Thermally activated building systems using phase-change-materials

This paper outlines the effects, the potential and the performance of thermally activated building systems (TABS), as well as an evaluating comparison with an all-air conditioning system by means of a validated building and plant model in ESP-r. Preliminary experiments in a commonly operated room of a low-energy office building facilitate the calibration of the simulation model. In particular, the simulation study was carried out for (i) concrete core conditioning, (ii) grid conditioning without and (iii) with 20% of micro-encapsulated PCMs applied to the ceiling. The central conclusions of this study are: (1) Grid conditioning provides a satisfactory room performance comparable with concrete core conditioning, (2) the application of PCMs contributes to a reduced operative room temperature, and (3) PCM with a melting range of 21 to 24 °C is most favourable throughout all applications.