.jpg?n=2229 "ORNL Fire-Resistive Phase Change Material")
Recent improvements in building envelope technologies suggest that, in the near future, residences will be routinely constructed to operate with very low heating and cooling loads. The application of new building materials containing active thermal components such as phase-change materials (PCMs), which store heat during peak cooling hours and shed heat during off hours, will likely accelerate as builders progress toward “zero-energy” buildings. A new Fire-Resistive Phase Change Material developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tenn., Microtek Laboratories, Dayton, Ohio, and Advanced Fiber Technology, Bucyrus, Ohio, provides a solution to this potential demand. It is the first organic PCM that can be applied in U.S. buildings without increasing their flammability. In addition, it is derived from underutilized sustainable resources (plant and animal fats), offering a green alternative to petroleum-based paraffinic PCMs. Specially-designed microcapsules retain high thermal stability and flexibility throughout repeated thermal cycles and provide all the benefits of conventional paraffinic microcapsules—with the added safety features required to meet strenuous fire codes.