Phase change wallboard for peak demand reduction

Book · Fri Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1993

OSTI ID:55538

George, K L; Shepard, M

After more than a decade of research in university and government laboratories, wallboard impregnated with a phase change material (PCM) appears to be close to commercialization, and could prove to be a powerful peak demand management tool for utilities, particularly in the residential sector. As a lightweight, easily installed thermal storage medium, PCM wallboard could be suitable for both new construction and retrofit applications. Computer simulations performed at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) predicted that PCM wallboard could shift more than 90 percent of the sensible load of a residential air-conditioning system to off-peak periods, and could permit a 30 percent reduction in equipment capacity. Residential winter peak loads could also be reduced. An Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) simulation showed that PCM wallboard could reduce peak heating demand by a third in a Tennessee climate. With more than 70 billion square feet of plasterboard produced annually in the US, widespread adoption of PCM wallboard could have a significant impact on peak load, while moderating temperature swings and enhancing comfort in homes and perhaps commercial spaces as well. Energy savings are also possible when PCM wallboard is used to take advantage of solar gain. LANL simulations predict 28 percent heating energy savings in a Boston passive solar house, and 54 percent savings in Denver. ORNL researchers support these findings -- they calculate that moving windows to the south and adding PCM wallboard could save from one-third to one-half of the heating energy needed in a Denver home.

• OSTI ID: 55538
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
25 ENERGY STORAGE
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
BUILDING MATERIALS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
COOLING LOAD
ENERGY CONSERVATION
HEATING LOAD
IMPREGNATION
PASSIVE SOLAR HEATING SYSTEMS
PHASE CHANGE MATERIALS
SEASONAL THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE
THERMAL COMFORT
THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE EQUIPMENT
WALLS