Adaptive Insulation System based on Thermochemical Actuation for Heat Flux Control in Thermally Activated Building Structures (TABS)

Abstract

The increasing demand for energy-efficient buildings has prompted the development of innovative solutions, including adaptive building envelopes. One such solution is the controllable insulation layer, which has the potential to significantly reduce building energy consumption. The working principle of the controllable insulation layer is to adjust the gas pressure in openpored insulation panels to control thermal conductivity along an S-shaped curve (Knudsen effect). This can be achieved by using thermochemical materials by precisely setting the temperature of the reaction material and thus the gas pressure can be adjusted reversibly along the equilibrium line. By coupling the thermochemical reaction with an open-pored panel, an insulation system with adjustable thermal conductance is realized. Figure 1 gives a schematic overview. The approach proposed here is based on a thermochemical metal hydride reactor component that serves as control unit for the gas pressure and thus for the heat flux which is integrated in a vacuum insulation panel and steered externally. The contribution will present a novel design of the thermochemical reactor, along with experimental proof of function as well as an analysis of power demand and dynamic evaluation of the gas pressure variation and the resulting switching behavior.