Integrated Framework for Digital Design and Thermal Analysis of PCM Macro-encapsulations for Passive Indoor Cooling

Abstract

Interdisciplinary approach to designing with phase change materials (PCMs) can widen the range of architectural elements for passive cooling of buildings. Due to the complex nature and the dynamic character of phase-changing processes, the analysis and prediction of the thermal performance of PCM elements can be challenging to implement in architectural design. We present a conceptual framework that combines digital design and production with the evaluation of the thermal performance of PCM macro-encapsulations. In a sequenced set of methods that include generative design, 3D-printing and glass manufacturing, we develop a transparent, exposed cooling ceiling prototype of a complex dendritic geometry. Using an experimental set-up for thermal cycling devised to compare the cooling impact of dendritic and spherical encapsulations, we show how dendritic geometry improves the heat transfer between PCMs and the surroundings and reduces the indoor temperature. Finally, by validating a numerical phase-change model, we offer a platform for testing alternate geometries of PCM containments. The proposed methodology, positioned in a larger context of architectural design, computation and building energy technology, allows the correlation of encapsulation geometries and their cooling potential as well as the integration of phase-change behaviour in early stages of the design process.