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Article

Effect of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) Integrated into a Concrete Block on Heat Gain Prevention in a Hot Climate

College of Engineering, United Arab Emirates University, P.O. Box, Al Ain 15551, UAE
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Academic Editor: Andrew Kusiak
Sustainability 2016, 8(10), 1009; https://doi.org/10.3390/su8101009
Received: 14 August 2016 / Revised: 16 September 2016 / Accepted: 21 September 2016 / Published: 10 October 2016
(This article belongs to the Section Energy Sustainability)
In the current study, a phase change material (PCM) contained in an insulated concrete block is tested in extremely hot weather in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to evaluate its cooling performance. An insulated chamber is constructed behind the block containing PCM to mimic a scaled down indoor space. The effect of placement of the PCM layer on heat gain indoors is studied at two locations: adjacent to the outer as well as the inner concrete layer. The inclusion of PCM reduced heat gain through concrete blocks compared to blocks without PCM, yielding a drop in cooling load indoors. The placement of PCM and insulation layers adjacent to indoors exhibited better cooling performance compared to that adjacent to the outdoors. In the best case, a temperature drop of 8.5% and a time lag of 2.6 h are achieved in peak indoor temperature, rendering a reduction of 44% in the heat gain. In the tested hot climate, the higher ambient temperature and the lower wind speed hampered heat dissipation and PCM re-solidification by natural ventilation. The findings recommend employing a mechanical ventilation in hot climates to enhance regeneration of the PCM to solid state for its optimal performance. View Full-Text
Keywords: phase change material; thermal management; building insulations; air infiltration; time lag; decrement factor phase change material; thermal management; building insulations; air infiltration; time lag; decrement factor
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MDPI and ACS Style

Hasan, A.; Al-Sallal, K.A.; Alnoman, H.; Rashid, Y.; Abdelbaqi, S. Effect of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) Integrated into a Concrete Block on Heat Gain Prevention in a Hot Climate. Sustainability 2016, 8, 1009. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8101009

AMA Style

Hasan A, Al-Sallal KA, Alnoman H, Rashid Y, Abdelbaqi S. Effect of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) Integrated into a Concrete Block on Heat Gain Prevention in a Hot Climate. Sustainability. 2016; 8(10):1009. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8101009

Chicago/Turabian Style

Hasan, Ahmad, Khaled A. Al-Sallal, Hamza Alnoman, Yasir Rashid, and Shaimaa Abdelbaqi. 2016. "Effect of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) Integrated into a Concrete Block on Heat Gain Prevention in a Hot Climate" Sustainability 8, no. 10: 1009. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8101009

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