Preparation of Expanded Perlite-Based Energy Storage Materials and Their Impact on Building Energy Consumption

Using capric acid （CA）， palmitic acid （PA）， and octadecanol （OD） as phase change materials， expanded perlite （EP） as the adsorption medium， a CA-PA-OD/EP shaped phase change material was prepared by the melt adsorption method. The microstructure， thermal properties， and thermal stability of the shaped phase change material were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy， scanning electron microscopy， differential scanning calorimetry， and thermogravimetric analysis. Then， the shaped phase change material was combined with foam concrete to prepare phase change foam concrete with good thermal storage performance and the ability to regulate room temperature. Its performance parameters such as dry density and thermal conductivity were measured. Finally， a building model was established using BIM software， and the energy consumption and indoor thermal comfort of the phase change foam concrete in building walls were analyzed using PKPM green building software. The research results showed that the phase change temperature of the shaped phase change material was 21.03 ℃， and the latent heat of phase change was 93.59 J/g. The composite process maintained the chemical integrity of each component； The results of TG indicated that the residual mass fraction of unencapsulated shaped phase change material was 50.12% at 290.5 ℃， and the residual mass fraction of encapsulated shaped phase change material was 55.37% at 312.6 ℃； The heat storage and release curve showed that the prepared shaped phase change material had temperature regulation and control characteristics. The phase change foam concrete material was introduced into green building for energy-saving evaluation， thermal insulation analysis， and indoor thermal comfort evaluation. It was concluded that the phase change foam concrete could reduce building energy consumption and had good thermal insulation and heat retention effects. The shaped phase change material and its foam concrete had both high heat storage performance， strong thermal insulation ability， and engineering applicability， which could effectively enhance building energy efficiency and low-carbon benefits.