Flammability assessment of Phase Change Material wall lining and insulation materials with different weight fractions

The built environment increasingly includes innovative material aimed at drastically reducing energy consumption. Various types of phase change material (PCM) products are available but under the current fire safety guidelines their usage may be restricted due to their flammability, as is the case for some insulation materials. This study assesses the quantified fire performance of two different PCM plasterboards, a PCM-polymer sheathed in aluminium, and a polymeric macroencapsulated PCM insulation material. Insulation materials are shown to release much greater amounts of energy and are highly ignitable, and thus often require a suitable fire barrier. The thickness and thermal properties of this can be specified for the specific application to prevent ignition of the PCM. Lining materials have similar normalised burning rates for different PCM loadings and thus the optimal energy savings can be defined. Designers can select the maximum quantity of PCM loading for an acceptable fire risk, thus allowing the greatest potential for saving energy. The use of this knowledge allows designers to select the most suitable PCM for their need, and can enable the usage of materials where they are currently restricted.