Have you ever wondered how ice keeps drinks cold?
As the ice cube melts, it absorbs heat or thermal energy from its surroundings. The molecular
vibrations of the ice increases and the cohesive bonds between the molecules break apart. Molecules
are now bonded together with less strength and a different geometry, which forms water. During
melting, the average kinetic energy of the ice and water molecules does not change. The
temperatures of both are also the same and don't increase. That’s why the drink stays cold.
Conversely, when water turns into ice, work is done by cohesive forces to bring
the molecules closer together and reduce their vibrations. Energy or heat is released
to allow them to stay together. This is called the latent heat of freezing.
Ice melting and turning into water, or water evaporating and becoming vapor is called a
change of state or change of phase. Some other phase change materials have been used to create
insulation products for buildings. They can minimize heating and cooling loads
because of their potential to absorb and release heat during melting and solidification. Or during
change in phases. A local company called QE Platinum gave me these samples to review.
The product comes in panels measuring 4′ x 1.5′ x 3/8″. They weigh less than 1 lbs per SF. The outer
covering is made of conductive materials like thick aluminum foil. They hold separate cells
of squishy phase change material or PCM. There are 3 main types of phase change materials:
Organic materials like paraffin wax
or non-paraffin like fatty acids, esters, alcohols and glycols.
Inorganic materials like salt hydrates and metal alloys.
Eutectics which are a combination of organic and inorganic materials
This particular phase change insulation is made of organic and biodegradable soybean
oil. It is a waxy, non-toxic paste with small lumps of solids. Once it’s exposed to air,
it starts to dry up into a white residue. This material works in 3 stages during the day.
When the sun rises in the morning, the semi-solid phase change material
starts absorbing thermal energy to melt. Throughout the day, the material continues
to melt. It absorbs and stores up to 100+ BTU per square foot.
During the night, the phase change material prepares for a
new day by returning to its solid state. This timelapse demonstrates the performance of
phase change insulation. On the left we have a piece of foam insulation being heated with
an incandescent light bulb. On the right, the foam insulation is supplemented with a piece of
phase change insulation. As time goes on the space on the left gets hotter much faster.
At the end of the experiment, the left side is at 81F while the right is only 66.5 F.
Traditional forms of insulation like fiberglass, rockwool and foam resist the flow of heat by
conduction, convection or radiation. Phase change insulation operates differently. They capture
and store thermal energy or heat. In summer, they slow down indoor heat gain and in winter,
they slow down heat loss. Instead of only relying on air conditioning or HVAC equipment,
we can use this material to minimize indoor air temperature fluctuations. We can also improve
comfort levels, and reduce energy consumption. We can shift our peak
energy consumption to evenings and nights, when electricity is cheaper. It is estimated that
1.5” of phase change insulation has an equivalent thermal mass to 12 inches of concrete.
It has excellent fire resistance. Both the interior paste and aluminum film didn't catch on
fire. It has a Class A Fire safety rating, Flame spread of 5, Smoke developed index of 5.
It is also resistant to water. The product is self-healing. In case
a pocket is punctured, the material inside develops a thin, hard film that prevents the
rest of the material from spilling out. The product is estimated to degrade less than 2%
over 100 years. It comes with a 30 year warranty and guaranteed 20% energy savings for certain
homes or buildings. This leads to lower CO2 emissions and lower water consumption. Its outer
layers are recyclable and the inner components are non-toxic to both the environment and humans.
It is odorless, it doesn’t off-gas or release any VOCs or volatile organic compounds.
It is very easy to install this insulation. It is pliable,
lightweight, and easy to handle. It doesn’t require any prep work, clean up, maintenance
or extra machines and tools. It lays directly on top of existing insulation in attics, or on
top of suspended ceiling tiles. It doesn’t need to be mechanically fastened with staples.
Before we move on to the numerous applications of phase change insulation, I’d like to talk
about the sponsor of this portion of the video, Roofing4US. They are the biggest online roofing
materials supplier in the US. Roofing4US ships all their products nationwide to contractors.
Roofing4US is cheaper than big name brands and offers high quality products for less.
Brands such as Fakro, Velux Skylights, Suntec, National Nail, Trufast Walls,
Malta Dynamics, Lucas Waterproofing, and more are available online to purchase today and to
be delivered directly to your job site. Use Promo Code Belinda5 to receive an additional 5% discount
off your next order with Roofing4US.com. Phase change insulation is currently used for
a wide variety of applications, not just insulation.
It is used for the transportation of cold storage vaccines, medicines and blood
Thermal battery can be made with biowax
It keeps milk, food and beverages cold It is also used to keep food warm
You can protect electronic device and cool computers
* And it's used as phase change drywall. I’ll make another video on that product
as soon as I get my hands on a sample I have several feet of blown-in insulation
in the attic of my 1970s home. It’s difficult to find beams and walk around the space. Phase change
insulation mats lay directly on top of existing insulation, so it's easier to walk around. In
commercial applications, these mats are installed on top of the suspended ceiling. Installation is
very quick and causes minimal disturbance, so it is ideal in restaurants and offices.
Like with every product, there are some disadvantages. These mats don’t replace
traditional insulation. They are used as a supplement. A pretty expensive supplement. They
cost $3.50 per sq ft, but the price is expected to come down as production scales up.
Phase change materials work best in temperate climates. They need to have moderate to large
variations between daytime and overnight temperatures. This is necessary to recharge
the phase change material. They don’t work well in coastal tropical regions where there is little
variation between daily temperatures. Early versions of phase change materials used
salt and keratin which were corrosive and only lasted 10 years. Thanks to continuous research and
development, this product has improved a lot and continues to improve. Phase change materials are
not a silver bullet for better building performance. You have to consider the building
orientation and available solar gain. They should be used with other energy efficiency measures,
like improved levels of insulation, reducing drafts and efficient glazing. Let me know what you
think about this product in the comments below. I’ll link my Patreon page in the description. If
you can support me, I’d really appreciate it. A big thank you to everyone already supporting me.
Don’t forget to hit the like button and subscribe to my channel. Thanks for watching. See ya.