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Thermal analysis of building benefits from PCM and heat recovery- installing PCM to
boost energy consumption reduction

Tao Hai, Awatef Abidi, Lei Wang, M. Ghaderi, Mustafa Z. Mahmoud, Muhyaddin
Rawa, Hikmet Ş. Aybar
PII: S2352-7102(22)00992-5
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2022.104982
Reference: JOBE 104982

To appear in: Journal of Building Engineering

Received Date: 18 April 2022

Revised Date: 28 June 2022
Accepted Date: 14 July 2022

Please cite this article as: T. Hai, A. Abidi, L. Wang, M. Ghaderi, M.Z. Mahmoud, M. Rawa, Hikmet.Ş.
Aybar, Thermal analysis of building benefits from PCM and heat recovery- installing PCM to boost
energy consumption reduction, Journal of Building Engineering (2022), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/
j.jobe.2022.104982.

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 Thermal analysis of building benefits from PCM and heat recovery- Installing PCM to

boost energy consumption reduction

Tao Hai1,2,3, Awatef Abidi4,5,6, Lei Wang7,8,*, M. Ghaderi9, Mustafa Z. Mahmoud10,11,

Muhyaddin Rawa12,13, Hikmet Ş. Aybar14,15,*

1. School of Electronics and Information Engineering, Ankang University, China

2. School of Computer Sciences, Baoji University of Arts and Sciences, 721007, China
3. Institute for Big Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (IBDAAI), Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah
Alam, Selangor, Malaysia

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4. Physics Department, College of Sciences Abha , King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia

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5. Research Laboratory of Metrology and Energetic Systems, National Engineering School, Energy Engineering
Department, Monastir University , Monastir City, Tunisia

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6. Higher school of Sciences and Technology of Hammam Sousse , Sousse University , Tunisia
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7. School of Computer Science and Engineering, Xi’ an University of Technology, Xi’ an 710048, China
8. The Key Laboratory of Industrial Automation of Shaanxi Province, Shaanxi University of Technology,
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Hanzhong 723001, China

9. University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
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10. Radiology and Medical Imaging Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Prince Sattam bin
Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia
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11. Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT, Australia

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12. Smart Grids Research Group, Center of Research Excellence in Renewable Energy and Power Systems,
King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
13. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, K. A. CARE Energy Research
and Innovation Center, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
14. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Eastern Mediterranean University, TRNC, via Mersin 10, Turkey
15. Department of Medical Research, China Medical University Hospital, China Medical University, Taichung,
Taiwan

* Corresponding authors:
Lei Wang (leiwangxaut@gamil.com) & Hikmet Ş. Aybar (hikmet.aybar@emu.edu.tr)

1
Abstract

Considering the total final consumption as a criterion, the buildings' energy consumption share

reaches more than 30%. To reduce it in buildings located in the Middle East, the addition of PCM,

economizer, and heat recovery can be helpful. Using numerical methods and applying energy

balance to the building, the energy in the building temperature regulation section (TRS) and

mechanical air supply system (MASS) was investigated. PCMs of Pure Temp 23, Pure Temp 25,

Pure Temp 27, and Pure Temp 29 were integrated into the building under two scenarios. In the

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first scenario, the temperature inside the building was constant at 23, 24 and 25℃. Pure Temp 29

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which undergoes phase change at 29℃, when added to the building, less energy was consumed by

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17.39 kWh/m2 at 23℃, 17 kWh/m2 at 24℃ and 16.92 kWh/m2 at setpoint of 25℃. For next scenario
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(inside temperature varied between 23-25℃), Pure Temp 29 was also the best by recording the
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energy saving of 15.52 kWh/m2. To drop energy in the MASS section, an economizer was installed
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and owing to its activation, lower energy was consumed by 1.92 kWh/m2. Finally, heat recovery
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was added to the MASS section, and it was observed that this device, with a reduction of 2.77
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kWh/m2, can be useful for this part of the building. Owing to installing PV cells on roof, annual

electricity generation was 150 kWh per square meter.

Keywords: Building, PCM, Middle East, Energy Saving, Heat Recovery, Photovoltaic Cell

Nomenclature
Greek
𝐀 Area (m2 )
symbols
J
𝐜𝐩 Specific heat (kg.K) ε Liquid fraction

m Dynamic viscosity
𝐠 Gravitational acceleration (s2 ) μ
(Pa. s)

2
 J kg
𝐇 Total enthalpy ( ) ρ Density (m3 )
kg
J
𝐡 Sensible enthalpy ( ) α Absorption coefficient
kg
J Abbreviatio
∆𝐇 Latent enthalpy ( )
kg ns
Exterior convective coefficient
Heating Ventilation
𝐡𝐨 W HVAC
( 2 ) and Air Conditioning
m .K
J
L Latent Enthalpy (kg) PCM Phase Change Material

of
Incident solar radiation over the tilted surface

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𝐈𝛃 W
(m 2 )

𝐤 Thermal Conductivity (m.K)

W
-p
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J
𝐡𝐟𝐠 Latent heat (kg)
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𝐏 Pressure (Pa)
na

𝐓 Temperature (K)
𝐓𝐢 Interior temperature (K)
ur

𝐓𝐬𝐨𝐥−𝐚𝐢𝐫 Sol − air Temperature (K)

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𝐓𝐬 Solidus temperature (K)

𝐓𝐥 Liquidus temperature (K)
⃗
𝐕 Velocity vector
m
𝐮 Velocity in x − direction ( )
s
m
𝐕 Velocity in y − direction ( )
s
m
W Velocity in z − direction ( )
s

1. Introduction

3
Energy is one of the most important human prerequisites for the development of society in various

sectors. Without energy, development cannot be achieved. Although energy is being consumed in

various sectors, the building sector is one of the most important consumers. It consumes more than

30% of the world's total final consumption to protect humans from environmental changes [1].

Nanoparticles [2], solar energy [3], geothermal[4], wind[5], biomass [6] can increase heat transfer

or reduce energy consumption. A large part of the energy in the building goes back to air

conditioning and heating hot water. This part of the building uses energy for heating/cooling and

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in addition, injects fresh air into the building. Phase change materials (PCMs) can be integrated

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with buildings to make them energy-efficient [7].

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In [8], the authors used PCM and at the same time, they installed photovoltaic cells (PV). The
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authors added PCM to the external walls and roof and to explore the PCM influences, they
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calculated heat transfer (HT) from the external envelopes annually. While for walls HT was
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102044 kWh/year, for roof HT was 98664 kWh. If PCM reduces this parameter, it can be said with
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assurance that a fitting PCM has been selected for this situation. For a PCM that is solid at 17℃
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and changes its phase to liquid at 19℃, HT parameter was 72598 kWh for external walls while for

the roof HT reached 77217 kWh. Therefore, this PCM had an acceptable performance considering

a drop in HT associated to walls by 29446 kWh and for the roof, the drop was 21447 kWh. They

also focused on PV and its electricity generation and found that each month, electricity generation

is different. However, the range of changes in this parameter was within 4200 to 9500 kWh and

the total production of electricity in a year was estimated at 84351 kWh.

Alqaed et al. [9] in a long-term study, selected a nano-enhanced PCM for building applications to

explore whether adding nanoparticles inside the PCM could enhance its efficiency or not.

Although in many studies nanoparticles have shown that they are useful [2, 10], in the study

4
conducted by Alqaed et al. [9], they came to the opposite results. The nanoPCM performance was

influenced by the number of nanoparticles that are inserted into the PCM so that at different

nanoparticles concentration, the PCM properties were different. Although the numerical study was

conducted at concentrations of 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1 wt.%, the nanoPCM performance was only

acceptable at 0.5 wt.%. At this concentration, HT was declined by 8.2% equivalent to 7777 kWh

decline. At the highest mass concentration of nanoparticles (1 wt. %), it seemed that nanoPCMs

had better performance due to the presence of nanoparticles, but the results demonstrated that at

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this concentration, HT not only did not lessen, but also expanded by 20%.

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Kalbasi and Hassani [11] mounted several PCMs with various phase transition temperatures under

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the conditions of different climate zones in Iran. They first categorized zones according to the
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ASHRAE classifications. For ten zones, by HDD values within 400-2800, PCM is added to the
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buildings and the comfort hour were examined by the authors under the conditions of without
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energy utilizations. In other words, they investigated the effects of PCM on the comfort hours
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without energy consumption. They chose a logical method to evaluate the effectiveness of PCM.
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For buildings without PCM and NPCM, the comfort time was 2606 hours. Therefore, adding PCM

will be useful if the comfort time is increased. For NPCM, this parameter reached 2715, which

means an increase of 109 hr. For PCM with the phase change potential, this parameter reached

5953 hours, namely 128% rise. therefore, if the designers selected the apparent PCMs, they can

provide comfort conditions even without any external energy and only by using PCMs

Alazwari et al. [12] tried to add PCM 24 (a PCM with a melting point of 22-24℃) to a building in

Jeddah and calculated HT in July. For this month, with the presence of PCM, HT was 5792 kWh.

To examine if this material can reduce HT, they removed PCM from the building and based on the

calculations, HT increased by 545 kWh which is equivalent to an increase of 9.4%.

5
Amirahmad [13] relied on the enthalpy-porosity method and explored the RT-27 influence on heat

transfer from the walls in a building in Najran. RT-27 was solid at 31℃ while at 33℃ it was liquid

and because of the phase change, this material declined HT by 22%. They repeated the calculations

and included the influence of other heat sources on the energy balance and found that RT-27 can

be useful by 11.4%.

Farouk et al. [14] tested six PCMs and installed each PCM in the building separately. For five

climate zones in Saudi Arabia, they calculated heat/cold loads of the HVAC system designed to

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maintain the temperature in the range of 21-25℃. In summer when the cooling load is required,

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each PCM can fall HVAC power but in winter, some PCM's performance was acceptable.

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However, they defined annual results as a criterion and then repeated the numerical results to find
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the best PCM in each zones. In zone 2, A27 was selected as the best PCM and for other zones,
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PCM of A29 reduced annual HVAC power. Approximately, energy-saving related to A27 or A29
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(the best candidates) was about 100 kWh/m2 per year.

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In Jeddah, Rawa et al. [15], in a numerical study utilized a PCM with various thicknesses and
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added it to walls, roofs and ground. The simulation was performed during the warm months.

During these months, for the roof, solar radiation was more than 1000 kWh/m2 while in the north

direction, this value was about 300 kWh/m2. However, they added PCM with the lowest thickness

(1 cm) and found an interesting result, namely in the roof, PCM not only did decrease but also

increase HT by 0.19 kWh/m2. For south/north directions which received the lowest radiation, HT

was declined by about ~2.8 kWh/m2. After increasing thickness, PCM could reduce HT even for

the roof so that at 2 cm thickness, HT declination was ~1.5 kWh/m2 and for HT for the west it was

more than 5 kWh/m2. For 4 cm thickness, HT in the roof was maximum by recording the value of

more than 20 kWh/m2 while for all walls, HT declination was lower at 7.5 kWh/m2. After lot of

6
calculations, they found that in thicknesses between 5 and 10 cm, increasing thickness is not

recommended at all. At a thickness of 5 cm, this material had more than 159,000 kWh of energy-

saving. In most previous studies, PCM was added to building walls as a material to reduce heat

transfer. Although PCM can reduce heat transfer, the final effect is determined when its influence

on energy demand is determined. In this study, PCM as a thermal capacitor, in addition to

horizontal surfaces (floor and roof) is also added to a vertical surfaces (walls). An absorption

chiller is then added that can generate cooling using thermal energy. Absorption chillers can

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provide a part of its heat energy by combining with a solar system. Photovoltaic cells are also

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installed on the roof as an electricity generators to supply electricity to the building.

2. Toward sustainable building

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Renewable energy sources are investigated by many authors [3, 16]. The exchange of energy that
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takes place in a building with the external environment depends on the temperature difference as
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well as the sun's radiation. To reduce the first effect, the temperature difference can be reduced,
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that is, the indoor temperature should be brought close enough to the outside temperature. This
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means that lower temperatures should be considered in winter and higher outside temperatures in

summer. Another technique can be used to reduce the energy exchange caused by the temperature

difference. Strengthen the walls by adding materials that have low thermal conductivity or high

thermal capacity. PCMs are known as materials that have both properties, on the one hand, have

low thermal conductivity and on the other hand, have high thermal inertia. The thermal inertia in

them is due to their two properties, on the one hand, they have an acceptable density and sensible

heat capacity and on the other hand, they have a very high latent heat capacity. These materials

have been used in many studies [17-21]. They have been used in cooling [20], heating[22-24],

storage [19, 25], temperature reduction [26, 27] and thermal management [28-30]. In this study,

7
PCM is added to all building envelopes including wall, roof and ground and then the heat transfer

of the building is calculated. It is predicted that less energy will be exchanged by adding these

materials, and therefore, the air conditioning system also needs less energy.

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Fig. 1. An industrial building equipped with PCM in the walls and roof

As shown in Figure 1, the industrial building uses PCM inside the wall and wall. The physical

characteristics of PCM are reported in Table 1.

8
 Table 1 PureTemp as PCM and thermophysical properties [31]

𝑘 𝑐𝑝 𝜌 𝐿
𝑇𝑚

𝑊 𝐽 𝑘𝑔 𝐽
(℃) ( )

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( ) ( ) ( 3)
𝑚. 𝐾 𝑘𝑔. 𝐾 𝑚 𝑘𝑔

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0.15 (L) 1990 (l) 830 (l)
Pure Temp 23
-p 23 201000
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0.25 (s) 1840 (s) 910 (s)
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0.15 (L) 2290 (l) 860 (l)

Pure Temp 25 25 187000
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0.25 (s) 1990 (s) 950 (s)

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0.15 (L) 2630 (l) 860 (l)

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Pure Temp 27 27 202000

0.25 (s) 2460 (s) 950 (s)

0.15 (L) 1940 (l) 850 (l)

Pure Temp 27 29 202000
0.25 (s) 1770 (s) 940 (s)

3. Formulation

9
Based on mathematical formulation [32-36], in this study, we used mathematical formulation to

accomplish energy analysis for a building that benefits from PCM. At first, it is necessary to

develop energy balance equations through the internal boundaries [11]:

∂Ti
(ρcp ) = ∑ hi A𝑖 (T𝑖 − T𝑟𝑜𝑜𝑚 ) + Electrical Heat gian + Occupancy + Lighting
i ∂t
(1)
+ HVAC Cooling/cooling

where T𝑖 is the temperature at the interior surface of the envelopes. Approving energy

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equation to specify T𝑖 , is crucial [37]:

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𝜕(𝜌ℎ)
+
𝜕
(𝜌𝑢𝑖 ℎ) =
𝜕 𝜕(𝑘𝑇)
( )−
∂(𝜌𝜀 ℎ𝑓𝑔 )
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− ∇. (ρ𝜀 ℎ𝑓𝑔 ⃗V𝑃𝐶𝑀 ) (2)
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𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝑥𝑖 𝜕𝑥𝑗 𝜕𝑥𝑗 ∂t
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Eq. 2 involves h which denotes the sensible enthalpy and arises from the capability of storing
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energy in a sensible form, ℎ𝑓𝑔 denote the energy released/absorbed during phase transition, 𝜀 is
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the liquid fraction. This term is a temperature-dependent function. For temperatures lower than Ts ,
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𝜀 is zero and this means that the PCM is completely solid. For temperature higher T𝑙 , 𝜀 is maximum

(i.e., one) and consequently, we have a completely liquid PCM. The parameter of 𝜀 is obtained as

follows [37]:

ε=0 If T ≤ T𝑠
ε=1 If T ≥ T𝑙
T − Ts (3)
ε= If T𝑠 < T < T𝑙
[ Tl − Ts ]

If the temperature is changed within [Ts − Tl ], PCM is neither solid nor liquid, but in an

intermediate state which is called mushy zone. In this study, the solar radiation over walls and roof

10
is responsible for building heating and its variations should be considered. Solar radiation over a

surface with an angle of 𝛽 is [38, 39]:

cos θi 1 + cos β 1 − cos β

It = Ib + Id + ρ (Ib + Id ) (4)
cos θz 2 2

In Eq. 4, Ib and Id are beam and diffuse terms of the solar radiation. These values are

determined from geographic information.

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Normal

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8
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Radiation (kWh/m2)

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6
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0 73 146 219 292 365

Fig. 2. Ib and Id in Makkah (21,424946° N, 39,821995° E)

In Eq. 4, the parameters of cos θi and cos θz are:

11
 cos 𝜃𝑖 = (cos 𝜑 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝛽 + sin 𝜑 sin 𝛽 cos 𝛾 ) cos 𝛿 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜔

+ cos 𝛿 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜔 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝛽 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝛾 (5)

+ sin 𝛿 (sin 𝜑 cos 𝛽 − 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜑 sin 𝛽 cos 𝛾 )

cos 𝜃𝑧 = cos 𝜑 cos 𝛿 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜔 + sin 𝛿 sin 𝜑 (6)

where, 𝛿 and 𝜔 denote latitude, and declination angle [38].

In this study, the ambient temperature data is necessary to perform a transient simulation. This

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parameter is obtained from Meteonorm [40] as shown in Fig. 3.

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45
Maximum Temperature

40
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Ambient Temperature (oC)

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35
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30
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25
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20
Minimum Temperature

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Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Fig. 3. Ambient temperature [41]

4. Results

In this section, the results are first discussed for a factory whose envelopes include cement,

insulation, concrete, and plaster. The total heat transfer coefficient of factory envelopes was 0.412
𝑊
𝑚2 .𝐾
. In this factory, there are 100 people with a heat gain of 189 Watt per person. Moreover, the

12
 𝑊ℎ
internal thermal energy production associated with the factory process is 1.81 . It is also
𝑚2

assumed that the building has no windows and therefore 3,000 watts of electricity is needed for

lighting (Fig. 4).

20
Thermal gain owing
Interior thermal gian (kWh)

to factory process heat

15

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10

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Thermal gain owing
lighting

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Thermal gain owing
people activity
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0
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0 8 16 24
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Fig. 4. Thermal gain with respect to time (daily schedule)

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Energy in an air conditioning system depends on the indoor temperature profile. In this study, it is
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assumed that the temperature inside the factory should be at 25℃ throughout the year. Therefore,

the air conditioning system in the heating and cooling sectors must produce heat and cold

according to the energy balance. In Fig. 5, energy utilization in HVAC for adjustment of

temperature at 25℃ is demonstrated.

13
 Energy consumption for temperature adjustment (kWh)
Cooling section is ON
whenever the inside
temperature tends to be higher 25oC
33600

25200

16800

8400

Heating section is ON whenever the inside

temperature tends to be lower 25oC
0

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Jan May Sep Dec

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Fig. 5. Energy consumption to adjust the temperature
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In Fig. 6, the total energy includes of heating and cooling are reported monthly. As the setpoint
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decreases from 25 to 23℃, the cooling load is expected to increase sharply and, conversely, the
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heat load to decrease. The total energy consumed depends on both parameters. Fig. 6 reveals that

because the decrease in temperature is accompanied by an increase in energy demand, so the cold
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load has overcome the heat load.

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14
 Dec 25oC
Nov 24oC
Oct 23oC
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr

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Mar

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Feb
Jan
0 10000 20000
-p 30000 40000
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Energy consumption to adjust temperature (kWh)
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Fig. 6. Energy consumption to adjust the temperature in each indoor temperature scenario (No
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PCM)
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PureTemp 27 is now installed inside the walls (roof and walls) with a melting point of 27℃ to
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make the building more efficient in terms of energy rank classification. Therefore, energy

consumption should be determined for this building, which has the advantages of PureTemp 27

phase change. Calculations show that energy consumption is lower when PCM melts at 27°C. For

all setpoints of 23, 24 and 25℃, a comparison of energy consumption for the two factories was

performed and the results are reported in Fig. 7. Except for January, when PCM could not make

the building more efficient, in other months, the material of PureTemp 27, which melts at 27℃,

reduced energy consumption for the factory.

15
 There is no PCM 23oC There is no PCM 24oC
There is a PCM layer There is a PCM layer
40000 40000
HVAC energy demand (kWh)

HVAC energy demand (kWh)

30000 30000

20000 20000

10000 10000

0 0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

There is no PCM 25oC

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There is a PCM layer
40000
HVAC energy demand (kWh)

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30000

20000
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10000
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0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
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Fig. 7. HVAC energy utilization if PureTemp 27 is installed

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In Fig. 8, looking at the annual analysis, the effect of PureTemp 27 on energy utilization related to

temperature regulation and fresh air supply is reported. As shown in Fig. 8, in all three setpoints,

the PureTemp 27 exhibits valuable behavior. At setpoint 23℃, the reduction of 14.88 kWh, at 24

and 25℃, the saving of energy was equal to 15 and 13.5 kWh, respectively.

16
 420000
There is no PCM
There is a PCM layer
2
Saving by 14.88 kWh/m

336000 Saving by 15 kWh/m2

HVAC Power (kWh)

Saving by 13.5 kWh/m2

252000

168000

84000

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0

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23 24 25

Fig. 8. HVAC power and energy saving owing to Pure Temp 27

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Now the effects of the other PCMs (see Table 1) are examined. In Fig. 9, it is clear that
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1- At a lower setpoint (23℃), Pure Temp performs betters.

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2- As a constant setpoint, if a Pure Temp with a higher melting point is installed, there will
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be more energy saving.

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Among Pure Temp 23, Pure Temp 25, Pure Temp 27 and Pure Temp 29, the last one is superior

to the others as shown in Fig. 9.

17
 of
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lP
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Fig. 9. Superior effects of Pure Temp 29

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In the previous section, the results were obtained for constant temperature profiles. In this part, the

indoor temperature is changing in the range of 23 to 25℃. That is, the heating system is activated

when the indoor temperature drops below 23℃, and in contrast, the cooling system starts operating

when the temperature inside the mill reaches 25℃. For this scenario, PCM of Pure Temp 23

declined HVAC power by 12 kWh/m2 and for Pure Temp 25, this value was 13.37 kWh/m2. The

maximum HVAC was achieved when we installed Pure Temp 29 and for this condition, HVAC

for temperature adjustment within 23 to 25℃ needs lower energy by 15.52 kWh/m2.

18
 280000

260428 kWh for building without PCM

12.02 kWh/m2

13.37 kWh/m2

13.8 kWh/m2

15.52 kWh/m2
HVAC energy (kWh) 244000

208000

172000

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136000

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100000
Pure Temp 23
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Pure Temp 25 Pure Temp 27 Pure Temp 29
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Fig. 10. HVAC energy utilization for the scenario of 23℃ ≤ 𝑇𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 ≤ 25℃
lP

In the case where the indoor temperature is 23-25℃, adding Pure Temp 23 with a transition point
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of 23℃ declined energy utilization by 25.4%. For other Pure Temp, the reduction percent is 28.2%,
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29.1% and finally for Pure Temp 29, this is 32.8%.

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In zones where people have activity, the need for fresh air is always felt. For this purpose, a

mechanical air supply system is installed to inject fresh air into the space. In this study, a

mechanical air supply system (MASS), without performing thermodynamic processes, injects air

into the zone in such a way that 6 liters per second of fresh air is supplied per person. Although

MASS can greatly increase the HVAC power consumption, in some cases it can be combined with

an economizer and thus lessen HVAC power consumption.

In Fig. 11, the HVAC power demand is shown for MASS and MASS + economizer. When the

system needs cooling power and if the ambient temperature is lower than the indoor one, the

19
economizer can open a new valve to inject a huge amount of fresh air into the indoor space. When

the economizer is ON, because the fresh air has a lower temperature than the inside temperature,

so its energy is less than the energy of the indoor air. Therefore, fresh air in this state, like a heat

sink, after being injected into the indoor space, absorbs the energy of the indoor space. On the

other hand, the air conditioning system should keep the indoor space cool by absorbing the excess

energy inside the space. Because fresh air can absorb internal energy, the presence of an

economizer diminishes the power of the air conditioning system.

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30

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Decrease in HVAC power demand
HVAC Power (kWh)

due to injecting fresh air with lower

-p
temperature than the room temperature
20 re
10
lP

0 There is no Economizer
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There is an Economizer Zero value for HVAC power when economizer inject fresh air

90 100
50
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Temperature (oC)

40

30 Ambient Temperature

20 Room Temperature

10
90 100

Fig. 11. Lowering HVAC power for the case of adding economizer

Fig. 12 shows the economizer's potential for reducing power consuming. In months when the air

temperature can be lower than 25 degrees (i.e., indoor temperature), the presence of an economizer

20
lowers the power consumption. Note that the air conditioning system is responsible for regulating

the temperature between 23 and 25 degrees. This system is timed in such a way that its cooling

along with the heating system is always active.

23400
Installing Economizer is useful

19500 No Economizer
With Economiaer
HVAC Load (kWh)

15600

of
11700

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7800

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3900
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Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
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Fig. 12. HVAC load for the case where economizer is utilized
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From May to the end of October, the outside air temperature does not fall below 25℃ and
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consequently, the economizer is always OFF. When the economizer injects fresh air, the power of

the HVAC system lowers from 31.82 to 29.9 kWh/m2 (declination by 1.92 kWh/m2).

Another technique that can always reduce energy consumption is to install a recovery heater with

the ability to recover coldness from the return air. To use this method, a return channel must be

installed. Fig. 13 shows how the heat recovery system runs and how it is affected by the

temperature of the indoor/outdoor. As shown, this system is more efficient when the temperature

difference between fresh air (ambient air) and return air (room air) increases. So, if the outside

21
temperature is considerably higher than the inside temperature, installing a heat recovery is an

attractive option..

50
45 There is no Heat Recovery
As the temperature difference There is Heat Recovery
HVAC Power (kWh)

40
reduces, heat recovery has lower
35 potential to reduce HVAC
30 power demand
25 Decrease in HVAC power demand
due to installinh heat recovery
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15
10

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5

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0
6500 6510 6520 6530

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Interior thermal gian (kWh)

50
45
Ambient Temperature
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35
30
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25
Room Temperature
20
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15
10
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6500 6510 6520 6530

Fig. 13. Lowering HVAC power for the case of adding heat recovery

In Fig. 14 the heat recovery influence on the power of the HVAC system is illustrated and as

shown, when HVAC system is equipped with heat recovery needs lower energy for temperature

adjustment. This occurs in each month. Without heat recovery, HVAC power demand is more by

2.77 kWh.

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 23400
No Economizer
With Economiaer
19500
HVAC Load (kWh)

15600

11700

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7800

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3900

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Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
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Fig. 14. HVAC load for the case where heat recovery is utilized
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One of the sustainable building requirements is that they should generate electricity and thus
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supply a portion of the building's electricity. For this purpose, photovoltaic cells are installed on

the roof. The production of electricity by photovoltaic cells is reported monthly in Fig. 15. In

November, December and January, electricity production is about 9179, 7588 and 9725 watt-hour

per square meter. In other months, the electricity generation is more than 10,000 watt-hour per

square meter. The total electricity generation for this building was 150,160 watt-hour per square

meter.

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Electricity Generation (Wh/m2) 21000

17500

14000

10500

of
7000

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3500

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Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
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Fig. 15. Electricity generation owing to mounting PV on roof

5. Conclusion
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Buildings with a record of 30% of global energy consumption are very prone to optimization to

reduce energy consumption. Especially for hot areas, cooling is always one of the areas prone to

optimization. In this study, the energy in the building temperature regulation section (TRS) and

mechanical air supply system (MASS) was investigated. For this purpose, in two different

temperature scenarios, energy in TRS and MASS was inspected. In the first scenario, the setpoint

of 23, 24 and 25 degrees Celsius were selected throughout of the year. In the next scenario, the

temperature profile inside the building was adjusted so that if the temperature tends to record

values below 23°C, the heating section would be activated. If the temperature rises above 25℃,

24
the cooling section is activated. In MASS, a 6 liters per second of fresh air was considered per

person.

Results of the first scenario:

• For four PCMs called Pure Temp 23, Pure Temp 25, Pure Temp 27 and Pure Temp 29

which had phase transition of 23, 25, 27 and 29℃, energy consumption in TRS was

examined. For a building combined with Pure Temp 23, the less energy in TRS sections

consumed by 12.35 kWh/m2 under the setpoint of 23℃. At setpoint of 24 and 25℃, energy

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saving was 10.44 and 8.43 kWh/m2, respectively.

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• Better results were obtained when Pure Temp 25 was installed instead of Pure Temp 23 by

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recording the energy saving values of 14.15, 12 and 10.05 kWh/m2 at indoor temperatures
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of 23, 24 and 25℃.
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• The best outcomes were 17.39 kWh/m2 at 23℃, 17 kWh/m2 at 24℃ and 16.92 kWh/m2 at
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25℃ when Pure Temp 29 was used.

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Results of the second scenario:

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• In this scenario, four PCMs successfully declined energy in TRS. For Pure Temp 23, by

12.02 kWh/m2, less energy was consumed in TRS section.

• As the transition temperature increases from 23 to 29℃, the more energy saving is obtained

due to using PCM. for Pure Temp 29, energy saving was 15.52 kWh/m2.

Results related to economizer installation:

Climate analysis for Mecca showed that there is no chance of using an economizer during May-

October. At other times, if the temperature conditions are right, adding an economizer to the MASS

section reduces energy consumption by up to 1.92 kWh/m2.

25
Results related to economizer installation:

Although the chance of using economizer was limited to several month, the heat recovery was

useful almost the throughout of the year. Due to using heat recovery, energy in TRS + MASS

sections lowered by 2.77 kWh per square meter.

Acknowledgments

The second author extends her appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Khalid

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University for funding this work through the Large Groups Project under grant number

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(R.G.P.2/55/43). Also, this research work was funded by Institutional Fund Projects under grant

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no. (IFFPP-225-22). Therefore, the authors gratefully acknowledge technical and financial support
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from Ministry of Education and Deanship of Scientific Research (DSR), King Abdulaziz
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University (KAU), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

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29
Highlights
The addition of PCM, economizer, and heat recovery were examined in the Middle East.
Energy demand in the building section of TRS plus MASS was investigated.
PCMs of Pure Temp 23, Pure Temp 25, Pure Temp 27, and Pure Temp 29 were selected
Pure Temp 29 which undergoes phase change at 29℃ declined energy demand by 17.39 kWh/m2
To drop energy in MASS section, economizer declined it by 1.92 kWh/m2.
Heat recovery decreased energy demand by 2.77 kWh/m2.

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There is no conflict of interest

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 Authors Statement

Tao Hai: Formal analysis, Writing - Review & Editing, Methodology, Performing

revise, Investigation.
Awatef Abidi: Formal analysis, Writing, Methodology, Performing revise
Lei Wang: Formal analysis, Software, Performing revise

M. Ghaderi: Conceptualization, Methodology, Software, Writing, Project

administration.

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Mustafa Z. Mahmoud: Solar Energy Analysis, Performing revise

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Muhyaddin Rawa: Solar Energy Analysis, Performing revise

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Hikmet Ş. Aybar: Formal analysis, Performing revise
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