Experimental assessment of characterised PCMs for thermal management of buildings in tropical composite climate

Abstract

With rapid growth in urban population, there is a constraint to building space and material usage. The need is to increase the thermal mass of buildings without going back to the heavy construction used in olden days (mud houses). Thus, there is a need to build houses in small space with thin walls. The implications of building such walls is improper solar shielding increasing the inside temperatures during summer. Thus, there is a need to design a system that could result in lowering the peak temperature inside the room. The aim of this study is to test the PCM incorporated building components such as bricks and assess the temperature reduction across the same. It discusses about how phase change materials (PCMs) are competent in conserving energy in buildings through their latent heat storage capacities. PCMs are first characterised using differential scanning calorimeter to assess their thermophysical properties. The results depict the mismatch in heat storage capacity and melting temperature of PCM from as reported in the literature. The results show that with PCM incorporation there is a minimum temperature decrease of 6°C. The impact of increasing the heat capacity of the building element has also been assessed in the study.