Thermal characteristics and energy-saving research of P-PCM FinTwall in hot summer and cold winter regions

Shengtao Ou, Ping Wang, Siyu Yang and Huan Su

Energy, 2025, vol. 329, issue C

Abstract: The combination of phase change materials (PCM) and building envelope structures effectively reduces building energy consumption. To address the low solidification in conventional pipe-encapsulated PCM external walls (P-PCM ConTwall) at night, this study proposes a finned tube external wall (P-PCM FinTwall) with enhanced heat dissipation. The design utilizes a cooling tower to fully exploit natural nighttime cooling, offering significant energy-saving and economic benefits. Through numerical simulations, the study analyzed seven parameters influencing the wall's thermal characteristics and PCM utilization. The results show RT27 is the most suitable PCM due to its phase transition temperature, which closely matches indoor temperatures and outdoor wet bulb temperatures. Fin material has minimal impact on performance, with copper providing only slight improvements over steel. Fin height has the most significant influence, with taller fins markedly improving thermal performance and PCM utilization. During the hottest month in hot summer and cold winter regions, the P-PCM FinTwall reduces cooling loads by 308.34 % compared to conventional wall and 117.49 % compared to P-PCM ConTwall. Thus, when combined with a cooling tower, the P-PCM FinTwall demonstrates significant economic advantages in operation, achieving an approximate 85 % reduction in annual cooling energy consumption compared to traditional building envelope systems.

Keywords: Pipe-encapsulated PCM; Fin enhanced heat dissipation; Latent heat utilization rate; Building energy efficiency; Natural nighttime cooling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:329:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225023126

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.136670

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