Review on Latent Thermal Energy Storage for Building Applications

Increasing the energy efficiency of the building is an alternative to reduce energy consumption while improving thermal comfort in order to confront the climate change and fossil fuel limitations. One of the options is the use of thermal energy storage as a practical way to save energy and improve its utilization. Thermal energy storage, classified into sensible heat storage and latent heat storage, is presented in this paper focusing on phase change materials (PCMs) as a promising solution to reduce energy consumption in buildings. The identification of different PCM classifications (organic, inorganic and eutectic PCMs), their particular characteristics and the candidate materials for building applications are reviewed. This review identifies key gaps in PCM deployment, such as the low thermal conductivity of organic PCMs, the supercooling of inorganic PCMs, and proposes research priorities. Active and passive latent heat storage technologies used in building applications are also summarized. For passive systems, which do not require conventional energy, the common methods of PCMs integration in building materials such as concrete, gypsum board, ceiling or floor are enumerated in this paper.