Abstract:
These days, with dramatic increases of the energy consumption in
industrial and residential sector around the world, the deficiency of energy
sources has become significantly important and a major issue. The buildings
sector is responsible from the consumption of almost 40% of the entire available
energy worldwide. Thermal energy storage by means of latent heat is an
efficient way to reduce the temperature fluctuations inside buildings, leading to
the improved thermal comfort of occupants. Phase Change Materials (PCMs)
with high density for thermal energy storage can be efficiently employed for this
purpose. This research proposes using Phase Change Materials (PCMs) in the
building’s roof. Two types of PCMs with different melting point were utilized, the
first one was Calcium Chloride Hexahydrate and the second type is Polyethylene
Glycol (PEG) 600. Two rooms with identical dimensions were constructed using
concrete blocks, one with PCM and the other without PCM in the roof. The
thermal performances of small-scale test rooms were measured. The temperature
inside the PCM integrated room was demonstrated to be considerably lower
than the room without PCM. For Calcium Chloride Hexahydrate the reduction
was between 1-3℃ and the average was 2℃ , for Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) 600
the reduction was between 1-5℃ and the average was 2℃ . A fan was used to
enhance indoor thermal comfort in the second type of PCM integrated room and
the reduction was between 2-5 ℃ and the average was 3.5℃
