PoDIT: Portable Device for Indoor Temperature Stabilization: Concept and Theoretical Performance Assessment

Vítor Leal and Raul Teixeira
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Vítor Leal: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal
Raul Teixeira: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 22, 1-15

Abstract: This work introduces the concept of a new Portable Device for Indoor Temperature Stabilization (PoDIT), to be considered as a low-cost, quick and easy to implement remediation strategy when, for social, economic, or technical reasons, the improvement of the building envelope and/or the adoption of air conditioning are not possible. The main goal is to attenuate the maximum indoor temperature during summer and/or heat waves. The system, which is modular, consists of a certain mass of encaged phase change material (PCM) that stays indoors during the daytime and is transported to the outdoors (e.g., a balcony) during the night to discharge the heat accumulated during the daytime. Both natural convection and forced convection variants were considered. The results showed that, in the configurations and for the reference room and weather considered, the adopting 4 modules of the device can lead to reductions in the maximum room air temperature close to 3 °C, with natural convection. Adopting a fan to impose forced convection at the surfaces of the device can lead to temperature attenuations in excess of 4 °C, as it ensures full solid–liquid commuting and therefore optimal use of the PCM thermal storage capability.

Keywords: passive cooling; low energy cooling; heat waves; climate adaptation; social housing; nearly zero energy buildings (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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