A new validated TRNSYS module for simulating latent heat storage walls

Abstract

Lightweight structures have suffered long from low thermal inertia making them more vulnerable to climatic conditions. The adoption of phase change material (PCM) can potentially reduce this climatic deficiency. In order to evaluate its thermal potential, computational modeling has shown to be promising design tools. In this paper, a new TRNSYS type is developed and validated for simulating PCM-enhanced walls. Using the validated module, it is found that the best PCM's configuration is when placed in direct contact with the indoor controlled environment. Additionally, a wide range of PCM's thermal properties were simulated under typical U.S. climates to evaluate the thermal performance and identify the optimal thermal properties. The results show that a maximum saving of 0.8–15.8% is achieved on annual cooling load depending on the climate. For heating dominated climates, the savings on annual heating load is insignificant being less than 4%. The saving in peak loads was found to show more potential than annual loads for some climates. The maximum savings in peak cooling load range from 6.8 to 13.3% while savings in peak heating load range from 7 to 10.5%. For maximum savings in zonal loads, the optimal thermal properties of PCM are found to hover around the operational thermostat setpoints.