermal regulation |
| spellingShingle | Feng Hou Leilei Li Xiaoning Cai Hairuo Wang Nina Gong Yazhi Zhu Hui Wang Development of a structural model with dynamic thermal conductivity for composite phase change materials: Numerical and experimental investigations Case Studies in Thermal Engineering Heat transfer Dynamic effective thermal conductivity Composite phase change materials Natural convection Building thermal regulation |
| title | Development of a structural model with dynamic thermal conductivity for composite phase change materials: Numerical and experimental investigations |
| title_full | Development of a structural model with dynamic thermal conductivity for composite phase change materials: Numerical and experimental investigations |
| title_fullStr | Development of a structural model with dynamic thermal conductivity for composite phase change materials: Numerical and experimental investigations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Development of a structural model with dynamic thermal conductivity for composite phase change materials: Numerical and experimental investigations |
| title_short | Development of a structural model with dynamic thermal conductivity for composite phase change materials: Numerical and experimental investigations |
| title_sort | development of a structural model with dynamic thermal conductivity for composite phase change materials numerical and experimental investigations |
| topic | Heat transfer Dynamic effective thermal conductivity Composite phase change materials Natural convection Building thermal regulation |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214157X25006082 |
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