Utilization of an Air-PCM Heat Exchanger in Passive Cooling of Buildings: A Simulation Study on the Energy Saving Potential in Different European Climates

Pavel Charvát, Lubomír Klimeš and Martin Zálešák
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Pavel Charvát: Department of Thermodynamics and Environmental Engineering, Brno University of Technology, Technická 2896/2, 61669 Brno, Czech Republic
Lubomír Klimeš: Sustainable Process Integration Laboratory—SPIL, NETME Centre, Brno University of Technology, Technická 2896/2, 61669 Brno, Czech Republic
Martin Zálešák: Department of Thermodynamics and Environmental Engineering, Brno University of Technology, Technická 2896/2, 61669 Brno, Czech Republic

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 6, 1-17

Abstract: The energy saving potential (ESP) of passive cooling of buildings with the use of an air-PCMheat exchanger (cold storage unit) was investigated through numerical simulations. One of the goals of the study was to identify the phase change temperature of a PCM that would provide the highest energy saving potential under the specific climate and operating conditions. The considered air-PCM heat exchanger contained 100 aluminum panels filled with a PCM. The PCM had a thermal storage capacity of 200 kJ/kg in the phase change temperature range of 4 ? C. The air-PCM heat exchanger was used to cool down the outdoor air supplied to a building during the day, and the heat accumulated in the PCM was rejected to the outdoors at night. The simulations were conducted for 16 locations in Europe with the investigated time period from 1 May–30 September. The outdoor temperature set point of 20 ? C was used for the utilization of stored cold. In the case of the location with the highest ESP, the scenarios with the temperature set point and without the set point (which provides maximum theoretical ESP) were compared under various air flow rates. The average utilization rate of the heat of fusion did not exceed 50% in any of the investigated scenarios.

Keywords: energy conservation; latent heat thermal energy storage; phase change materials; passive cooling (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: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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