A thermal model for phase change materials in a building roof for a tropical and humid climate: Model description and elements of validation

• A model phase change materials (PCMs) integrated in a complex roof of building is presented.
• The first two steps of the validation methodology of numerical model of thermal behavior of phase change materials are highlighted.
• The model is able to predict thermal behavior of PCM.
• The thermal impact of PCM on the inside air temperature of building is discussed.

This article deals with a numerical model of the thermal behavior of a building roof equipped with phase change materials (PCM). The study puts in evidence the first results of the proposed model based on the apparent heat capacity method. A backward Euler scheme and a finite difference discretization method have been used. The model was integrated in a multizone building simulation code and is able to predict both the whole temperature of each building component and the thermal impact of PCMs installed in buildings for several configurations. A first experimental study has been conducted for a tropical and humid climate, using a full-scale outdoor test cell equipped with PCMs installed as a component of the ceiling. It allowed to give elements of validation for the numerical model, through a validation process including comparisons with measurements A sensitivity analysis has also been run to highlight the influencing parameters of the thermal model. The first results from comparisons between model predictions and measurements are encouraging and show a convenient agreement for the given configuration under field conditions.