Abstract
Applying phase change material (PCM) for latent heat storage in sustainable building systems has gained increasing attention. However, the nonlinear thermal properties of the material and the hysteresis between the two-phase change processes make the modelling of PCM challenging. Moreover, the influences of the PCM phase transition and hysteresis on the building thermal and energy performance have not been fully understood. This paper reviews the most commonly used modelling methods for PCM from the literature and discusses their advantages and disadvantages. A case study is carried out to examine the accuracy of those models in building simulation tools, including four methods to model the melting and freezing process of a PCM heat exchanger. These results are compared to experimental data of the heat transfer process in a PCM heat exchanger. That showed that the four modelling methods are all accurate for representing the thermal behavior of the PCM heat exchanger. The model with the DSC Cp method with hysteresis performs the best at predicting the heat transfer process in PCM in this case. The impacts of PCM phase change temperature and hysteresis on the building energy-saving potential and thermal comfort are analyzed in another case study, based on one modelling method from the first case study. The building in question is a three-room apartment with PCM-enhanced ventilated windows in Denmark. The study showed that the PCM hysteresis has a larger influence on the building energy consumption than the phase change temperature for both summer night cooling applications and for winter energy storage. However, it does not have a strong impact on the yearly total energy usage. For both summer and winter transition seasons, the PCM hysteresis has a larger influence on the predicted percentage of dissatisfied (PPD) than the phase change temperature, but not a strong impact on the transition season average PPD. It is therefore advised to choose the PCM hysteresis according to whether it is for a summer night cooling or a winter solar energy storage application, as this has a significant impact on the system’s overall efficiency.
Highlights
Buildings are intended to protect the occupants from the outdoor weather conditions and provide comfortable environments
The modelling of phase change material (PCM) is more complicated than other building materials due to its nonlinear modelling ofMoreover, PCM is more complicated other building materials range due toand its nonlinear thermal the phase changethan occurs over a temperature presents thermal properties
The phase change occurs over a temperature range and presents temperature hysteresis between the melting and the freezing processes, which makes the modelling temperature hysteresis between melting the freezing processes, which makes theinmodelling of
Summary
Buildings are intended to protect the occupants from the outdoor weather conditions and provide comfortable environments. Humans are especially sensitive to ambient temperature. They will experience thermal discomfort if the indoor temperature is not maintained within a narrow temperature range [1] and without rapid transient change to the operative temperature [2]. The building sector is the largest energy end-user in the world [3]. Energies 2020, 13, 6455 and cooling needs have been identified as key targets for the reduction of global energy use and CO2 emissions [4]. Buildings can modulate their energy profiles to a certain extent by shifting their power load in time. The energy storage capacities of buildings or clusters of buildings can be employed to implement demand-side management and building energy flexibility strategies, which can greatly ease the management and improve the stability of smart energy grids with large shares of intermittent renewable energy sources [5]
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