Trombe walls with phase change materials: A review

Abstract

Solar energy utilization for covering the heating loads of buildings is an innovative and clean way to reduce electricity consumption. A Trombe wall is a classical passive solar heating system used in buildings. Increasing the weights and volumes of Trombe walls can increase their heat storage capacities. However, this process increases a building's dead load, which is considered a problem by structural engineers. Among the alternatives for solving this problem is to use phase change materials (PCMs) for higher heat storage. This work presents a comprehensive review on the different advantages of integrating PCMs with Trombe walls. The article shows that the satisfactory heat storage capacity of PCMs can improve indoor air thermal circulation and decrease indoor air temperature fluctuations. In addition, the effectiveness of PCMs in providing protection from overheating, and improving the efficiency of the energy management process and energy saving of Trombe walls is demonstrated.