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Article from issue 6/2005 »Solar Architecture«

PCM Latent Thermal-Storage Media - Heating or Cooling without Energy Consumption

technology p. 660 - 665
Author Kaltenbach, Frank |

Drafts
Active wall systems with water cooling
Cooling soffits in passive systems
PCM-bearing slab

Latent thermal-storage media – also known as phase-change materials (PCMs) – are products that within a limited temperature range around their melting point (i.e. at the phase change from a solid to a liquid state or vice versa) are able to absorb large quantities of thermal energy without undergoing a rise in temperature themselves. In building construction, this property can be exploited as a means of heating or cooling without the use of additional energy. Within the relevant temperature range, the thermal storage capacity is much greater than that of heavy, solid building materials like concrete or brickwork. For that reason, latent thermal-storage media are commonly used in lightweight forms of construction.