Performance of coupled novel triple glass and phase change material wall in the heating season: An experimental study

A Trombe wall that uses a phase change material (PCM) as the heat storage medium is usually called a PCM Trombe wall or PCM wall. A research project was conducted to investigate the performance of coupled novel triple glass (NTG) and PCM wall, which is simply called PCM wall in this paper, as a solar space heater. The south façade of a test room was constructed using PCM walls. Rubitherm® GR35 and GR41 were incorporated into the plaster of the walls as PCM. The ratio of the solar energy gain provided by the PCM walls to the heat load of the test room per month varied from 4% to 70%; daily overall efficiency of the PCM walls varied from 20% to 36%; and solar transmittance of the NTG varied from 0.45 to 0.55 during the heating period. The overall efficiency of the PCM wall including GR35 was higher than that of the PCM wall including GR41.

► The PCM walls provided 14% of the annual heat load of the test room.
► The daily overall efficiency of the PCM walls varied from 20% to 36%.
► The novel triple glass reduced the energy storage in the PCM wall in summer.
► The novel triple glass prevented the PCM wall from overheating in summer.