Transient thermal behavior of clay walls integrated with phase change materials

Abstract

There are several advantages of using phase change materials (PCMs) in building walls for creating energy-efficient structures. Incorporating PCMs into clay walls with the hope of improving their thermal characteristics under transient boundary conditions is the major goal of this study. Numerical simulations are performed utilizing the finite element method and the apparent heat capacity formulation to predict the melting and solidification behavior of PCM-integrated walls. By introducing a 2 cm thick layer of PCM with a typical melting temperature of 32 °C into the middle of a clay wall, the results demonstrate a significant reduction of approximately 57 % in heat flow on the inner surface. Furthermore, compared to a standard clay wall without PCM, this integration extended the time lag by about 5.5 h.