Heat transfer within mortar containing micro-encapsulated PCM: Numerical approach

An axisymmetric physical model based on the porous medium approach was performed to quantify the thermal gradients inside a building material containing microencapsulated phase change material (PCM) in the differential scanning calorimeter cells. The conservation equations are solved numerically using finite difference method. The general expressions of the specific enthalpy, the apparent heat capacity and the equivalent heat capacity are exposed. The influence of various parameters like the heating/cooling rate, the volume fraction of the PCM and the sample masse on the thermal behavior of these materials is investigated and discussed. Despite the small dimensions of the differential scanning calorimeter samples, important temperature gradients were observed during the phase change process of the PCM. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.