Numerical Study on Thermal Performance of Microencapsulated PCM‐Integrated Concrete Blocks

The integration of microencapsulated phase change materials (MPCMs) in concrete blocks offers an innovative solution to enhance thermal performance and mitigate thermal stress due to temperature fluctuations. This study employed a numerical approach to simulate temperature distribution in a MPCM‐modified concrete block under real‐world conditions. By incorporating the latent heat term and an error function to capture the phase transition, the analysis provides valuable insights into optimizing PCM use in concrete applications. Results demonstrate that adding MPCMs significantly alters the thermal behavior of concrete blocks. Specifically, at a maximum temperature ( T max ) of 28°C, the inclusion of 5 wt% MPCM reduced the maximum internal surface temperature from 37.2°C to 32.1°C and increased its minimum temperature from 10°C to 19.8°C. Furthermore, daily power consumption decreased by 16.24 % when 5 wt% MPCM was utilized compared to conventional concrete.