Experimental investigation on a complex roof incorporating phase-change material

This article deals with a new configuration of a complex roof using a phase change material (PCM) installed on a dedicated test cell. For the first time and in field conditions, an experimental device using phase change material was set up at Reunion Island, location having a tropical and humid climate. Results show that in the tested configurations and for a non-ventilated air layer, the measured temperatures were on either side of the PCM's melting point. It means that the PCM is able to store thermal energy in the daytime and release it at night. Furthermore, this study allowed to determine the thermal resistance of the roof via a mean method meeting international standards (ISO 9869) using dynamic data. The method was implemented in a multi-zone building software, named ISOLAB, in order to automatically determine the thermal indicator.