Thermal analysis of a dynamic double-layer phase change material building envelope

Abstract

Integration of phase change material (PCM) into the building envelope can improve building energy efficiency. This work aims to numerically investigate the performance of mobile PCM layers in a building wall during different seasons (summer and winter). Various combinations of PCM melting temperature are investigated. The modeling is based on conduction heat transfer and enthalpy method. The results highlight the best combination for temperature regulation in both summer and winter, resulting in the highest performance. Furthermore, combinations with melting temperature close to the outside fluctuating temperature and to the inside comfort temperature (according to the season) ensure the best annual performance of the building envelope in terms of smoothing the instantaneous heat flux and diminishing the fluctuating temperature amplitude. Moreover, the best option with PCM fraction of 35% decreases the required power for heating and air conditioning by up to 12%.

Keywords

Phase change material / Mobile layers / Charging/Discharging cycles / Enthalpy method / Building envelope

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