Control aspects of latent heat storage and recovery in concrete

This paper presents the results of macro scale tests that compare the therm al storage performance of ordinary concrete blocks with those that have bee n impregnated with two phase change materials (PCM). One is a commercial Bu tyl Stearate (Emerest 2326), and the other is a commercial Paraffin (Unicer e 55). The comparative characteristics of these PCM - concrete combinations were examined. Also, the effect of air velocity was studied in respect to the control of the rates of heat storage and discharge. This research is an extension of the laboratory scale work in this area, which were carried ou t in recent years. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.