Mit Hilfe von experimentellen Untersuchungen wird nachgewiesen, daß sich die nutzerseitig abgegebene Wärmestromdichte des außenwandnahen Fußbodenbereiches nicht allein über die Differenz zwischen der Heizflächen- und Raumtemperatur beschreiben läßt. Die Ableitung verallgemeinerbarer Berechnungsansätze ist Schwerpunkt der Arbeit. Die experimentellen Untersuchungen erfolgen in einem Modellraum in Originalgröße. Meßtechnisch erfaßt werden die Oberflächentemperaturen, die Lufttemperaturverteilung, die Luftgeschwindigkeitsverteilung und die örtliche Gesamtwärmestromdichte der beheizten Fußbodenbereiche. Der konvektive Wärmeübergang wird maßgeblich von der über dem Fußboden umgelenkten Falluftströmung an der Außenwand beeinflußt. Zur Berechnung der örtlichen Maximalgeschwindigkeiten wird ein einfacher Berechnungsansatz entwickelt. Mit Hilfe numerischer Untersuchungen erfolgt ein Vergleich verschiedener Heizsysteme hinsichtlich der Empfindungstemperaturverteilung.

In today’s increasingly energy conscious society, the methods of providing thermal comfort to humans are constantly under scrutiny. Depending on the climate, and the comfort requirements of the occupants, buildings can be designed to heat and cool occupants with passive methods, as well as mechanical methods. In the subtropics, where buildings often need to be heated in the winter and cooled in the summer, a synthesis of these two methods would be ideal. However, there is a disconnect between the integration of passive cooling and mechanical air conditioning, in subtropical architecture. A study of user attitudes, based out of Australia, found that, “Central control of temperatures has been used to cut demand by preventing users from altering thermostats and other parts of the building for microclimate control. In particular, windows are sealed to prevent tampering.”1 Reliance on air conditioning has the everyday person convinced that if we save energy in the right places, we can use air conditioning as much as we like. The same study goes on to state, “Air-conditioning has been assumed to replace the need for climate design features in buildings creating poor thermal design and high energy use.”2 This can be most clearly seen in our public buildings. Fully conditioned buildings pump cool air into sealed envelopes, adjusting the thermostat to regulate thermal comfort year-round, often in a climate in which mechanical air conditioning is needed only four months of the year, and during the warmest hours of the day. Inversely, ventilated buildings provide passive cooling in a climate in which the temperature and humidity are often too high for thermal comfort during the same four months of the year. In his book Natural Ventilation in Buildings, Francis Allard points out that the global energy efficiency movement, begun in the early 1990s, has now emerged as a concept that incorporates active air conditioning and sitespecific climate design of buildings into one holistic approach.3 However, these buildings exist in more dry and temperate climates, and do not fully apply to the subtropics as cooling models. A model is needed for subtropical architecture allowing a building to reach both ends of the spectrum; from natural ventilation, through mechanical ventilation, to mechanical air conditioning. The goal of this thesis is to design a hybrid model for subtropical architecture which maximizes the use of natural and mechanical ventilation, and minimizes the use of mechanical air conditioning. The vehicle for this explanation is the design of an educational facility. Research of thermal comfort needs for occupants in the subtropics was accompanied with observation studies. This research was compared with case study, site and program analysis. The analysis was supplemented by a handbook of passive and mechanical cooling which was compiled to aid in establishing cooling strategies for the design process. The implementation of the research and analysis was brought to a conclusion that successfully achieved the goals of this thesis. By using passive methods to lower the temperature of the air surrounding the classroom buildings, the incoming air used to cool the occupants reached temperatures low enough to be considered comfortable inside the classrooms.

This work presents the use of numerical modeling and simulation for the analysis of transport phenomena in engineering systems including zero boil-off (ZBO) cryogenic storage tanks for liquid hydrogen, refrigerated warehouses, and human-occupied air-conditioned spaces. Seven problems of medium large spaces in these fields are presented. Numerical models were developed and used for the simulation of fluid flow and heat and mass transfer for these problems. Governing equations representing the conservation of mass, momentum, and energy were solved numerically resulting in the solution of velocity, pressure, temperature, and species concentration(s). Numerical solutions were presented as 2-D and 3-D plots that provide more insightful understanding of the relevant transport phenomena. Parametric studies on geometric dimensions and/or boundary conditions were carried out. Four designs of ZBO cryogenic liquid hydrogen storage tank were studied for their thermal performance under heat leak from the surroundings. Steady state analyses show that higher flow rate of forced fluid flow yields lower maximum fluid temperature. 3-D simulation provides the visualization of the complex structures of the 3-D distributions of the fluid velocity and temperature. Transient analysis results in the patterns of fluid velocity and temperature for various stages of a proposed cooling cycle and the prediction of its effective operating term. A typical refrigerated warehouse with a set of ceiling type cooling units were modeled and simulated with both 2-D and 3-D models. It was found that if the cooling units are closer to the stacks of stored packages, lower and more uniform temperature distribution can be achieved. The enhancement of thermal comfort in an air-conditioned residential room by using a ceiling fan was studied and quantified to show that thermal comfort at higher temperature can be improved with the use of ceiling fan. A 3-D model was used for an analysis of thermal comfort and contaminant removal in a hospital operating room. It was found that if the wall supply grilles are closer to the center, the system has better performance in both contaminant removal and thermal comfort. A practical guideline for using CFD modeling in indoor spaces with an effective meshing approach is also proposed.

Nowadays, office buildings often have large temperature variations during the day and building envelope acts as an energy storing mass and damp these effects and so Offices need more cooling because of internal heat sources. But we know that cooling is more expensive than heating and it uses the very good quality of energy sources (exergy). Controlled Active Mass (CAM) is new approach to absorb radiant heating and acts as a passive cooling device. It has direct cooling effect and reduces the peak load. CAM is a new cooling system design with applying the low energy sources and operates at water temperature close to room temperature and increase the efficiency of heat pumps and other systems. In this project, we calculated the transient heat transfer analysis for CAM in a very well insulated test room with façade wall, Internal heat generators (such as Manikin, Computer simulator & lighting) and ventilation. Then Polished (shiny) CAM constructed from Aluminum sheets with 0.003 m thickness. It is cube shape with 0.6 m length. This size of CAM is according to 2.5 times larger than human body volume and initial water temperature assumed near half of human body temperature. Then in order to more radiation damping (absorption) by CAM, it painted black (also based on color analysis in heat transfer calculation). Some velocity and temperature measurement have been carried out on both polished CAM and black CAM, after visualization by smoke and Infrared Camera. And more cases tested to see the effect of façade wall, IHG’s and ventilation inlet temperature. Thermal comfort measurement also have been done for finding PMV, PPD and temperature equivalent for a seated person which is doing an office job with normal closing. At the end results discussed which includes the effect of CAM in room, differences between polished CAM and black CAM and effect of main heat sources on both CAM types (Polished / Black).

Energy consumption for heating and ventilation of buildings is still in 2011considered far too high, but there are many ways to save energy and construct lowenergy buildings that have not been fully utilised. This doctoral thesis has focused onone of these - low temperature heating systems. Particular attention has been given tothe ventilation radiator adapted for exhaust-ventilated buildings because of itspotential as a low energy consuming, easily-operated, environmentally-friendlysystem that might also ensure occupant health and well-being. Investigations were based on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations andanalytical calculations, with laboratory experiments used for validation. Main conclusions: Low and very low temperature heating systems, such as floor heating, in general createan indoor climate with low air speeds and low temperature differences in the room, whichis beneficial for thermal comfort. A typical disadvantage, however, was found to beweakness in counteracting cold down-flow from ventilation air supply units in exhaustventilatedbuildings. with ventilation radiators, unlike most other low temperature systems, it was found thatthe risk of cold draught could be reduced while still maintaining a high ventilation rateeven in cold northern European winters. ventilation radiators were found to be more thermally efficient than traditional radiators. design of ventilation radiators could be further modified for improved thermal efficiency. at an outdoor temperature of -15 °C the most efficient models were able to give doublethe heat output of traditional radiators. Also, by substituting the most efficient ventilationradiators for traditional radiators operating at 55 °C supply water temperature, it wasfound that supply water temperature could be reduced to 35 °C while heat outputremained the same and comfort criteria were met. lowering the supply water temperature by 20 °C (as described above) could givecombined energy savings for heating and ventilation of 14-30 % in a system utilising aheat pump. supply water temperatures as low as 35 °C could increase potential for utilising lowtemperature heat sources such as sun-, ground-, water- or waste-heat. This would beparticularly relevant to new-built “green” energy-efficient buildings, but severaladvantages may apply to retrofit applications as well. Successful application of ventilation radiators requires understanding of relevant buildingfactors, and the appropriate number, positioning and size of radiators for best effect.Evaluation studies must be made at the level of the building as a whole, not just for theheating-ventilation system. This work demonstrated that increased use of well-designed ventilation radiatorarrangements can help to meet regulations issued in 2008 by the Swedish Departmentof Housing (Boverket BBR 16) and goals set in the Energy Performance of BuildingsDirective (EPBD) in the same year. / QC 20110328 / STEM Projektnummer:30326-1 Energieffektiva lågtemperatursystem i byggnader

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The use of solar energy in buildings, to improve the comfort environmental conditions implies in the reduction of energy consumption. Since this is a clean, renewable and abundant energy, the use of design strategies that use the sun's energy makes the buildings more sustainable. This study aimed to develop a combined system that captures solar energy on the roof of buildings, then using this energy in two different purposes. A fraction of this power is used for heating water, and the other portion is destined for building thermal conditioning in cold periods, through a heating system that inflating the heated air. First of all, it was defined a preproject of the combined system, considering the constraints of the project and analyzed the appropriated materials and their thermal characteristics that would be used in various parts of the system. Based on this pre-design and review of the literature was possible to develop a mathematical model to evaluate the applicability of the system in the climate it was proposed, which was performed considering the July's climatic data. The results obtained shows that the heating subsystem could elevate the temperature within the residence up to 7 ° C at most, and for about 30% of hours to let the building's temperature achieved thermal comfort. In the water heating Subsystem, in the month of July, the temperature increased by 5.5 ° C and in the months of December, January, February and March the water temperature exceeds 35 ° C, we can consider that the hot water demand in these months is met without the use of electricity. Considering the month adopted as July, a month with limited solar irradiance of the year, for study pourpose, this combined system showed positive results, which will also improve for other months of the year. / O aproveitamento da energia solar em edificações, para melhoria das condições ambientais de conforto, implica na redução do consumo de energia elétrica. Considerando que essa é uma energia limpa, renovável e abundante, o uso de estratégias de projeto que utilizam da energia do sol torna as edificações mais sustentáveis. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo desenvolver um sistema combinado que faz a captação de energia solar no telhado das edificações, aplicando essa energia em dois propósitos diferentes. Uma fração dessa carga térmica é utilizada para o aquecimento da água de consumo, e outra parcela é destinada para o condicionamento térmico da edificação nos períodos frios, através de um sistema de calefação dos ambientes pelo insuflamento do ar aquecido. Foi definido primeiramente um pré-projeto do sistema combinado, sendo consideradas as condicionantes do projeto e analisados os materiais mais adequados quanto as suas características térmicas para utilização nas diversas partes do sistema. Baseado neste pré-projeto e na revisão de literatura foi possível desenvolver a modelagem matemática para avaliação da aplicabilidade do sistema para o clima para o qual foi proposto, a qual foi realizada considerando os dados climáticos do mês de julho. Os resultados obtidos demonstram que o subsistema de calefação conseguiu elevar a temperatura no interior da residência em até 7 oC no pico máximo, e durante aproximadamente 30% das horas conseguiu deixar a temperatura da edificação em conforto térmico. No subsistema de aquecimento de água, para o mês de julho, a temperatura aumentou em 5,5 oC, nos meses de dezembro, janeiro, fevereiro e março a temperatura da água ultrapassa os 35 oC, podemos considerar, que a demanda de água quente, nesses meses seja suprida sem o uso de energia elétrica. Considerando que o mês adotado é julho, mês com irradiância solar mais limitada do ano, para a região do estudo, o sistema combinado proposto apresentou resultados positivos, os quais vão ainda melhorar para os outros meses do ano.

Submitted by Socorro Pontes (socorrop@ufersa.edu.br) on 2017-08-28T13:47:21Z No. of bitstreams: 1 HericaGTD_TESE.pdf: 2847524 bytes, checksum: 79ea86b1575cb492d15eda3fcefca5cb (MD5) / Rejected by Socorro Pontes (socorrop@ufersa.edu.br), reason: referencia on 2017-08-28T14:40:20Z (GMT) / Submitted by Socorro Pontes (socorrop@ufersa.edu.br) on 2017-08-28T14:41:45Z No. of bitstreams: 1 HericaGTD_TESE.pdf: 2847524 bytes, checksum: 79ea86b1575cb492d15eda3fcefca5cb (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Vanessa Christiane (referencia@ufersa.edu.br) on 2017-08-28T14:42:59Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 HericaGTD_TESE.pdf: 2847524 bytes, checksum: 79ea86b1575cb492d15eda3fcefca5cb (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Vanessa Christiane (referencia@ufersa.edu.br) on 2017-08-28T14:43:11Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 HericaGTD_TESE.pdf: 2847524 bytes, checksum: 79ea86b1575cb492d15eda3fcefca5cb (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-28T14:43:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 HericaGTD_TESE.pdf: 2847524 bytes, checksum: 79ea86b1575cb492d15eda3fcefca5cb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-04-27 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The temperature control in Apis mellifera is realized by the bees themselves through behavioral adjustments in order to keep the temperature at optimum levels. Unfavorable climatic conditions such as high temperatures and intense solar radiation can cause overheating of the colonies and consequently damage to beekeeping. The objective of this work was to evaluate how africanized bees (Apis mellifera L.) control temperature under different conditions, exposed and protected from direct solar radiation in a semiarid environment. Three colonies of Africanized bees housed in Langstroth hives that were changed every 3 months were used, total of twelve colonies. The internal temperatures and humidity of the three colonies were recorded using thermohygrometer. The body surface temperature of the bees was measured in three parts of the bee's body, head, chest and abdomen, using a mini infrared thermometer. Observations of the social behavior of ventilation were classified into four levels ranging from none to high ventilatory activity. When the hives were in the shade the internal temperature of the hives remained within the range considered optimal, while in the sun, this condition was not reached. In the shade, the bees managed to keep the relative humidity stable. In the sun, there was an increase in internal humidity as the bees carried water to the hive in order to lower the internal temperature. The ventilation behavior was much more expressive in hives than in the sun, since in the shade only few bees were recruited for this task. The bees that were in the shade, managed to maintain their body temperatures at relatively normal levels, while the bees that was in the sun, had a considered increase of its temperatures. The chest temperature is the highest, followed by the head and abdomen. The mechanisms of temperature control used at colony level and at individual level in the shade were, low ventilation activity and heat transfer to the head, respectively. In the sun, at colony level were distribution of water in the hive and high activity of ventilation and at the individual level transfer of heat to head and abdomen and use of water to wet the body surface. The results obtained in this work, represent a mean collected data of individuals surface temperature of the bees and data of temperature and humidity inside the hives, which constitute important subsidies for an understanding of three fundamental principles for a beekeeping, or abandonment of the bees In drought, a low productivity in the semi-arid and a need of construction of cans for the supply of shade in the apiaries / O controle de temperatura em Apis mellifera, é realizado pelas próprias abelhas através de ajustes comportamentais de forma a manter a temperatura em níveis ótimos. Condições climáticas desfavoráveis, como altas temperaturas e intensa radiação solar podem causar o superaquecimento das colônias e consequentemente prejuízos para a apicultura. Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar como as abelhas africanizadas (Apis mellifera L.) realizam o controle de temperatura, sob duas condições distintas, expostas e protegidas da radiação solar direta em ambiente semiárido. Foram utilizadas três colônias de abelhas africanizadas alojadas em colmeias modelo Langstroth que eram trocadas a cada 3 meses, totalizando doze colônias. Foram registradas as temperaturas e umidades internas das três colônias, utilizando-se um termohigrômetro digital. A temperatura de superfície corpórea das abelhas foi aferida em três partes do corpo da abelha, cabeça, tórax e abdômen, utilizando-se um mini termômetro de infravermelho. As observações do comportamento social de ventilação foi classificada em quatro níveis que variavam de nenhuma, a alta atividade ventilatória. Quando as colmeias estavam na sombra a temperatura interna das colmeias permaneceu dentro da faixa considerada ótima, enquanto ao sol, essa condição não foi alcançada. Na sombra as abelhas conseguiram manter a umidade relativa estável. Já no sol, houve um aumento da umidade interna pois as abelhas levavam agua para a colmeia com o intuito de baixar a temperatura interna. O comportamento de ventilação foi bem mais expressivo nas colmeias que estavam ao sol, já na sombra apenas poucas abelhas eram recrutadas para esta tarefa. As abelhas que estavam na sombra, conseguiram manter suas temperaturas corporais em níveis relativamente normais, enquanto as abelhas que estava ao sol, tiveram um aumento considerado de suas temperaturas. A temperatura do tórax é a mais elevada, seguida da cabeça e do abdômen. Os mecanismos de controle de temperatura utilizados a nível de colônia e em nível individual na sombra foram, baixa atividade de ventilação e transferência de calor para a cabeça, respectivamente. No sol, a nível de colônia foram, distribuição de água na colmeia e alta atividade de ventilação e a nível individual transferência de calor para cabeça e abdômen e utilização de água para molhar a superfície corporal. Os resultados obtidos neste trabalho representa uma significativa coletânea de dados individuais de temperatura de superfície das abelhas e dados de temperatura e umidade no interior das colmeias, que se constituem em importantes subsídios para a compreensão de três aspectos fundamentais para a apicultura, o abandono das abelhas na seca, a baixa produtividade no semiárido e a necessidade de construção de latadas para fornecimento de sombra nos apiários / 2017-08-22

[pt] Esta dissertação trata da aplicação de conceitos de bioclimatismo ao desenho urbano, com foco no ambiente térmico. Estudos demonstram que o clima urbano está diretamente relacionado à forma da cidade. Um ambiente saudável, com uso eficiente dos recursos naturais é uma das principais metas de uma cidade sustentável, e o projeto urbano bioclimático pode contribuir para melhorar o bem estar e ampliar a sustentabilidade dos espaços urbanos contemporâneos. O objetivo desta dissertação é verificar em que medida os aspectos climáticos e de conforto térmico são considerados na definição dos traçados em áreas de expansão e renovação urbana. O estudo de caso é o projeto do Porto Olímpico, na área Portuária da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro, hoje uma área de grande importância estratégica e ambiental para a cidade. A metodologia aplicada foi adaptada a partir do trabalho de autores que tratam do tema do bioclimatismo sob múltiplos enfoques. As categorias de análise se baseiam nas características da forma urbana, enquanto condicionantes do clima urbano, segundo princípios e estratégias do projeto urbano bioclimático. São adequadas a uma análise de projeto em nível de estudo preliminar, e à escala intermediária do bairro/área/setor. A análise evidencia, ainda numa fase preliminar de projeto, o grau de consideração de aspectos bioclimáticos na definição do tecido urbano, permitindo identificar necessidades de novas verificações e fundamentar decisões de projeto na direção de uma forma urbana mais adequada às condições climáticas locais. / [en] This Master s thesis deals with the application of bioclimatism concepts to urban designs, with focus on thermal environments. Inspired by vernacular architecture techniques, bioclimatism comprises, in a systematic way, studies of climatology, biology, technology and architecture. It seeks harmony between already built and natural spaces for human comfort. As a multidisciplinary area of knowledge, it brings the progressive systematization and evolution of its original goals, i.e., building not only with focus on comfort, but also on using the energy potential of a given location. While constituting its habitat, the perception of climatic phenomena was fundamental to humanity in order to find adequate responses in search of protection, comfort and thermal balance, which are essential items to humanity s well-being and survival. These responses were materialized in the architectural and urban expressions of human settlements, characteristic of various regions of the world and eras of civilization. This evolution took place according to the degree of knowledge, technological development and culture of the regions. A healthy environment, with efficient use of natural resources, is one of the main goals of a sustainable city. The bioclimatic urban project is inserted in this concept and can contribute to improve the well-being and enhance the sustainability of contemporary urban spaces. Studies show that the urban climate is directly related to the form of a city. Performing urban designs without taking environmental impacts into consideration often has negative consequences for the environment and, consequently, for the health and comfort of the inhabitants.

The main aim of the diploma thesis is to determine if BMI (Body Mass Index) in humans is related to the indoor room temperature. Lower room temperature can lead to the activation of brown adipose tissue (BAT), thereby increasing energy expenditure. Because the thermal comfort is individual to some extent, the task is to determine whether there is a correlation between BMI and the frequency of perceived thermal discomfort. The research was attended by 202 respondents in the age range of 3 to 27. All were measured and weighed, and then the temperature habits were recorded through questionnaire. A group of students underwent more detailed data collection. For the evaluation of the data was used PCA (Principal Component Analysis) and regression analysis, for determining the influence of the room temperature, data were weighed by the coefficient of the thermal insulation during the night. The results showed that BMI, respectively the percentile BMI class of respondents in-creases with increasing average bedroom night temperature. Results are less clear for the age categories with no dependency between BMI and room temperature in the youngest age category, significant correlation in adolescent females and adult men, but not signifi-cant correlation in adolescent males and adult females. Evaluation of 87 responses from adolescent and adult respondents to the question regard-ing the frequency of subjective cold feeling showed that the more they felt the coldness in their dwellings, the lower was percentile BMI class and BMI in different age groups. Based on these results we can state that the room temperature during sleep is another sig-nificant factor influencing BMI and lowering the temperature in the homes could lead to the reduction of population obesity.

O design de produto através de suas interfaces multidisciplinares possibilita o desenvolvimento de novas tecnologias destinadas a pessoas com deficiência física. A Tecnologia Assistiva (TA) engloba todo arsenal de recursos e serviços que contribuem para proporcionar ou ampliar habilidades funcionais de pessoas com deficiência e tem como principal exemplo a cadeira de rodas, onde o usuário fica longos períodos na posição sentada e o conforto térmico é necessário. Neste trabalho, desenvolveu-se microcápsulas de eicosano e impregnou-se espumas de poliuretano (PU) com as microcápsulas visando o conforto térmico nessas espumas. O eicosano é um material de mudança de fase (PCM) com temperatura de mudança de fase ao redor de 37°C, que é igual a temperatura de equilíbrio térmico do corpo humano. As microcápsulas inseridas em espumas de poliuretano possuem potencial uso na Tecnologia Assistiva, mais especificamente em assentos de cadeiras de rodas visando o conforto térmico. As microcápsulas foram obtidas através da polimerização in-situ, utilizando resina melamina-formaldeído como invólucro e eicosano como núcleo. As técnicas usadas para a caracterização das microcápsulas envolveram análises de microscopia óptica, microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV), granulometria, Espectroscopia do Infravermelho por Transformada de Fourier (FT-IR), Análise Termogravimétrica (TGA) e Calorimetria Exploratória Diferencial (DSC). As microcápsulas de eicosano foram então inseridas em espumas de poliuretano com diferentes densidades e foram analisadas por termografia. As microcápsulas de eicosano impregnadas nas espumas de PU possuem capacidade de absorver ou liberar calor do ambiente circundante e manter a temperatura ao seu redor constante por um determinado período de tempo, sendo assim possuem aplicação potencial na Tecnologia Assistiva, como em assentos de cadeiras de roda por exemplo, devido a sua capacidade de isolamento térmico e absorção ou liberação de calor enquanto ocorre a mudança de fase do eicosano. / The product design through its multidisciplinary interfaces allows de development of new technologies for people with some physical disability. The Assistive Technology (TA) includes all the resources and services that contribute to give and enlarge the functional abilities of people with some disability. The most significant sample of TA resource is the wheel chair, where the person stays long time in the seat position and the thermal comfort is necessary. In this work, microcapsules of eicosane were developed and then polyurethane foams were impregnated with the microcapsules aiming the thermal comfort on the polyurethane foams. The eicosane is a phase change material (PCM) with temperature of phase change of 37°C which is similar to the human body temperature in thermal equilibrium. The microcapsules added to the polyurethane foams have potential use on the Assistive Technology, more specifically on cushion seats aiming the thermal comfort. The microcapsules were obtained by in-situ polymerization using resin melamine-formaldehyde as wall and eicosane as the core. The analysis used to evaluate the properties of the microcapsules were: optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), particle size analysis, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Then the microcapsules of eicosane were added in polyurethane foams with different densities and were analyzed by infrared thermography. The microcapsules of eicosane added to the polyurethane foams present the capacity of absorb or release heat to the environment and maintain the around temperature constant for a period of time. So they have potential application on the Assistive Techology, as wheel chair cushion seats for example, due to its capacity of thermal insulation and absorption or release of heat while occurs the eicosane phase change.