EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF A CAR INCOPORATING THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE

Abstract

During day time vehicles, in particular cars, are parked outdoors their interior temperature increases dramatically . therefore the thermal discomfort is obvious for the passengers when they get into the vehicle after a car park. In this pilot study the internal car temperature conditions are suspended under the sun when a thermal energy storage (TES) system is placed inside the car is experimentally studied. The objective of this study is to demonstrate experimentally the benefit of using phase change materials (PCM) in terms of interior comfort for car passengers. The use of PCM results in lower air temperature and the increase of the thermal comfort of passengers. The benefit of the implementation of PCM inside cars was demonstrated since it maintained lower interior vehicle air temperature.