Conference Paper

Proceedings of eSim 2024: 13th Conference of IBPSA-Canada

Optimization of Building Envelope Latent Heat Storage Integration Based on Internal Surface Solar Radiation Profiles

Nathan Hay, Calene Baylis, Christopher Baldwin, Cynthia Cruickshank
Carleton University

Abstract: Phase change materials (PCMs) utilize solar energy for latent heat storage (LHS), a method of storing thermal energy through a material’s solid to liquid-phase change. When LHS systems are implemented in buildings the thermal energy stored and released during phase changes provides passive temperature regulation and reductions in total conditioning loads. Often, in PCM installations, the PCM is uniformly distributed across interior surfaces of a space disregarding the opportunity to optimize PCM placement based on daily and annual solar geometry trends. Strategic placement of PCM within interior surfaces can maximize solar energy storage while reducing material and implementation costs. The objective of this study was to determine ideal thermal storage placement within building spaces based on incident solar radiation. A MATLAB model which utilizes cartesian coordinates and solar ray tracing was developed to generate interior surface insolation exposure maps and was validated with ESP-r. The MATLAB model demonstrated a strong correlation with the insolation analysis used by ESP-r, thus validating the insolation exposure maps generated by the model. In general, it was found that for a small space with a south facing window in the northern hemisphere, the areas of maximum insolation are on the floor year-round, indicating that PCM could be integrated into the floor to optimize its performance in these instances.
Keywords: MATLAB , PCM , Insolation , Thermal Storage
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