Innovative Methods to Integrate Phase Change Materials into Canadian Buildings

建筑业占全球温室气体排放量的三分之一以上。在建筑物中使用储能是一种很有前途的解决方案，可以抵消一些供暖需求，并有助于促进可再生能源技术的更广泛采用，加速电网的脱碳。存在许多用于利用太阳能和减少空间空调负荷的储热选项，但大多数都需要大型、昂贵的基础设施，这些基础设施无法轻易改造到现有建筑中。为了克服这些挑战，相变材料（PCM）通过吸收或释放大量热量来改变其物理状态，可以集成到建筑物的建筑物外壳或内墙中，并充当热存储系统。将PCM集成到新的和现有的建筑构件中，可以大大有助于减少空间加热和冷却需求，同时不会占用宝贵的可用建筑空间。申请人研究计划的长期目标是通过战略性使用和整合新的绝缘和蓄热材料来减少加拿大建筑物的能源消耗。在这一更广泛的目标范围内，短期目标是开发和评估加拿大建筑物中被动和主动热存储的PCM解决方案，并解决其广泛使用的许多挑战和障碍。为了实现这一目标，三个主要的研究问题将得到解决：RQ1：如何提高建筑能源建模，以确定表面温度分布，以及如何使用新的方法来模拟建筑集成PCM？第二个问题：是否可以将具有不同熔点的多种PCM集成到单个建筑构件中，以满足加拿大的综合供暖和制冷负荷？第三个问题：如何将被动和主动PCM系统结合到单个建筑集成蓄热系统中，以调节太阳能增益与空间加热和冷却需求之间的不匹配？共有3位博士，2名硕士和4名本科生将在本研究计划中接受培训。初步研究表明，建筑物的供暖和制冷负荷可能减少30%。将这一减排纳入建筑物将对实现加拿大的排放目标和国际承诺非常宝贵。目前，PCM技术在加拿大还不能广泛应用，因为合适的复合PCM系统还没有达到技术成熟水平，无法大规模实现其效益。该计划将提高复合PCM系统的技术准备水平，以提供有效的集成，实验和模拟方法，以及突破性的新解决方案，使PCM的好处得到收获。

The building sector contributes over one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions. The use of energy storage in buildings is a promising solution to offset some of the heating needs and can help facilitate a wider adoption of renewable energy technologies and accelerate the decarbonization of the grid. Many thermal storage options that function to harness solar energy and decrease space conditioning loads exist, but most require large, costly infrastructure that cannot easily be retrofitted into an existing building. To overcome these challenges, phase change materials (PCM), which change in their physical state by absorbing or releasing large amounts of heat, can be integrated into the building envelope or interior walls of a building and act as a thermal storage system. The integration of PCM into new and existing building components can significantly contribute to reducing space heating and cooling requirements, while not occupying valuable, usable building space. The long-term objective of the applicant's research program is to reduce the energy consumption of Canadian buildings through the strategic use and integration of new insulating and thermal storage materials. Within this broader goal, the short-term objective is to develop and evaluate PCM solutions for both passive and active thermal storage in Canadian buildings and address the many challenges and barriers to their widespread use. To achieve this, three main research questions will be addressed: RQ1: How can building energy modelling be improved to determine surface temperature profiles, and how can new methods be used to model building integrated PCM? RQ2: Can the use of multiple PCM with different melting points be integrated into single building components to meet Canada's combined heating and cooling loads? RQ3: How can passive and active PCM systems be combined into a single building integrated thermal storage system to regulate the mismatch between solar gains and space heating and cooling demands? A total of 3 Ph.D., 2 M.A.Sc. and 4 undergraduate students will be trained in this research program. Preliminary studies have shown a possible reduction of up to 30% in both the heating and cooling loads of the building. Integrating this reduction into buildings would be invaluable in meeting Canada's emissions targets and international commitments. PCM technology cannot be widely realized in Canada at present, as suitable composite PCM systems are not at a technology readiness level that allows their benefits to be realized on a large scale. This program will increase the technology readiness level of composite PCM systems to provide effective integration, experimental, and simulation methods, as well as ground-breaking new solutions that will allow the benefits of PCM to be reaped.