Energetic Performance Evaluation of Walls Incorporating Phase Change Material (PCM) Under Semi-Arid Climate of Benguerir City

The integration of phase change materials (PCMs) in the construction sector as a passive latent heat thermal energy storage system is a promising solution to regulate the thermal comfort of occupants and reduce energy consumption. In this study, a numerical investigation of PCM-enhanced integrated building walls in a semi-arid climate is performed to better understand the PCM effect in the building and optimise the choice of a PCM. A parametric study of various phase-change materials (RT-18 HC, RT-21 HC, RT-25 HC, RT-28 HC, and RT-35 HC) in PCM-composites walls is performed. The simulation results showed that the PCM-integrated walls lead to a considerable improvement in the indoor comfort and reduction in cooling and heating consumptions, as well as temperature fluctuations. Finally, this research has shown that a PCM wall comprising the paraffin RT-28 HC as PCM provides better heating and cooling energy performance, which significantly reduces annual energy consumption.