Building brick wall thermal management optimization and temperature control based on phase change materials integration. Case study of the city of Bechar, Algeria

Energy is a critical component of modern human life, and life without energy-consuming sectors is unthinkable for twenty-first-century humans. The building sector is a significant consumer of energy. A significant portion of human energy consumption is used to maintain comfortable building conditions. This work investigates three types of brick cavities (square, polygon, and circle cavities) filled with various phase change materials (PCMs). PCMs include RT24, RT42, n-Eicosane, and Capric acid. In Algerias hot climate, the effects of PCM type and cavity forms on the thermal performance of brick walls are discussed. In addition, an energy consumption comparison was performed between the new wall brick and the traditional brick. According to the findings, the utilization of PCM within the brick wall leads to a decrease in the indoor heat transfer and generates an indoor wall temperature more in line with the desired indoor air temperature. Furthermore, when square cavities are filled with capric acid as PCM, the outcome is a maximum temperature of 27.8 °C. Moreover, it leads to a reduction of 67.84 % in peak indoor heat flux and a decrease of 61.8 % in energy consumption. •The study investigated the heat performance of phase change material (PCM) that was incorporated into a brick wall, under hot climate conditions.•The aim of the study was to analyze different parameters that could improve the thermal properties of bricks.•The study analyzes the extent of energy conservation resulting from the utilization of bricks filled with PCM.•Among three cavity forms, square cavities filled with PCM gives the lowest energy consumption on a summer day.