Determination of effective specific heat capacity of interior plaster containing phase change materials

A precise technique for determination of effective specific heat capacity of building materials is presented within this paper. The applicability of the technique is demonstrated on a PCM-enhanced plaster, being characterized by a phase change between 15 and 30 degrees C. The effective specific heat capacity is determined by means of inverse analysis of calorimetric data using computational model of the device. The identified effective specific heat capacity values reached up to 1890 J.kg(-1).K-1 when cooled and 1580 J.kg(-1).K-1 when heated. Using this quantity in simulation of thermal performance, the PCM-enhanced plaster showed to have a promising potential to be used in buildings' interiors as a thermal regulator to stabilize inner environment as it contributed to a thermal oscillation decrease by up to 2.5 degrees C