Modelling Envelope Components Integrating Phase Change Materials (PCMs) with Whole- Building Energy Simulation Tools: a State of the Art

Authors

  • Albert Castell Department of Computer Science and Industrial Engineering, University of Lleida http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3339-5980
  • Marc Medrano Department of Computer Science and Industrial Engineering, University of Lleida http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5734-6107
  • Francesco Goia Department of Architecture and Technology, Faculty of Architecture and Design, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7480/jfde.2018.3.2572

Keywords:

Phase Change Materials, Building Envelope, Modelling, Simulation

Abstract

Building envelope systems that integrate Phase Change Materials (PCMs) are solutions aimed at increasing the thermal energy storage potential of the building envelope while keeping its mass reasonably low. Building envelope components with PCMs can be either opaque or transparent and can be based on different types of PCMs and integration methods. In opposition to conventional building components, these elements present thermal and optical properties that are highly non-linear and depend to a great extent on the boundary conditions. Such a characteristic requires the system development and optimisation process during the design phase to be carried out with particular care in order to achieve the desired performance. In this paper, a review of the existing modelling capabilities of different building energy simulation (BES) tools for PCM-based envelope components is reported, and the main challenges associated with the modelling and simulation of these systems through the most popular BES tools (among them, EnergyPlus, IDA-ICE, TRNSYS, IES-VE, and ESP-r) are highlighted. The aim of this paper is to summarise the evidence found in the literature of the latest
development in the successful use of BES to replicate the thermal and optical behaviour of opaque and transparent components integrating PCMs, in order to provide the community of professionals with an overview of the tools available and their limitations.

How to Cite

Castell, A., Medrano, M., & Goia, F. (2018). Modelling Envelope Components Integrating Phase Change Materials (PCMs) with Whole- Building Energy Simulation Tools: a State of the Art. Journal of Facade Design and Engineering, 6(3), 132–148. https://doi.org/10.7480/jfde.2018.3.2572

Published

2018-11-26

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 3 (2018): Special Issue Adaptive Facades Network

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2018 Albert Castell, Marc Medrano, Francesco Goia

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors or their institutions retain copyright to their publications without restrictions.

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