Enhancement of Heat Transfer Between Incoming Airflow and PCM‐Filled Copper Tubes Inside a Wind Catcher

ABSTRACT Global energy demand is steadily increasing, underscoring the urgent need for sustainable, energy‐efficient solutions for building ventilation systems. Wind catchers are recognized as passive ventilation devices; nevertheless, their cooling performance is limited in hot weather, where ambient temperatures may reach 41°C, the peak summer temperature. To enhance cooling effectiveness, the present study proposes a novel wind‐catcher design incorporating staggered copper tubes filled with phase‐change material (PCM). Numerical work was performed to evaluate various PCM tube configurations by varying the tube arrangement, diameter, and number. One configuration used copper tubes with a 42‐mm diameter, yielding a baseline PCM volume, whereas a progressive configuration improved thermal performance by employing smaller tubes with a 22‐mm diameter and 61 tubes, while keeping the same PCM volume. The optimized configuration considerably improved the PCM's melting conduction and heat absorption over time. Also, the optimal design worked at a velocity (0.3 m/s) of air, performing a maximum decrease (12°C) in the initial temperature and reducing the period of PCM melting to almost 4800−7000 s. It also demonstrated excellent performance in the PCM's solidification behavior. The PCM completely solidified after 21,000 s for determining the extended cyclic performance and the recharging ability of the regime for maintaining an unceasing drop in temperature. Additionally, to confirm the investigation and to align with the numerical results, a scaled physical model comprising 11 tubes (representing 25% of the numerical configuration) was synthesized and tested at different air velocities. An excellent agreement was observed between the numerical and experimental outcomes, with a maximum deviation of 0.3%. Furthermore, the outcomes showed that lower air velocities enhanced the air's temperature decrease, whereas increased PCM volume resulted in greater cooling potential. Generally, the proposed PCM‐integrated copper‐tube wind catcher demonstrates superior thermal performance compared with conventional wind‐catcher systems, offering a promising passive cooling solution for hot‐climate regions.