Thermodynamic analysis of directionally influenced phase change material embedded building walls

The study focuses on assessing the thermal performances of two phase change materials (PCMs) when they are embedded in a concrete wall. The ambient condition is that of a hot and dry climate of South-East Asia region. Incorporation of PCM in concrete wall reduces the heat gain and temperature fluctuations inside the building by virtue of the latent heating property of the PCM, which occurs at a constant temperature. When the orientation of the wall is changed, the incident solar radiation on the wall varies and it affects the thermal performance of the PCM. Numerical simulation of transient heat transfer has been carried out to evaluate the variation in the thermal performance of a PCM wall in terms of reduced heat gain and temperature fluctuations inside the building due to different orientations of the PCM wall. Finally, an optimum orientation of the PCM wall is determined for each of the two PCMs studied under the given geographical conditions. Also, a comparison is drawn between the overall performances of the two PCMs to select the better PCM out of the two for the given geographical conditions.