Effects of various parameters of a PCM on thermal performance of a solar chimney

A validated numerical model is established to study the effects of various parameters on thermal performance of a solar chimney integrated with phase change material (PCM) in terms of the melting/freezing time, air flow rate and air temperature difference between inlet and outlet. The numerical results showed that the phase change temperature of PCM greatly affects the thermal performance of solar chimney. The PCM having wider phase change temperature difference reaches the complete melting earlier than that with narrower one. However, it also fluctuates the room air temperature that may cause the thermal discomfort. The specific heat of PCM affects the way that sensible heat contributes to the melting/freezing process. The average mass flow rate and air temperature difference increase from 0.033 to 0.038 kg/s and from 1.5 to 2 °C, when the thermal conductivity of PCM is enhanced from 0.2 to 0.6 W/m·°C. The initial temperature of PCM has very little influence on the melting process after the early period of melting.