Development of Efficient and Practical Passive Solar Building Systems with High Recycled Content Using the Preplaced Aggregate Concrete Technology

82 Development of Efficient and Practical Passive Solar Building Systems with High Recycled Content Using the Preplaced Aggregate Concrete Technology--DPD, Inc., 2000 Turner Street, Lansing, MI 48906-4053; (517) 349-5653 Dr. Jer-Wen Hsu, Principal Investigator Ms. Faragnis Jamzadeh, Business Official DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-97ER82359 Amount: $75,000 Concrete is a key component of most passive solar building systems. The surface and mass of concrete accomplish the tasks of absorption and storage of energy. Concrete cannot, however, effectively distribute the stored energy within the building system. This project intends to overcome this deficiency by improving the directional thermal conductivity of concrete while maintaining its advantages in absorption and storage of solar energy. The approach adopted in this project involves the construction of a multi-layered preplaced aggregate concrete, where the aggregates in each layer are recycled materials possessing different thermal characteristics suiting the absorption, storage, and distribution tasks in passive solar building designs. The Phase I research will resolve the processing issues relevant to the production of the new preplaced aggregate concrete system and will validate the advantages of this system in passive solar building designs. The Phase II research will fully develop and optimize the system, will make a comprehensive assessment of its thermal, structural, and durability characteristics, and will develop analytical models and cost criteria for incorporating the system into different passive solar building systems. Commercial Application and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: Modern concrete technology provides opportunities for value-added recycling of some major waste products in efficient, practical, and low-cost passive solar building systems. These techniques are compatible with conventional building design and construction practices, thus facilitating the broader incorporation of passive solar designs into the mainstream practice of building construction.