Optimized analysis of lightweight wall outfitted with PCM in hot summer zone

Abstract

A new type of lightweight wall outfitted with expanded polystyrene (EPS) layer and phase change material (PCM) layer was built for improving the thermal performance of building enclosure. The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the thermal performance of different walls in order to find the optimum wall structure. The enthalpy model has been established to solve the transient nonlinear heat transfer process using MATLAB program. The results show that 31 °C is the optimum phase change temperature in the hot summer zone of China. Meanwhile, the use of traditional thermal insulation material, such as EPS, is necessary for satisfying the demand of the heat transfer resistance. The integration of EPS layer and PCM layer with proper thicknesses can produce the optimum thermal performance. Finally, the optimum wall structure has been obtained in which the thicknesses of the PCM layer and EPS layer are 0.01 and 0.02 m, respectively. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014.