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Use of Phase Change Materials for Energy-Efficient Buildings in India

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New Research Directions in Solar Energy Technologies

Part of the book series: Energy, Environment, and Sustainability ((ENENSU))

Abstract

A large amount of energy is being used worldwide to maintain the ambient temperature conditions inside buildings. Most of this energy is generated from the combustion of fossil fuels. Also, air conditioning units used in buildings emit harmful greenhouse gases. For these reasons, we must find some alternate passive designs that can be implemented for the conservation of energy within the premises. As phase change materials (PCM) have large energy storage capacity due to its high values of latent heats, PCMs can be efficiently used to reduce the surge in energy demands. Incorporating PCM within building components enhances their thermal heat capacity as well as improves the energy efficiency of the buildings. Numerous researchers are experimenting with PCMs for their use in energy-efficient buildings. In this study, numerical modeling has been carried out for a PCM incorporated model that can be used depending on different climatic zones in India. The dimensions and boundary conditions used in numerical modeling are kept near the realistic weather conditions in various climate zones. The PCM selection has been carried out by taking into consideration the desirable thermophysical properties, operating temperature, availability, and weather conditions in different locations. From the results, it can be concluded that this model is beneficial in reducing the cooling loads of buildings in extremely hot places as well as for decrementing the heating loads in cold weather zones.

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Abbreviations

A :

Altitude (m)

\( C_{p} \) :

Specific heat (J/kg K)

G sc :

Global solar irradiation (W/m2)

h 0 :

Convective heat transfer coefficient (W/m2 K)

I 0 :

Solar insolation (kWh/m2)

I r :

Realistic solar insolation (kWh/m2)

k :

Thermal conductivity (W/m K)

L :

Length of wall (m)

L f :

Latent heat of fusion (J/kg)

m :

Mass of material (kg)

n :

nth day of the year

Nu:

Nusselt number

Pr:

Prandtl number

Q :

Heat stored or extracted per unit area (W/m2)

Q″:

Net heat flux (W/m2)

Re:

Reynolds number

Ste:

Stefan number

T :

Temperature (°C)

t :

Time variable (s)

V :

Wind velocity (m/s)

X :

Phase front location (Cartesian coordinates) (m)

x :

Spatial variable (m

α :

Thermal diffusivity (m2/s)

δ :

Declination (°)

ε :

Emissivity

θ :

Angle (°)

λ :

Longitude (°)

μ :

Dynamic viscosity (Pa s)

ρ :

Density (kg/m3)

τ :

Transmittivity

\( \varphi \) :

Latitude (°)

ω :

Solar hour angle (°)

1:

Initial

2:

Final

a:

Ambient

b:

Beam radiation

eff:

Effective

f:

Fusion

in:

Inside room temperature

lat:

Latent

m:

Melting

max:

Maximum

min:

Minimum

r:

Resultant

sol:

Solar

z:

Zenith

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support received from the Department of Mechanical engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Ropar.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Ropar, Rupnagar, Punjab, 140001, India

    Parth Patil, K. V. S. Teja & Himanshu Tyagi

Authors
  1. Parth Patil
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  2. K. V. S. Teja
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  3. Himanshu Tyagi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Parth Patil .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Ropar, Ropar, Punjab, India

    Himanshu Tyagi

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India

    Prodyut R. Chakraborty

  3. School of Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Mandi, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India

    Satvasheel Powar

  4. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India

    Avinash K. Agarwal

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Patil, P., Teja, K.V.S., Tyagi, H. (2021). Use of Phase Change Materials for Energy-Efficient Buildings in India. In: Tyagi, H., Chakraborty, P.R., Powar, S., Agarwal, A.K. (eds) New Research Directions in Solar Energy Technologies. Energy, Environment, and Sustainability. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-0594-9_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-0594-9_11

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-16-0593-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-16-0594-9

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