Numerical Analysis of Thermal Performance of PCM-Containing Honeycomb Wallboard for Building Energy Harvesting

Yifan Zhang, Yusheng Yang, Lei Zhou, Gang Lei, Zhenhua Wei () and Liangliang Zhang ()
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Yifan Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China
Yusheng Yang: State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China
Lei Zhou: College of Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China
Gang Lei: National Center for International Research on Deep Earth Drilling and Resource Development, Faculty of Engineering, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Zhenhua Wei: Department of Ocean Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
Liangliang Zhang: College of Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083, China

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 21, 1-22

Abstract: This study investigates a wallboard integrating encapsulated phase change materials (PCMs) within aluminum honeycomb cells to reduce building energy consumption. The thermal performance of a concrete wall enhanced with this PCM-honeycomb composite was evaluated under varying weather conditions through a two-dimensional heat transfer model. The thermal improvement of PCM is revealed in a comparative analysis of three distinct building envelope materials, i.e., concrete, concrete covered by the honeycomb wallboard, and concrete covered by the honeycomb wallboard containing PCMs. The results demonstrated that the PCM-honeycomb wallboard effectively delays and reduces peak cooling loads. The proposed system lowered building energy consumption by 28.46% and 32.12% in energy consumption over the entire summer season (and 5.76% and 6.27% over one year), respectively, compared to these reference cases. Among the tested PCMs, RT25 was identified as the most effective. The results confirm that incorporating PCM-infused honeycomb wallboards into building envelopes is a viable strategy for passive, year-round temperature regulation.

Keywords: honeycomb cells; phase change material; heat transfer; building envelope (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: 2025
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