article · Heat Transfer
Underfloor heating operates at low temperatures to maintain indoor comfort and energy efficiency. Integrating phase change materials into these floors enables thermal energy storage, but their low thermal conductivity often limits effectiveness. This numerical study evaluated the thermal behaviour of an underfloor heating system containing microencapsulated phase change materials enhanced with single and hybrid nanoparticles. The assessment examined how different nanoparticle proportions, material placement, and water temperatures influence floor performance. The findings indicate that installing the microcapsules above the heating pipes delivers the greatest thermal benefit. Furthermore, incorporating a hybrid nanoparticle mix of one percent copper and four percent aluminium oxide into the phase change material increased the temperature by four degrees Celsius. Compared with standard floors without storage materials, this system achieved an eighteen percent reduction in indoor temperature fluctuations alongside a six and a half hour thermal delay.
Heating floors can consume considerable energy to maintain comfortable indoor temperatures. By storing heat and releasing it slowly, enhanced phase change materials smooth out room temperature swings and delay heat loss. This approach can help buildings retain warmth for over six hours after active heating stops, leading to more stable living environments and potentially lower heating demand.
This technology is relevant to building designers, heating system manufacturers, and construction material developers aiming to enhance thermal storage in low-temperature underfloor systems. Because the findings rely exclusively on numerical modelling, the concept is at an early research stage. Experimental validation and physical prototyping are required before it can be translated into commercial building components or retrofitting solutions.
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Abstract A heating floor is a low‐temperature emitter consisting of pipelines in which a fluid circulates between 35°C and 45°C. To ensure energy efficiency, occupant comfort, and building material durability, proper heat management is crucial in buildings. By using phase change materials (PCMs) in building envelopes, the indoor temperature can be regulated through the storage and release of thermal energy, which reduces energy consumption and enhances occupant comfort. In this study, we evaluated numerically a heating floor that incorporates a PCM enhanced by nanoparticles (NePCM). The aim of the numerical analysis is to assess the impact of the addition of single and hybrid nanoparticles in different proportions to the PCM layer on the thermal performance of the PCM‐based floor. Therefore, two main objectives are defined. The primary is to take advantage of the storage capacity of a PCM layer by integrating it into the ground; second, to evaluate the hot water temperature levels effect on the floor's performance. Additionally, we address the low thermal conductivity of PCM by enhancing PCM microcapsules with single and hybrid nanoparticles and comparing them to pure PCM. The numerical results obtained show that positioning the PCM microcapsules above the heating tubes (upper position) provides an optimum improvement in thermal performance. Moreover, the addition of hybrid nanoparticles within the base PCM, 1% of Cu mixed with 4% of Al 2 O 3 , allows an increase of 4°C, which relates to a reduction of 18% in the internal temperature amplitude and a phase shift of 6 h 30 min compared with the conventional heated floor in which there is no PCM.
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DOI: 10.1002/htj.22853
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