Evaluating Thermal Performance of PCM-Integrated Roofs: A Numerical Study on Temperature Regulation Across Different Roof Types

Abstract

With the growing demand for energy-efficient buildings, phase change materials (PCMs) have emerged as a promising solution to improve thermal regulation. Integrating PCMs into building roofs can help in moderating indoor temperatures by absorbing and releasing heat. This study presents a numerical simulation to evaluate the impact of PCMs on the thermal performance of PCM-integrated roofs with various configurations. Simulations were conducted for three commercially available PCMs and for roofs with differing thermal inertia, representing diverse configurations. The PCM OM30 demonstrated significant potential in reducing ceiling temperature fluctuations in PCM-integrated roofs under the climatic condition of Surat city of India. Results show that incorporating a 1.5 cm layer of OM30 in a brick-concrete roof can reduce the maximum ceiling temperature by 3.55°C. For a concrete roof, the reduction can reach approximately 8°C, while for a metal roof, the decrease in ceiling temperature can be as high as 13.8°C. The effectiveness of PCMs in reducing ceiling temperature increases with decreasing thermal inertia of the roof.