Investigation on heating performance of an integrated phase change material Trombe wall based on state space method

Abstract

The integration of phase change material (PCM) into Trombe wall in a passive solar building is a potential way for the heating performance improvement of Trombe wall and effective utilization of solar energy. This work aims to explore the optimal combination of melting temperature and PCM layer thickness in the PCM Trombe wall in Beijing, Jiuquan, and Shenyang, which are located in three solar energy distribution zones of China, respectively. The state space model of a solar passive building with an integrated PCM Trombe wall is developed considering the two-dimensional heat transfer of PCM layer. The state space model is validated by the experimental results. The experimental and numerical results show that the heating capacity of Trombe wall has a remarkable influence on indoor air temperature. Based on the daily accumulative deviation of indoor air temperature and the heating capacity of Trombe wall, it is found from the simulated results that the optimum combination of PCM melting temperature and layer thickness are 23 °C and 5 cm for Beijing and Jiuquan, 21 °C and 5 cm for Shenyang. Besides, this study also obtains that the effective thicknesses of PCM layer corresponding to different melting temperatures of PCM are equal to or less than the PCM layer thickness.