Empirical Validation of a Thermal Model of a Complex Roof Including Phase Change Materials

Abstract

This paper deals with the empirical validation of a building thermal model of a complex roof including a phase change material (PCM). A mathematical model dedicated to PCMs based on the heat apparent capacity method was implemented in a multi-zone building simulation code, the aim being to increase the understanding of the thermal behavior of the whole building with PCM technologies. In order to empirically validate the model, the methodology is based both on numerical and experimental studies. A parametric sensitivity analysis was performed and a set of parameters of the thermal model has been identified for optimization. The use of the generic optimization program called GenOpt coupled to the building simulation code enabled to determine the set of adequate parameters. We first present the empirical validation methodology and main results of previous work. We then give an overview of GenOpt and its coupling with the building simulation code. Finally, once the optimization results are obtained, comparisons of the thermal predictions with measurements are found to be acceptable and are presented.

Effectiveness of High Energy Efficiency to Minimize Energy Consumption for Residential Buildings in Egypt

“…A phase change material (PCM) is one of the techniques that reduce energy demand in buildings .it can release and absorb huge amounts of energy through phase transitions with slight temperature changes. A lot of researches studied the effect of integrated of PCM with roof of the building on reducing energy consumption and improving thermal comfort [25] Figure 4 Operating Principle of BioPCM source: phasechangeenergy.com…”

“…In another study it found that addition of PCM layer with 0.15 cm thick to roof reduce indoor temperature 1.7 c in summer [27]. Numerous studies have been carried out to evaluate reducing the energy consumption and thermal comfort improvement in buildings if application PCMs on roof [28][29][30][31].…”

Simulation approach of indoor thermal comfort improvement with use of phase change material

“…It is important to highlight that the indoor air temperature of the building with or without PCM is predicted with a relative maximal error of accuracy of ±0.5°C. For more details, the interested reader may refers to [2], [5], [6].…”