Energy Efficiency Assessment of Building Wall with PCM Layers in the Hot Summer Locations

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 corres ponded 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.