Experimental Study of Effect of Storage Phase Change Materials (PCM) on the Function of a Passive Solar Ventilator

In the current study, natural solar ventilation has been investigated aiming at reducing the consumption of fossil and thus, reducing greenhouse gas emissions in a hot and dry climate in which the behavior of various fluid variables (temperature, velocity, and flow rate) is considered in different conditions. Since solar radiation is not uniform throughout the day, passive solar ventilation is unstable. In this regard, the natural displacement flow in a solar ventilator with copper thermal absorber, double-glazed glass compartment to prevent thermal energy loss, as well as phase change materials for the storage of thermal energy has been investigated, experimentally. In the case of no phase change material, due to the creation of a suitable temperature difference, the panel has made the chimney effect possible for natural ventilation in some hours of the day, but in the early hours of the night, the temperature of the panel will be the same as the ambient temperature, and the chimney effect will not be available for proper ventilation. In a panel equipped with phase change materials, the system has acceptably been able to play an important role in reducing the temperature drop in the hours of the day with no solar radiation leading to a reliable air flow rate. In fact, the main purpose of using phase change materials in passive solar ventilation is the same effect, the use of excess energy in cases of energy shortages.