Experimental and multi-scale analysis of the thermal properties of Portland cement concretes embedded with microencapsulated Phase Change Materials (PCMs)

The present research deals with the investigation of a Portland cement concrete modified with organic microencapsulated Phase Change Materials (PCMs) named Micronal DS 5001 X, using experimental and homogenization approaches. First, a laboratory characterization of the PCM smart materials was performed using different experimental techniques. Second, different PCM-concrete mixtures were manufactured with different amounts of PCM. The specific heat capacity of PCM-concrete was analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry technique whereas the thermal conductivity was measured by hot disk. In addition, PCM-concrete mixes were subjected to artificial ageing then their thermal properties were analyzed. Besides, a homogenization approach was carried in order to predict the thermal conductivity of the PCM-concrete mixes. The results highlighted an improvement of the heat storage capacity of the PCM-concrete with the addition of PCMs. Moreover, a good correlation was noticed between the experience and the homogenization method for the thermal conductivity prediction. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.