Volume 2: Innovative Solutions for Energy Transitions: Part I

Thermally Enhanced Geopolymer Concrete to Mitigate Airconditioning Demand in Buildings Yasir Rashid , Abdel Hamid I. Mourad , Ahmed Hassan

Abstract

Thermal properties of geopolymer concrete (GPC) are enhanced by adding phase change material (PCM) capsules. The capsules were developed and tested in our previous research. In total, five compositions of GPC cubes were developed for testing, one pure geopolymer as a reference, two compositions by 50% volume substitution of pure geopolymer with the two different PCM capsules and two compositions by 50% substitution of each porous material for comparison. Thermal and structural tests were conducted to investigate the effects of capsules on the properties of produced GPC. The produced thermally enhanced GPC can reduce heat transmission to indoors in the hot climates like the United Arab Emirates and its compressive strength is acceptable for non-loadbearing wall components.

Keywords phase change materials, geopolymer concrete, U-value, peak temperature damping