Numerical investigation of the indoor thermal behaviour based on PCMs in a hot climate

Abstract

Achieving indoor thermal comfort is essential for productivity, especially in educational environments, and hence has recently attracted considerable attention. Phase change materials (PCMs) integrated into various building components have been used to improve the indoor temperature. In this study, the effectiveness of integrating macro-encapsulated BioPCMs into the walls and ceilings of lecture halls in an educational building was determined via simulation. The simulations considered a hot climate coupled with controlled night ventilation of 15 air change per hour for enhancing the indoor temperature. Using the EnergyPlus software, simulations were performed for different PCM melting temperatures (25, 27 and 29°C) and thicknesses. The PCM with a melting temperature of 27°C yielded a notable reduction (0.5–3.3°C) in the indoor temperature. Furthermore, increasing the layer thickness to 3.75 cm had little effect on the temperature, as indicated by the incomplete charging process during the night.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS:

• Phase change material
• BioPCM
• EnergyPlus
• indoor temperature
• educational building
• controlled night ventilation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).