Assessment of the thermophysical, mechanical and structural properties of the natural zeolites-perlite composite plates for an enhanced Trombe wall application

This study presents a comprehensive investigation into the thermophysical, mechanical, and structural properties of natural zeolite-perlite composite plates intended for use as thermal mass elements in enhanced Trombe wall application. Natural zeolite composite plates were produced with 0 %, 2 %, 5 %, 7 %, 10 % and 15 % Perlite by volumes. The plates were produced with perlite content ranging from 0 % to 15 % by volume. Various characterization techniques including density, thermal conductivity, specific heat, volumetric heat capacity, thermal diffusivity, compressive strength, SEM-EDX, TGA, FT-IR, XRD, porosity, and BET analyses were conducted. Based on the evaluation of these properties, the composite containing 7 % perlite was identified as the optimal formulation, exhibiting a volumetric heat capacity between 2.20 x 106 and 5.29 x 106 J/m3 depending on temperature. A full-scale Trombe wall system incorporating the optimized plates was constructed and experimentally tested under real meteorological conditions. The results confirmed that the natural zeolite-perlite composite plates perform effectively as sensible heat storage materials and offer strong potential for applications in passive solar heating, zero-energy buildings, and other systems requiring thermal energy storage.