Investigate the Impact of PCM on the Thermal Performance of  a Building Wall Under Hot Climates

Southern Iraq, specifically Basrah, has a warm and arid climate. August has the greatest average temperatures in Basrah, with highs of 48°C. To overcome obstacles resulting from such major temperatures, Phase Change Materials (PCMs) are increasingly being used in building construction. This paper performed an experimental study to examine the energy efficiency of building walls that integrated with PCM under Iraq conditions. Additionally, the thermal performance of two different building walls was compared. The parameters investigated include the influence of heat gain, PCM temperature, and thermal load levelling (TLL) for both PCM and cement cases. Two test cases were exanimations. In the first case, the wall is made of blocks with cement filled holes. In the second case, the wall is made of blocks with PCM filling the holes. The outside conditions are controlled by using the hot water tank, and the cold-water tank represents the inside conditions for air conditioning space. The experimental analysis indicated that building blocks filled with PCM case achieve lower interior temperature and heat gain than cement case blocks. Furthermore, the peak heat flow was decreased by 75% when PCM-filled blocks were used instead of cement-filled blocks. The results revealed that PCM significantly minimize TLL by 42.6% as compared to cement. In conclusion, when the PCM is used to replace the cement, the interior thermal comfort improved and cooling energy use reduced.