TITLE:
Energy Efficiency Assessment of Building Wall with PCM Layers in the Hot Summer Locations
AUTHORS:
Jovana Jovanovic, Xiaoqin Sun, Milena Đukanović
KEYWORDS:
Futuristic Energy Savings, Transient Heat Mode, Phase-Change Material Spheres, HVAC, Indoor Thermal Comfort Range
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Energy Efficiency,
Vol.11 No.2,
May
18,
2022
ABSTRACT: This manuscript addresses the
futuristic energy savings by impregnating building elements with PCM formations. Two structured gypsum building
walls were monitored under the transient heat mode in the conducted
experiments. One wall included (phase-change material) spheres, integrated into
one styrofoam layer, installed at different positions, from 1 to 5, from the
outside to the inside of the room. The
other wall included one styrofoam insulation layer, perforated with
holes, with changeable positions, from 1 to 5, from the outside to the inside
of the room. The temperatures in the experiment corresponded to high summer temperatures in the tropical or subtropical
zones. The obtained experimental results were further analyzed, while
HVAC is off, for an indoor thermal comfort range, from 20˚C to 25˚C. This manuscript
has analyzed the thermal comfort, effectiveness and
optimal position of PCM spheres, incorporated in styrofoam thermal
insulation, for a previously determined temperature range. The wall with integrated
PCM should not be thick, (in total), but rather slender so that PCM can show its effectiveness. The farthermost
position of the PCM layer should be the third because PCM combined with a lot
of thermal insulation is not so effective and the thermal insulation has a
buffer effect. The honeycomb or hollow-core thermal insulations should be
avoided to put alone, because of natural air convection in them, which raises
the heat flow. The monthly monetary saving, for a PCM-integrated wall, is
calculated and amounts to 55.5 $, which shows that the integration of PCM in
building walls, in hot summer locations, is very beneficial.