Underfloor Heating and Residential Uses of PCMs

A PCM system that is used for thermal storage greatly increases the density of heat energy that can be accumulated within a building structure. At the same time it ensures a more even release of the stored heat than is possible with other storage methods.

PCMs can be used with equal benefit for both "wet" systems incorporating embedded pipes and electric cable heating.  It will be of special interest where "free" heat sources, such as solar collectors or condenser heat recovery, can be exploited.  A PCM floor warming systems will be applied to wide variety of buildings within the private, public and commercial sectors.  Being totally safe and non-intrusive it is particularly suited to housing, schools, hospitals, swimming pools and other sports  facilities.  It also offers an attractive solution to the problem of atrium and greenhouse heating.

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LATENT HEAT STORAGE

A PCM system makes use of the latent heat phenomenon to achieve high thermal density with constant heat output. Latent heat is the large quantity of energy which needs to be absorbed or released when a material changes from the solid to the liquid state (fusion) or from the liquid to the solid state (crystallization). These phase changes take place at constant temperature and the process of melting and freezing can be repeated over an unlimited number of cycles with no change to their physical or chemical properties.

When properly installed PCMs will provide many decades of operational life. Such materials have therefore, the potential for being used to store substantial amounts of thermal energy where only a small change of temperature is permissible. By comparison, with the same temperature limitations, a conventional sensible heat storage system, such as water or concrete, would occupy a volume several times greater than the latent heat store.

Purpose made chemical compositions with fusion temperatures appropriate for heating requirements are available. PCM Thermal Solutions has available test results of a number of these to establish their total physical congruity and their commercial acceptability in terms of non-flammability, non-toxicity and good thermal performance. It is now possible for PCM Thermal Solutions to offer the successful phase change materials (PCM's) for thermal energy storage applications.