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Phase-Changing Microcapsules to Reduce Energy ConsumptionBreakthrough: Phase-change materials housed in microscopic containers and incorporated into construction materials to provide low-energy alternatives to air-conditioning systems. Business: Fraunhofer Institute and BASF The Story:  The amount of energy needed to keep homes, offices, and commercial premises cool and comfortable has risen steadily over the past few years. In Europe air conditioning units account for 15 percent of the total energy consumed. Recognizing the urgent need for low-energy alternatives fired up the imaginations of scientists and engineers from the Fraunhofer Institute, a large research organization in Germany that undertakes applied research for use in public and private enterprise. They teamed up with BASF to develop construction materials incorporating phase-changing microcapsules. Latent Heat Storage Phase-change materials–known as PCMs –are capable of storing and then releasing large amounts of energy when the material changes from a solid to a liquid and vice versa. Paraffin is a classic PCM. During the day paraffins melt in the room temperature range that lies between 20°C and 26°C. They absorb huge amounts of heat from the environment without making the room any hotter. Then at night when the temperature cools the wax solidifies and releases the heat energy it absorbed. Breakthrough Moment The idea of using phase-change materials to manage energy in buildings is not a new one. But the technical challenge that had stumped engineers for many years was how to incorporate these substances in construction materials. Then the Fraunhofer’s Prof. Dr. Volker Wittwer had a brainwave – why not package paraffin wax into tiny casings and incorporate these into construction materials such as plaster and putty? Scientists at BASF, one of the world’s leading chemical companies developed the packaging to enclose the PCMs. They came up with microscopic containers they call microcapsules. A microcapsule offers a number of advantages: - • As the solid to liquid phase change takes place in a tiny sphere, no wax can leak out • Diameter of each microcapsule is less than half the thickness of human hair meaning they are easy to incorporate into construction materials • Small volume and large surface area of each microcapsule means that heat is quickly absorbed and the cold rapidly released More Benefits Modern phase-change materials can prevent rooms from overheating, and they can be used in lightweight construction materials. According to the Fraunhofer Institute a 1.5cm thick layer of PCM plaster has the same heat capacity as a concrete or brick wall. Construction materials containing the microencapsulated phase-change materials can be used in new and old structures and they have already been incorporated into a few buildings in German towns and cities. The raw materials are now being sold under the brand name Micronal PCMR. At the time of writing (January 2010) they are not available to buy in DIY stores, though that is an intention. The key, according to Fraunhofer and BASF scientists is to incorporate them into the energy planning stages of a building. Economic Potential Professor Wittwer sees enormous economic potential in his innovation: “By 2050 we are hoping to cut energy consumption by 50 percent, and much of these energy savings will have to come from buildings. To do this efficiently, we need new technologies, and our materials will make a major contribution towards developing them.” [NEXT STORY] IdeaConnection: What Can we Solve for You?
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