Passive thermal comfort from the most advanced phase

change technology

Datum Phase Change

The F.E.S-Board® panel is ideal for the construction of internal partitions to improve the comfort levels of the occupants through the temperature management performance of the phase change technology as well as stabilizing the moisture content within the room through the natural hygroscopic properties of the panel.

FABRIC ENERGY STORAGE

Phase change materials store energy in a latent form, undergoing an endothermic process to store heat energy when ambient temperature rises and an exothermic process to release this energy when the temperature drops. In building applications, these processes occur within a narrow temperature range close to the human comfort temperature with large amounts of heat being absorbed and released.

During the transition phases, the core of the microcapsule will melt as the room temperature reaches the transition temperature and in doing so will absorb latent heat where it will be stored until such time that the room temperature cools.

How Phase Change Materials (PCMs) Work

As the internal room temperature increases, the PCM core goes from a solid to liquid state and in doing so

absorbs and stores latent heat.

As the internal room temperature cools, the PCM core goes from a

liquid to solid state , releasing the

stored latent heat.

Solid Liquid Solid

Phase Change Material encapsulated in F.E.S-Board®

F.E.S-Board® panels incorporate the latest phase change material to provide a complete construction board for lightweight wall and ceiling systems that enhances both the thermal comfort and indoor air quality of a room.

Thermal Comfort and Well Being

Manufactured from abundant natural minerals, F.E.S-Board® is a breathable construction board that does not harvest the growth of mold and mildew and due to its hygroscopic performance, will absorb and release moisture from the surrounding environment to improve the occupants well being.

- Thermal Comfort Range: between 24 – 27°C

- Acoustic Performance: Up to 61 RwdB

- Enhanced Indoor Air Quality – Mold and Mildew Resistant

- pH Value: 7 - 10

Thermal Mass in Lightweight Structures A thermal mass is a material that absorbs heat from a heat source, and then releases it slowly. In buildings, thermal mass is provided by the structure of the building, the level of which is determined by the material the building is constructed from. Buildings constructed of lightweight materials such as steel or timber are not considered to have good thermal mass properties compared to concrete, brick and stone for the reasons that they either have low thermal conductivity performance therefore a low ability to absorb heat, or can absorb large amounts of heat but the rate of heat release is also high. Concrete, brick and stone are all materials that are able to absorb and store heat until the surface of the material is exposed to cooler conditions and its temperature begins to drop. When this happens, the stored heat transfers to the cooler surface and is released back into the building.

Stabilising effect of thermal mass on internal temperature – Source: The Concrete Centre

The ability to absorb and release heat in this way enables buildings with thermal mass to respond naturally to changing weather conditions, helping to stabilise the internal temperature and provide a largely self-regulating environment.

The role of a buildings thermal mass can be of benefit throughout the year. During the warm weather in summer, heat will be absorbed by the thermal mass in order to prevent overheating in the building, providing a more comfortable living or working environment in naturally ventilated building or in air-conditioned building, reduces the cooling demand on mechanical air-conditioning systems. Allowing cool air to ventilate the building at night allows heat that has been stored throughout the day to be removed.

This daily heating and cooling cycle works particularly well in countries such as the UK where night time temperatures are typically around 10 degrees less than peak daytime temperatures, making it an effective way of drawing heat from the structure of the building. The benefits of thermal mass during winter when heating demands are at their greatest, can help to reduce fuel consumption when used in a passive solar design. In doing so, solar gains in winter, along with heat produced from appliances, cooking, people and lighting, uses the thermal mass to absorb gains which is then slowly released overnight as temperatures fall, helping to keep the building warm and reducing the need for additional heating.

However most buildings constructed past and present do not utilise the thermal mass properties of the structure due to a number of reasons such as:

• The requirement to internally insulate buildings from heat loss and improve air

tightness, preventing heat conductivity into the buildings structure. • Secondary linings to the internal surface of the buildings structure for aesthetical

reasons, reducing the heat conductivity rate or removing any thermal mass performance where insulated panels are used.

• The structure of the building is of lightweight construction and has little or no thermal mass qualities.

F.E.S-Board® 169Wh/m² 25mm x 600mm x 1200mm Weight: 19.5kg/m²

1094

F.E.S-Board® 85Wh/m² 25mm x 600mm x 1200mm Weight: 19.5kg/m²

783

kJ/m²K

kJ/m²K

F.E.S-Board® wall and ceiling systems incorporating bio-based phase change materials, allow thermal mass to be incorporated into new build and retrofit projects faster and more economically compared to alternative construction methods such as concrete, both from a project cost and environmental perspective.

F.E.S-Board® Applications

Schools

Adopting an economic approach to the construction of school buildings often results in the construction of lightweight structures with very low thermal mass. This approach does not allow any high heat gains to be absorbed by the thermal mass parameters of the building.

Natural Ventilation is becoming increasingly popular in school design as a substitute for mechanical ventilation systems but this only provides between 30 – 40W/m² . Combining F.E.S-Board® with natural ventilation system provides additional thermal comfort of up to 169Wh/m² utilising a passive system

In comparison to a typical office environment, classrooms have a higher density of occupation which along with heat output from PCs, contributes to higher heat gain loads. Thermal Mass can be improved using F.E.S-Board® as an internal wall or ceiling system, without the loss of internal floor space.

Commercial

The demand for air conditioning in buildings worldwide is growing rapidly in response to increased building use and demands for comfort cooling by occupants. As such the energy consumed by air conditioning systems is expected to double from current levels by 2020 and already accounts for over 30% of a buildings total energy use.

This increase conflicts with the Governments goals to reduce the UK’s total CO2 emissions and makes it increasingly difficult for companies to meet its carbon reduction targets under the Carbon Reduction Commitment.

A typical air conditioned building has double the energy costs and associated CO2 emissions of a natural ventilated building as well as increased capital and maintenance costs. In the UK there are relatively few days where the temperatures are very high, however using comfort cooling for just this short period of time can cost as much as a whole years heating.

Incorporating F.E.S-Board into commercial buildings not only add thermal mass to lightweight structures but will reduce the energy demand of existing air conditioning systems by absorbing excess latent heat gains.

F.E.S-Board® Applications

Residential

In October 2010, the revised Part L regulations came into force that reflect the requirement of thermal mass to become part of the solution for low and zero-carbon buildings. Thermal mass can contribute to fabric energy efficiency by storing and releasing free heat gains from the sun and internal appliances in the winter and so help reduce heating energy requirements.

During the summer the same process is used to cool buildings. Daytime heat gains are stored in the fabric of the building thereby reducing the need for air-conditioning. The heat is then released as the building is cooled by night-time air.

Most modern buildings are lightweight steel or timber structures with large expanses of glazing. Whilst this method of construction is deemed more cost efficient and improves construction times, the use of these materials provides the building with little, if any, thermal mass and high exposure to solar heat gains.

F.E.S-Board® provides a highly effective means of avoiding or reducing the risk of overheating in the summer. Overheating is a growing problem linked to climate change. Lightweight homes with minimal thermal mass will be experiencing particularly acute problems in as little as 20 years because of high levels of insulation and airtightness in modern dwellings, which during the summer can prevent heat from escaping, increasing the risk of overheating. The presence of thermal mass / F.E.S-Board® can help to alleviate the problem.

Summer overheating in a S&W facing top floor apartment and semi-detached house, FEES. Source: Zero Carbon Hub modelling

F.E.S-Board® - Internal Wall lining Systems

Buildings retrofitted in EWI do not overheat to the same degree as those done in IWI. Logically this is because EWI encapsulates the existing thermal mass. This property controls rapid increase of internal temperature as the walls act as a heat sink, a phenomenon favourable in the summer. However, its presence will lead to higher energy bills in the winter as more energy is required to heat the building to offset the thermal mass. PCMs could be a solution to this as they have high thermal mass, albeit at specific melting temperatures.

In the UK, one third of CO2 emissions are currently caused by the domestic sector and two thirds of this value is due to space heating in homes. There are approximately 25 million houses in the UK that are currently below the building regulation standards for thermal insulation, and one third is classified as hard to treat (HTT) due to numerous reasons (owner preference, planning restrictions, etc.).

F.E.S-Board® panels incorporating bio-based phase change technology can be used in combination with phenolic and polyisocyanurate (PIR) insulations and with timber, metal or thermal composite stud systems.

Internal wall insulation (IWI) appears a favourable option as many HTT houses in the UK are highly aesthetical and encapsulate a degree of cultural heritage. However, this solution is coupled with one major disadvantage of summer overheating because of low thermal mass of insulation. Use of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) has been well recognised as an effective way to resolve or mitigate the overheating issue.

In a study, a series of simulations were undertaken, on a simple HTT property, insulated with IWI incorporating PCMs with the melting temperatures of: 18°C, 23°C, and 26°C. Internal temperature was monitored during extreme conditions experience in summer periods. In addition to this the same building was also simulated when encapsulating: no insulation, EWI, and ordinary IWI.

This investigation has shown in theory they can be used as a solution to reduction of overheating in IWI systems. Due to the current global economic crisis prices of energy can only rise and the UK still has its target of 80% reduction of CO2 emissions to reach by 2050. Approximately 20% of energy consumption in the UK comes from its energy inefficient housing stock and current solutions to this problem cannot be used for every property. This will lead to the requirement of innovative solutions and it is likely PCMs will be one of these.

European Design Number: 001911298-0001

References: EnergyPlus simulation analysis of incorporating microencapsulated PCMs (Phase Change Materials) with internal wall insulation (IWI) for hard-to-treat (HTT) houses in the UK (Department of Architecture and the Built Environment, University of Nottingham)

F.E.S-Board® Construction Details for Walls

Construction: 26mm x 80mm MF Channel on block / 25mm F.E.S-Board®

F.E.S-Board® L.H.C* 85Wh/m² or 169Wh/m²

Acoustic Performance 43 RwdB

Fire Performance** Euroclass B (EN 13501-1)

Construction: 50mm C-Stud / 25mm F.E.S-Board® / 25mm F.E.S-Board®

F.E.S-Board® L.H.C* 85Wh/m² or 169Wh/m² per board

Acoustic Performance 37 RwdB

Fire Performance** Euroclass B (EN 13501-1)

Construction: 25mm F.E.S-Board® / 50mm C-Stud / 25mm F.E.S-Board®

F.E.S-Board® L.H.C* 85Wh/m² or 169Wh/m² per board

Acoustic Performance 41 RwdB

Fire Performance** Euroclass B (EN 13501-1)

Construction: 25mm F.E.S-Board® / 50mm C-Stud / 40mm Rockwool (Density 40kg/m³) / 25mm F.E.S-Board®

F.E.S-Board® L.H.C* 85Wh/m² or 169Wh/m² per board

Acoustic Performance 45 RwdB

Fire Performance** Euroclass B (EN 13501-1)

* L.H.C = Latent Heat Storage Capacity ** Fire test on F.E.S-Board® panel only

Construction: 25mm F.E.S-Board® / 70mm C-Stud / 25mm F.E.S-Board®

F.E.S-Board® L.H.C* 85Wh/m² or 169Wh/m²

Acoustic Performance 45 RwdB

Fire Performance** Euroclass B (EN 13501-1)

Construction: 25mm F.E.S-Board® / 70mm C-Stud / 60mm Rockwool (Density 60kg/m³) / 25mm F.E.S-Board®

F.E.S-Board® L.H.C* 85Wh/m² or 169Wh/m² per board

Acoustic Performance 57 RwdB

Fire Performance** Euroclass B (EN 13501-1)

Construction: 25mm F.E.S-Board® / 50mm C-Stud / 50mm Rockwool (Density 40kg/m³) / 50mm C-Stud / 25mm F.E.S-Board®

F.E.S-Board® L.H.C* 85Wh/m² or 169Wh/m² per board

Acoustic Performance 55 RwdB

Fire Performance** Euroclass B (EN 13501-1)

Construction: 25mm F.E.S-Board® / 50mm C-Stud / 40mm Rockwool (Density 60kg/m³) / 25mm F.E.S-Board® / 50mm C-Stud / 40mm Rockwool (Density 60kg/m³ 25mm F.E.S-Board®

F.E.S-Board® L.H.C* 85Wh/m² or 169Wh/m² per board

Acoustic Performance 60 RwdB

Fire Performance** Euroclass B (EN 13501-1)

* L.H.C = Latent Heat Storage Capacity ** Fire test on F.E.S-Board® panel only

For Ceiling Applications

Direct lining onto timber joists Lining on MF Ceiling System

Typical Wall Height Construction

F.E.S-Board® Datasheet

Dimensions (mm)

Standard (white)

25 x 600 x 1200 25 x 700 x 1200

Moisture Resistant (pale blue)

25 x 600 x 1200 25 x 700 x 1200

Weight (kg / m²) 19.5

Peak Melting Temperature of PCM 24°C

Latent Heat Storage Capacity (Wh/m²)

85 169

Total Heat Storage Capacity (kJ/m²) (10 – 30°C)

783 1094

Fire Resistance (EN 13501-1) Euroclass B

Thermal Conductivity λ 0,35 W /m²K

Factor of Water Vapour Diffusion

μ 5,6/4,5

Impact Resistance Test norm UNI 8201 – soft body at 50kg

ADHESIVE & FINISHING

METAL COMPONENTS

52mm U-Channel Galvanised lightweight steel for use in non load bearing partition and wall lining systems.

72mm U-Channel Galvanised lightweight steel for use in non load bearing partition and wall lining systems.

* Coverage rates are approximate only.

50mm C-Stud Galvanised lightweight steel for use in non load bearing partition and wall lining systems.

70mm C-Stud Galvanised lightweight steel for use in non load bearing partition and wall lining systems.

Isolation Strip A self adhesive strip to isolate the C-Stud or U-Channel from substrate for acoustic performance.

Single Sided 20mm x 2mm

Single Sided 50mm x 2mm

Double Sided 50mm x 2mm

ANCILLARIES

F.E.S-Board® Adhesive, 25kg Coverage: 25m² per bag*

F.E.S-Board® Finish, 25Kg Coverage: 83m² per bag*

Datum Phase Change Ltd

www.datumphasechange.com

info@datumphasechange.com