Experimental investigation of energy saving in buildings with PCM cold storage

This article presents an experimental analysis of cooling buildings using night-time cold accumulation in a phase change material (PCM), otherwise known as the “free-cooling principle”. Studies of the ceiling and floor free-cooling principle, as well as passive cooling, are presented. The free-cooling principle is explained and some of the types of PCMs suitable for summer cooling are listed. An experiment was conducted using paraffin with a melting point of 22 °C as the PCM to store cold during the night-time and to cool hot air during the daytime in summer. Air temperatures, heat fluxes and heat as a function of time are presented for different air velocities and inlet temperatures.