Dec 14 2005
The launch of DuPont™ PCM panel at Batimat, the world's largest construction exhibition in Paris, France, attracted an array of industry professionals to the DuPont™ Building Innovations™ booth.
This new technology adds thermal mass to lightweight structure buildings -- such as timber framed or steel framed -- allowing for important energy savings and comfort improvements.
DuPont™ PCM is a flexible, five millimeter thick polymeric panel laminated on both sides with an aluminum foil. The phase change material, showing a melt point of approximately 22°Celsius (72° Fahrenheit), is finely encapsulated within a DuPont copolymer. This unique process allows for easy installation. A patent has been filed for both the composition and product application. This innovative product is the result of a project between DuPont™ Building Innovations™ and DuPont Packaging & Industrial Polymers.
A major innovation in the construction market, DuPont™ PCM will make it possible to promote buildings with light structures. PCM minimizes the drawbacks of these structures, namely significant temperature peaks and excessive energy consumption for heating and cooling. Due to the significant amount of energy absorbed when the melting phase occurs completely, the panel provides the building a major thermal inertia increase, similar to the result achieved with around 10 centimeters of concrete. Besides energy savings, the use of the panel results in a high thermal comfort as it reduces the indoor temperature peaks by 4° to 5° Celsius (39° to 41° Fahrenheit) without the need for forced air-conditioning.