Claims
- 1. A method for impregnating a porous, non-metallic solid material with a phase-change material, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a phase-change material having a melting point above room temperature; wherein said phase-change material absorbs microwave energy to an extent sufficient to cause melting thereof;
- (b) applying said phase-change material to the surface of said porous material; and
- (c) exposing said phase-change material to microwave energy in a manner such that said phase-change material melts and is absorbed into said porous material.
- 2. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said porous material comprises gypsum wallboard.
- 3. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said porous material comprises a cellulosic substrate.
- 4. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said phase-change material comprises a polyhydric alcohol.
- 5. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said porous material has a porosity of at least 30%.
- 6. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising the steps of providing a sealing chemical, applying said chemical to said surface of said porous material, and exposing said sealing chemical to microwave energy in a manner such that said sealing chemical melts and is absorbed into said porous material.
- 7. A method in accordance with claim 6, wherein said sealing chemical is selected from the group consisting of paraffin wax, ethylene/vinyl acetate polymers, and polyolefin polymers.
- 8. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said phase-change material is selected from the group consisting of polyhydric alcohols, tris(hydroxymethyl)-aminomethane, and norbornene anhydride.
- 9. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising the steps of providing a solid fire-retardant material, applying said fire-retardant material to said surface of said porous material, and exposing said porous material to microwave energy in a manner such that said fire-retardant material melts and is absorbed into said porous material.
- 10. A method in accordance with claim 9, wherein said fire-retardant material is selected from the group consisting of phosphate esters, halogenated hydrocarbons, and antimony trioxide.
- 11. A method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising the steps of providing a sealing chemical having a melting point above the melting point of said phase-change material, mixing said sealing chemical with said phase-change material to form a mixture, and applying said mixture to said surface of said porous material.
- 12. A method in accordance with claim 11, further comprising the steps of providing a fire-retardant material having a melting point above room temperature and mixing said fire-retardant material with said phase-change material and said sealing chemical.
- 13. A method for impregnating a porous, non-metallic solid material with a mixture which is effective in maintaining interior building temperatures within prescribed limits, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) forming a mixture of a phase-change compound with a sealing chemical; wherein said compound has a melting point above room temperature; wherein said compound absorbs microwave energy to an extent sufficient to cause melting thereof; wherein said sealing chemical has a melting point above that of said phase-change compound;
- (b) spreading said mixture onto the surface of said porous material;
- (c) exposing said phase-change compound to microwave energy in a manner such that said phase-change compound melts and is absorbed into said porous material, after which said sealing chemical melts and is absorbed into said porous material.
- 14. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein said porous material comprises gypsum wallboard.
- 15. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein said porous material comprises a cellulosic substrate.
- 16. A method in accordance with claim 15, wherein said porous material comprises wood.
- 17. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein said phase-change compound comprises a polyhydric alcohol.
- 18. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein said powdered sealing chemical is selected from the group consisting of paraffin wax, ethylene/vinylacetate polymers, and polyolefin polymers.
- 19. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein said phase-change compound is selected from the group consisting of polyhydric alcohols, tris(hydroxymethyl)-aminomethane, and norbornene anhydride.
- 20. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein said phase-change compound comprises at least 50% by weight of said mixture.
- 21. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein said porous material has porosity of at least 30%.
- 22. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein steps (b) and (c) are repeated at least once using additional quantities of said mixture.
- 23. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein said mixture further includes a solid fire-retardant material having a melting point above room temperature.
- 24. A method in accordance with claim 23, wherein said fire-retardant material is selected from the group consisting of phosphate esters, halogenated hydrocarbons, and antimony trioxide.
- 25. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein said porous material comprises concrete.
- 26. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein said porous material comprises fibrous material.
- 27. A method for impregnating a porous, non-metallic solid material with a phase-change material, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a phase-change material having a melting point above room temperature; wherein said phase-change material absorbs microwave energy to an extent sufficient to cause melting thereof; wherein said phase-change material has a viscosity less than about 100 cps. at its melting point;
- (b) applying said phase-change material to the surface of said porous material; and
- (c) exposing said phase-change material to microwave energy in a manner such that said phase-change material melts and is absorbed into said porous material.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of our copending application Ser. No. 07/668,522, filed Mar. 13, 1991,
CONTRACTUAL ORIGIN OF THE INVENTION
The United States Government has rights in this invention under Contract No. DE-AC02-83CH10093 between the United States Department of Energy and the Solar Energy Research Institute, a Division of the Midwest Research Institute.
US Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
4572864 |
Benson et al. |
Feb 1986 |
|
Non-Patent Literature Citations (1)
Entry |
Benson et al., "New Phase-Change Thermal Energy Storage Materials for Buildings" III International Conference on Energy Storage for Building Heating & Cooling 1985. |
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
668522 |
Mar 1991 |
|