The Role of Phase Change Materials in Improvement and Revitalization of Wind Tower Function; Case study: Warm & Humid Climate

In the last century of Iranian architecture, the use of passive thermal comfort methods has been forgotten and replaced by active methods, in addition to environmental constraints and crises, this process have caused high costs and sometimes reduced access to electricity; As a result, it is essential to use elements and passive methods, especially in warm climates where more electricity is consumed. One of the most important elements of Iran's traditional architecture is wind tower which is still functional due to its simplicity of operation and use of wind energy. In recent years, the use of new building technologies, such as Phase Change Materials, has also led to the revival of passive methods and significant energy savings. Therefore, the present study has attempted to use this material in the wind tower to improve its performance in passive cooling.

This research was carried out in the form of modeling of airflow in the wind tower channel in Fluent Software and comparing the inlet and outlet temperature. In this regard, three models - fiberglass and two types of phase change with different melting constant temperatures as wall cover-were tested.

Testing of the models showed that the cover of the phase change material was much more effective than the fiberglass cover (at least between 4.5°C until 5.5°C) in reducing the outlet temperature of the wind tower.

This amount of cooling covers at least three months in warm season and some time of day in the warm and humid climate of Qeshm and will play a reliable role in reducing electricity consumption.