AIR CONDITIONING 1 BIOTECHNOLOGY
Datum Phase Change’s RACUS system claims to be the first bio-based passive phase change material to be used in building services systems. Andrew Brister takes a look at this CIBSE award-winning innovation
REMEDY
oya is good for you, right? Well, when it comes in the shape of Datum Phase Change’s RACUS system, it certainly could prove
to be good for the environment, too. RACUS, which stands for Reducing Air Conditioning Units and Systems, is a passive suspended ceiling tile incorporating bio-based phase change material (PCM) that makes use of the oil and fatty acids from the soya plant. The company behind RACUS, Datum
Phase Change, has designed and patented a number of building products incorporating organic, inorganic and eutectic PCMs.
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Datum claims that this is the world’s first bio-based PCM ceiling tile that absorbs, stores and releases latent heat gains to achieve indoor comfort for occupants, and to reduce the energy demand of HVAC systems. ‘In our latest generation of PCMs, we’ve
moved away from paraffin-based materials to soya-based modules,’ explains Mike Berry, managing director of Datum Phase Change. ‘With soya, we can achieve twice the thermal storage capacity and they are biodegradable, which is very important to clients that are considering cradle-to-grave solutions.’
July 2012 CIBSE Journal 39
BORN
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