Title: Numerical investigation on cooling behaviour of buildings using phase change material

Authors: Ashish Kumar; Sudip Simlandi; Nilkanta Barman

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Jadavpur University, Kolkata – 700 032, India ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Jadavpur University, Kolkata – 700 032, India ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ghani Khan Choudhury Institute of Engineering and Technology, Malda – 732 144, India

Abstract: This work considers cooling of buildings using a suitable PCM on its rooftop in a hot climate country. The PCM absorbs solar radiation by melting in day time and releases absorbed heat by solidification at night to the ambient. Both melting and solidification involve complex transport phenomena those are governed by mass, momentum and energy conservations. For simulation, the set of governing equations is discretised based on control volume method using power law scheme. Finally, the SIMPLER and TDMA algorithms are used to solve the discretised linear algebraic equations. The two-phase interface during melting and solidification is traced using enthalpy update scheme. Prediction involves melting, solidification behaviours of PCM, and variation of room temperature throughout the day. As observed, the recycling of PCM is possible for the next successive days if thermal conductivity enhancer (TCE) is added in PCM. Accordingly, a TCE is considered for recycling of the PCM.

Keywords: cooling behaviour of building; modelling; phase change material; PCM; recycling; thermal conductivity enhancer; TCE.

DOI: 10.1504/IJRET.2017.088985

International Journal of Renewable Energy Technology, 2017 Vol.8 No.3/4, pp.371 - 386

Received: 09 Feb 2017
Accepted: 10 Jul 2017
Published online: 03 Jan 2018 *

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