Somerset House East Wing Redevelopment
In the lightweight 3rd floor of the Somerset House East Wing 1000m2 of the 14mm ebb™ PCM board were fitted. By adding 3000kg Micronal© PCM to the clay material, 110 kWh total heat storage capacity has been realized.
The weight of the ebb™ board is only 17kg/m2. To deliver the same in "traditional" thermal mass some 70mm thick concrete panels, weighing more than 140kg/m2, would have been necessary.
By using ebb™ PCM boards the 3rd floor now is a lightweight structure, being quickly heated by solar & internal gain, and a thermally heavy structure beyond the designed “switch point”, thus much less likely to overheat during summer.
When combined with 3kg/m2 of BASF’s Micronal© Phase Change Material, the 14mm ebb™ PCM board has the potential to convert light buildings into thermally heavy constructions. In many cases it is possible to discharge the latent storage of the PCM board by night-time ventilation. Therefore, mechanical cooling or evaporative cooling could be eliminated, or reduced.
The high surface-to-volume ratio of the board and its good thermal conductivity help to utilize the storage capacity over a short cycle (24 hours). Compared to strictly sensible thermal storage, the storage density of PCM-treated ebb™ boards is much higher, which allows to provide the necessary storage in a relatively thin layer.
The weight of the ebb™ board is only 17kg/m2. To deliver the same in "traditional" thermal mass some 70mm thick concrete panels, weighing more than 140kg/m2, would have been necessary.
By using ebb™ PCM boards the 3rd floor now is a lightweight structure, being quickly heated by solar & internal gain, and a thermally heavy structure beyond the designed “switch point”, thus much less likely to overheat during summer.
When combined with 3kg/m2 of BASF’s Micronal© Phase Change Material, the 14mm ebb™ PCM board has the potential to convert light buildings into thermally heavy constructions. In many cases it is possible to discharge the latent storage of the PCM board by night-time ventilation. Therefore, mechanical cooling or evaporative cooling could be eliminated, or reduced.
The high surface-to-volume ratio of the board and its good thermal conductivity help to utilize the storage capacity over a short cycle (24 hours). Compared to strictly sensible thermal storage, the storage density of PCM-treated ebb™ boards is much higher, which allows to provide the necessary storage in a relatively thin layer.