Numerical study on the thermal performance of pipe-embedded PCM building envelope in the heating season

In this paper, a comprehensive numerical model is presented and validated to simulate the dynamic heat transfer behavior of pipe-embedded PCM building envelope in a typical day of heating season. The performance of the pipe-embedded PCM envelope are investigated and compared with traditional envelope as well as the envelope integrated only with a PCM interlayer. Further, the influence of two design parameter including pipe spacing and thickness of PCM layer are studied and analyzed simultaneously. Finally, the influence of building orientation on the thermal behavior of pipe-embedded PCM envelope was evaluated. The simulation results proved the effectiveness of the numerical results in this paper support and highlight the potential of pipe-embedded PCM envelope for energy saving and indoor comfort lifting. This study will help develop a comprehensive understanding of dynamic thermal behavior of pipe-embedded PCM envelope utilizing low-grade energy source. (C) 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.