JiSMART2021—041: Influence of PCM on the Thermal Performance of Lightweight Buildings Under Different Thermal Environments: An Experimental Study

Abstract

Phase-change materials (PCM) integrated into lightweight buildings can effectively improve their thermal performance. However, when PCM is determined, the heat storage and release capacity of PCM are highly dependent on the heat exchange between the wall surface and the ambient environment. Therefore, two experimental rooms (reference room and composite PCM room) of the same size were built and conducted in this paper to compare the changing rules of indoor temperature, surface temperature and heat flux without mechanical equipment under different seasons. The results show that: (1) The effect of PCM on the thermal performance of lightweight buildings is highly correlated with seasons, and its contribution efficiency varies in different seasons; (2) The attenuation rate of the internal surface temperature in different seasons can be reduced by 18.08%-42.90%, the delay time can be improved to 2.67-4h compared with the reference wall; (3) PCM can effectively inhibit the fluctuation and rise of indoor temperature, which can reduce the maximum indoor temperature by 4.9-12.0°C, and increase by 1.1-2.8°C when the outdoor temperature is lower; (4) Lightweight buildings with integrated PCM can achieve a maximum energy saving rate of 77.9% for cooling and 37.59% for heating.