Bio-PCM - is it snake oil?

[John Cave]

Can one of the bright folks on here take a look at this and let me know if it is possible: http://www.phasechangeenergy.com/

I have come across the principal in micronal smartboard, but this seems to be a step further.

[Alan Clarke]

snake oil? No, it's lard!

(Well it may be some sort of fat.)
Will it absorb heat when melting and release it when solidifying? I would expect it to.

But phase change materials aren't the same as thermal mass - if you choose one tuned for winter solar gains it would melt at 20-21 C say, so in the summer it wouldn't help with overheating as it would already have melted some time in April.

[John Cave]

Snake Lard. Nice

Thanks Alan, good point.

Interesting quote:

“Increasing the thermal mass of buildings is one of the most overlooked solutions to our global energy crisis. In this sense, Phase Change Materials represent an important part of our world's future thermal management systems.”
Dr. Rusty Sutterlin,
PCM Scientist and grant recipient
National Science Foundation

[David OLIVIER]

Especially in the USA as what they call a house is close to the lowest mass achievable - 9 mm "drywall" with taped joints, the insulation behind it is 15 kg/m3 glass fibre, the ground floor is a wooden one above a basement and the external claddings don't make any impact as the wall is clad with metal or wood boarding and the roof is clad with felt or on a high-class house cedar shingles or corrugated metal.

David.