Ecological Multifunctional Climate Ceiling

E mc2

Improving the indoor climate at lower operational costs.

With Improvements in the thermal insulation of buildings, there is a growing need for active cooling in the summer period. Conventional cooling methods are energy i ntensive and create t emperature fluctuations, which have a negative effect o n the comfort l evel inside. T o counteract t hese e ffects, t he new W ilo head office in Westzaan, (the Netherlands) has been equipped with the Ecological Multifunctional Climate Ceiling.
The challenge f or B enthem C rouwel Architects, was to design the new Wilo office on a narrow site bordering open water. Their solution was to c reate a slender, t wo s tory, steel construction, designed w ith a profiled cladding exterior extending 20 metres over the water. This stand out feature was only possible by using a lightweight, thermally insulated design. The brief was to create an innovative roof solution that provided low operational costs for heating and cooling with a pleasant indoor climate. The concept developed b y Corus Construction Centre N L, i n collaboration with Architects Benthem C rouwel and D eerns I nstallation Consultancy, combines acoustic dampening w ith a thermally active building element capable of buffering energy. Contrary to conventional building-part activation systems, the specific combination of t hermal activation and t he steel r oof channels filled with a thermal mass m ix containing P hase Change Materials (PCMs) allows for a quick r esponse o f the energy b uffer; cooling or heating relatively fast upon changing indoor conditions.

Corus energy solutions E mc2 Constructive element Acoustic dampening Climate ceiling Energy Buffering & storage
The E mc2 roof was one of three nominees f or t he N ational E nergy Awards 2008 in Holland. In May 2009 this innovative system w on t he p restigious regional T ata Innovista award in t he promising innovation category. Corus has a patent pending for the E mc2 system focussing on the technical operation.

Added value of E mc2 Energy - total - and peak consumption, shifting energy peak Sustainability - 100% recyclable, high material efficiency Comfort - Acoustics, low temperature heating / cooling Savings - Installation investment costs saving

www.CorusBouw.nl

info@corusbouw.nl

tel: +31 (0) 2514 94500

Corus and SAB-profiel E mc2

Acoustic dampening
The steel ceiling panels form the heart of the system. Normally a closed suspended ceiling would improve the acoustic dampening in a building; in case of the E mc2 ceiling, the panels should stay exposed for them to have maximum impact on the indoor climate. A partially permeable suspended ceiling could be installed underneath the E mc2 ceiling but would reduce the thermal and acoustic performance. This means that the acoustic characteristics of the panels are as important as the thermal characteristics of the steel ceiling. By partially perforating the steel panels, an optimal balance was obtained between acoustic dampening and thermal characteristics. A membrane combined with a layer of mineral wool further improves the acoustic dampening. The specially designed steel load bearing roof profiles with perforation stretching from top to sides of the channels have been developed for this project in cooperation with Corus SAB-Profiel. By increasing the perforated area by as much as 50%, a significant increase in dampening has been achieved. activation, it is necessary to supply a heating or cooling source. A common solution is to supply the heat/cold by transporting a liquid (water) through flexible tubes in the ceiling. The thermal conductive Steel profile significantly increases the effective heating / cooling area by carrying away the heat / cold from the tubes and dividing it over the steel surface. The energy storage and buffering is achieved by filling up the channels of the profile with thermal mass mixed with Phase Change Materials.

Ecological Multifunctional Climate Ceiling

Composition of the Wilo ceiling
encapsulated in a polymer shell. The phase transition of paraffin from solid to liquid state requires a lot of energy. This energy is stored in the PCM and is released during the reverse phase transition. By absorbing (and releasing) this energy the room is held at a constant temperature. The PCM itself is a very good insulator, which is why water is circulated through tubes in the PCM-mix; this distributes the energy evenly, increasing the effect of the PCM and preventing local temperature fluctuations. The effect of the PCM can best be explained by comparing the system with a glass of water with an ice-cube; As long as there is ice in the glass of water, the temperature of the water will not increase. The same applies for the E mc2 climate ceiling; As long as the PCM is not fully converted into the other phase, the temperature in the room will remain unchanged. It will take several hours for the PCM to be fully converted, causing the temperature peak to be shifted to after-working hours. The PCM can then be regenerated by using either night cooling or by conventional cooling at a favourable night-time rate. The tubing in the E mc2 ceiling can also be used to regenerate the PCM on demand, should the PCM be converted quicker than expected (on a very hot day). The consequence of the energy storage & buffering in the ceiling is a significant reduction in required peakpower. Test have proven that about 40-50% less power is consumed compared to conventional active cooling systems. The Phase Change-mix has been fabricated by mixing liquid PCM (dissolved in water) with concrete in the normal process as used in a concrete mixing plant. The liquid PCM-mix has then been pored into the channels of the steel roof-panels using a conventional concrete pump. This makes E mc2 a very practical solution, that can be adopted in most construction environments The climate ceiling of the new Wilo office acts as a study-case for the possibilities and development of E mc2. Corus and SAB-Profiel are continuing their work on expanding the climate ceiling product range combining several active and passive systems. At this point in time individual solutions for climate ceilings are possible.

Energy storage & buffering

E mc2 ceiling contains an energy buffer that, in the specific case of cooling, has the capacity to autonomously provide cooling for a considerable period of time. To increase the thermal accumulating effect of the ceiling without significantly increasing the overall weight, Corus has proposed to mix the limited thermal mass with PCMs. The accumulated thermal mass of the roof has been doubled by adding only a small percentage of Micronal. The thermal mass acted as fire-proof filler to reduce the overall system cost (compared to a PCM-only system). The PCM used in this project is Micronal 5030-X with a phasetransition temperature of about 21 degrees centigrade. The Micronal grains consist of a paraffin sphere Qualitative effect of energy buffering
50,0 45,0 40,0 35,0

Deg C

30,0 25,0 20,0 15,0 10,0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 hrs

Climate ceiling
Metal is perfectly suited for creating a climate ceiling. The large surface of the profiled steel panels can radiate heat or cold into the room at comfortable levels. To achieve this building.

Outside temp.

Temp room without PCM

Temp room with PCM

www.CorusBouw.nl

info@corusbouw.nl

tel: +31 (0) 2514 94500

www.CorusBouw.nl

info@corusbouw.nl

tel: +31 (0) 2514 94500

Qualitative energy storage capacity E mc2

16 14

Project data
Location: Rak, Industrieterrein Hoogtij, Westzaan Contractor: Wilo Nederland B.V. Design: Benthem Crouwel Architekten Installations advisor: Deerns Raadgevende Ingenieurs Profiled steel supplier: Corus / SAB-profiel Micronal PCM supplier: BASF Implementation: De Geus Bouw, Broek op Langedijk Construction advisor: Pieters Bouwtechniek Delft BV

Representative unit

12 10 8 6 4 2 0 17,5 18,5 18,5 19,5 19,5 20,5 21,5 22,5 22,5 23,5 (C) Te mp er ature inte rval Reference + PC M 20,5 21,5 23,5 24,5

Reference

Additional costsY
Redesigned perforated steel panels Foil for assembly and protection Increased construction weight Allocation of PCM mix Costs of PCM-mix Costs of tubing

ield
10-15% energy savings (low temp heating/cooling) Extra 25% savings for shifting cooling peak-power requirements. Extra 25% savings in case of sustainable regeneration. Lower investment in cooling/heating equipment Saves costs of suspended ceiling

Contact: Corus Bouw Nederland tel +31 (0) 251 494 500 Postbus 10000 1970 CA IJmuiden