Climate Envelope Structure With PCM Storage and Passive Ventilation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional climate envelopes for buildings face challenges such as high energy consumption due to heat loss and cooling needs, increased costs with thick insulation, thermal bridges, inefficient ventilation, and the lack of integrated heat and cold storage solutions, which are not effectively addressed by existing technologies.
Innovation Solution
A climate envelope system utilizing a thin, ventilated thermos-like shell made of wood with integrated PCM and insulating materials, featuring a wood-based structure with air gaps and PCM units for efficient heat and cold storage, and fresh air intake from below to reduce energy consumption and enhance comfort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If thick insulation (30-50 cm for walls, 40-50 cm for roofs) is used to reduce heat loss, then energy efficiency is improved, but living space is reduced by up to 10% and construction cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite insulation structures combining multiple materials with different thermal properties. The wall assembly includes inner and outer insulation layers with air gaps, creating a multi-layer composite system that achieves superior thermal performance with reduced overall thickness compared to single-material solutions.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulation system is nested within the wall structure itself, with insulation layers positioned between structural elements. The air gaps and insulation layers are embedded within the wall assembly, allowing high insulation performance without increasing external wall dimensions, thus preserving living space.
2Loss of energy
If thick insulation is used to reduce heat loss, then energy efficiency is improved, but construction cost per square meter increases
Solution Approach 1:
The insulation system is divided into separate modular layers including inner insulation, air gaps, and outer insulation. This segmentation allows for standardized production of wall panels with pre-installed insulation layers, reducing on-site construction time and labor costs while maintaining high thermal performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes thin but highly effective insulation materials and air gap configurations that provide superior thermal resistance per unit thickness. This approach reduces the overall material volume required while achieving the same or better insulation performance, thereby lowering material costs.
3Ease of operation
If traditional ventilation with fresh air intake from above is used, then air circulation is achieved, but energy consumption increases by up to 50%
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional ventilation approach by introducing fresh air from below rather than from above. This reversal utilizes natural buoyancy forces, where warm indoor air rises and exits through upper openings, creating a passive upward flow that draws fresh air in through lower openings without requiring energy-intensive mechanical systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The ventilation system operates autonomously using natural convection and buoyancy forces. The temperature difference between indoor and outdoor air creates self-sustaining air circulation, eliminating the need for powered fans or mechanical ventilation equipment and reducing energy consumption by up to 50%.
4Use of energy by moving object
If solar panels and collectors are installed to produce heat energy, then renewable energy utilization is improved, but excess heat energy is produced during sunny periods requiring additional heat storage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates solar thermal collectors directly into the building envelope, merging the energy production system with the structural shell. The collectors are incorporated into wall or roof assemblies, eliminating the need for separate external mounting structures and reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The building envelope serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support, thermal insulation, and solar energy collection. The integrated collectors contribute to both heat water and space heating, while the same envelope structures that protect the building also house the energy production systems.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution provides improved heat and cooling efficiency, reduces energy consumption by up to 50%, minimizes thermal bridges, and offers a cost-effective, climate-positive climate envelope that is easy to assemble and install, while promoting the use of renewable energy sources.
Implementation Method 1
insulating material (2), wherein the insulating material has a thermal conductivity of 0.005-0.012 W/(m·K)
Implementation Method 2
PCM (Phase Change Materials) is a well known technology
Implementation Method 3
The heat can for example consist of the heat from a human body or the indoor air heated by the sun. In this step, the PCM acts as a heat reservoir, absorbing the heat and changing phase
Implementation Method 4
an air gap (3)
Implementation Method 5
a surface layer with endothermic effect (1A)
Implementation Method 6
heat rises naturally towards the ceiling. Cool fresh air from intake below automatically find its way to heat sources
Data Source
AI summary
A construction material for climate envelopes including floor, walls, roof, windows and case moldings with outer layer made of wood with a surface layer with endothermic effect, insulating material with a surface layer of metal, an air gap for air circulation inside the material and out towards adjacent rooms through intake air from floor space, spaces enclosing a PCM material with a surface layer of metal to heat and cool the house, heat water, heat and refrigerate food. The climate envelope contains solar collectors when glass is substituted for the exterior layer of wood and has the shape of a cuboid or prism for transport and storage of energy. The climate envelope may be produced by that people not skilled in the art assembles a construction kit having an area of 15 square meters and which consitutes a home module, and wherein several modules can make up larger building.