(650h) Advanced Thermal Regulation Materials for Energy Saving and Thermal Comfort in Buildings

The building sector currently accounts for about 40% of primary energy use worldwide, of which over 50% is consumed by the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems. Furthermore, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the building energy use would rise by 50% in 2050 if no building energy efficiency improvements are carried out. Thus, there is an urgent need to seek energy-saving solutions for reducing the building energy use. Hence, advanced materials and systems are developed to regulate the thermal energy in buildings for reducing HVAC system energy consumption without compromising thermal comfort. Instead of regulating heat via the building envelope, the alternative strategy is to apply the advanced materials and systems on the human body envelope (i.e., clothing) for regulating the heat between the body and indoor environment and thereby achieve personal thermal comfort and energy savings. Besides, it creates a more comfortable microclimate around the human body than the air-conditioning system.

Oceanit designed and developed, a thermally conductive polymer, for improving the heat transfer in personal cooling applications. An advanced thermally conductive polymer was fabricated by incorporating high thermal conductive filler materials in a commercial polymer tubing material and high thermal conductive tubing was manufactured by an extrusion process. Thermally conductive polymer tubing demonstrated a 50% increase in thermal conductivity as verified by (ASTM E1461) and retained all mechanical property compared to traditional polymer tubing. An Active Cooling Suit, a garment that employs advanced tubing fabricated using this thermally conductive polymer to help regulate core body temperatures, was developed for military personnel including Army, Air Warriors, Submarine Welders, aircraft crews, and Firefighters. Active cooling suit under human trials demonstrated a nearly 30% more efficient heat transfer and while being 15% lighter than traditional cooling suits. In this presentation Oceanit will showcase the thermally conductive technology through material testing and evaluation conducted to achieve superior heat transfer rate and enhance cooling on individuals. Advanced thermally conductive materials can find unique applications in thermal regulation for energy saving and thermal comfort in industrial and building environment where efficient cooling is highly desired.