Optimization and performance evaluation of a novel solar collect wall system: Dynamically controlled trombe wall system integrated with phase change material

This research paper presents a comprehensive study on dynamically controlled Trombe wall system integrated with PCM. The research flow involves constructing a thermodynamic model using EnergyPlus, validating it with measurement data, optimizing the model parameters using a genetic algorithm, and conducting a sensitivity analysis. The study investigates the impact of various parameters on the thermal performance of the Trombe wall system, including PCM freezing temperature, latent heat value, phase change temperature range, and fan speed. The results indicate that the PCM freezing temperature of 23 °C provides optimal thermal performance. Increasing the latent heat value reduces the heating load, but the effect diminishes. Too low or too large phase change temperature difference leads to higher heating loads, while an increased fan speed initially lowers the heating load but can lead to higher energy consumption. The comparison of with/without blind material results showed that dynamic control of window blind materials effectively mitigates heat loss during winter. The results of the study showed that the solar collector wall system could effectively reduce the heating load but could not achieve a comfortable indoor temperature on its own and needed to be used in combination with other heating installations. The optimal parameter combination is as follows: phase change freezing temperature (Tf) of 23 °C, temperature difference of freezing/melting curve (ΔT)is 2 °C, latent heat (ΔH) of 220,000 J/kg, and fan speed(Vfan) of 0.07 m³/s.