Using Phase Change Materials (PCMs) in a Hot and Humid Climate to Reduce Heat Gain and Energy Consumption

Abstract

Twenty percent of the world’s energy is consumed by the construction sector, including commercial and residential buildings, where 13% is consumed by the residential sector only. Half of the total energy consumed by buildings in Saudi Arabia is specifically attributed to the hot summer season, which, unlike in many other countries in the Middle East, continues for more than 5 months annually. The use of a phase change material (PCM), as an insulator in building materials, can be a solution to provide a comfortable indoor temperature and reduce energy consumption. This study examined two different melting ranges for PCMs RT35 and RT35HC inserted into hollow clay bricks to investigate their thermal behavior and heat storage capacity and compare them with polystyrene foam. To perform this experiment, four chambers were constructed using cement plastering. The data were collected at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from mid-November 2020 to the end of February 2021. When the highest temperature was reached during the experiment, PCM RT35 provided a better cooling effect by 13% compared to 24% and 28.56% for PCM RT35HC and foam, respectively, compared to hollow bricks alone. However, when the lowest temperature was reached during the experiment, PCM RT35HC performed better than the other chambers in saving energy and keeping the chamber warm, which was 9.5% for the reference chamber, 7.0% for the foam chamber, and 2.8% for PCM RT35. The maximum energy saving of PCM RT35 was around 1920 kJ, which is around 0.533 kWh, for one wall only, and for PCM RT35HC, it was 2880 kJ, or 0.8 kWh, which can reduce energy consumption of the HVAC system by 97 kWh/m2 and 146 kWh/m2 per year, respectively.