Tuesday, November 16, 2010

PCM wall section proposal

Two layers of pcm are used in this wall section -- one high temp layer directly adjacent to the exterior cladding (in this case metal) and another low temp layer adjacent to the interior finishing panel.  

The high temperature material changes phase at a temperature closer to the exterior temperature, 90 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit.  The purpose of this layer is to absorb and store some of the heat from the outside to lower the amount of energy that is transferred to the interior.

Separating the two pcm layers is a layer of insulation to further inhibit the transfer of energy between inside and outside.  The interior layer of pcm changes phases at a lower temperature that is closer to the human comfort range (74 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit).  The combination of these layers should increase the comfort of the interior and reduce the temperature swing experienced.

The interior finishing panel is designed to increase its surface area to allow for a greater interface between the pcm and the interior of the room.  In this case the panel design increases the surface area by 50% over a standard planar element.

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