Energy and thermo-economic analysis of PCM integrated brick in composite climatic condition of Jaipur - A numerical study

Use of phase change materials (PCM) in building to enhance thermal comfort and reduce energy consumption has widened over last few decades. Various techniques are employed to incorporate PCM in buildings, to reduce cooling/heating loads and temperature fluctuations in buildings owing to its high latent capacity. Present work investigates the thermal performance of n-Eicosane and OM35, incorporated in clay bricks, a widely used construction material. Numerical study is performed to analyse the energy saving potential for varying PCM positions and thicknesses to optimize the configuration. The optimized configuration is analysed for reducing indoor heat flux under unconditioned, partial and fully conditioned indoor environments. The annual thermal performance of the optimized configuration is studied for estimation of monthly heating/cooling load and total annual energy savings. Economic analysis is conducted to determine the energy saving cost and payback period for the design in different wall orientations under different indoor conditions. Results showed that OM35 in East orientation provided cooling load reduction of 31.1% for May which is equivalent to annual cost saving of USD 1.05/m2, while North orientation with n-Eicosane provided the lowest cost saving of USD 0.023/m2. However, PCM installations in Jaipur’s climatic condition was deemed economically infeasible with lowest payback of 181 years. [Display omitted] •Thermal performance of PCM integrated brick under three indoor conditions studied.•Effect of wall azimuth on thermal performance and brick design optimization studied.•Thermo-economic benefit of PCM integrated brick in composite climate is presented.•Payback period estimated for the optimized PCM integrated brick design.