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Energy analysis of the building integrated with a double PCM wallboard system in various climate regions of Iran

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Abstract

The utilization of phase change materials (PCMs) in buildings leads to the reduction of energy consumption and maintaining the indoor temperature within the comfort range. The PCM performance strongly depends on the climatic conditions, causing a major challenge. To overcome this issue, the employment of a double-layer PCM system is introduced. The energy and economic assessments of various double PCM systems in the building located in different climatic conditions of Iran have been conducted for the first time. In this study, two PCM wallboards with different enthalpy and melting temperatures were embedded in the external walls of a residential building located in various climatic regions of Iran. The performance of the double-layer PCM system in five cities of Iran including Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, Tabriz, and Bandar Abbas during hot and cold months of the year was evaluated from energy and economic viewpoints. It was inferred that embedding a double-layer PCM system reduces the heating/cooling energy consumption compared to single-layer ones. It was concluded that the RT18/RT28 double PCM system was the best candidate to be employed in the external walls of the building located in Tehran and Shiraz, which reduced the total energy consumption of the building up to 6.26% and 5.17%. The RT18/RT22 double PCM system was the most efficient system for the building placed in Tabriz and Isfahan reducing the total energy consumption up to 4.41% and 3.87%, and the RT22/RT28 double PCM system had the best performance in the building located in Bandar Abbas, which could save 6.58% of total energy. Moreover, it was concluded that the use of a double PCM system reduced temperature fluctuations in the external walls. In addition, the economic analysis was performed using the dynamic payback period and the results revealed that the employment of a double-layer PCM system reduced the investment return period by up to 50%.

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Abbreviations

C :

Specific heat (J kg−1 K−1)

C 1 :

Specific heat of state 1 (J kg−1 K−1)

C 2 :

Specific heat of state 2 (J kg−1 K−1)

C PCM+Insulation :

The initial cost of purchasing, installing, and repairing PCM and thermal insulation (USD)

DPP:

Dynamic payback period

H j i -h :

The heating enthalpy of node “i” at the time step “j” (kJ)

H j i -c :

The cooling enthalpy of node “i” at the time step “j” (kJ)

H i j-tr :

The transition enthalpy of a discrete node “i” at the time step “j” (kJ)

k :

Heat transfer coefficient (W m−1 K–1)

L 1→2 :

The total latent heat capacity of the phase change

Q :

Heat source

r :

Discount rate

S :

Income from energy savings (kWh year−1)

T :

Temperature (°C)

T s :

Melting point temperature (°C)

T f :

End melting temperature (°C)

θ :

Volume fraction

θ 1 :

Volume fraction of state 1

θ 2 :

Volume fraction of state 2

α 1 →2 :

Fractional change in PCM composition during phase transition

ρ :

Density (kg m−3)

1:

State 1

2:

State 2

1 → 2:

Change state 1–2

i-h:

Heating discrete node

j :

Current time step

j−1:

Previous time step

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Arak University of Technology, Arak, Iran

    Amirhossein Refahi, Abolfazl Rostami & Mohammad Amani

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  1. Amirhossein Refahi
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  2. Abolfazl Rostami
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  3. Mohammad Amani
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Correspondence to Amirhossein Refahi or Mohammad Amani.

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Refahi, A., Rostami, A. & Amani, M. Energy analysis of the building integrated with a double PCM wallboard system in various climate regions of Iran. J Therm Anal Calorim 148, 7981–7993 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-023-11999-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-023-11999-4

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